Time After Time
by mangoaddict
Summary: Sequel to This Brilliant Dance. AU CC. My version of the second season as the group struggles to deal with their new-found knowledge, problems, and enemies.
1. Three Months Later

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This is the sequel to _This Brilliant Dance_, and it helps if you've read the other story first. However, if you haven't, I've summarized the main points of the story below. It might be worthwhile to read over the summary even if you have read_This Brilliant Dance_, just to refresh your memory.

* * *

Summary of This Brilliant Dance

The crash happened in 1947. Nasedo was thrown from the ship and captured immediately by Agent Pierce Sr. of the FBI. He stayed in the white room for almost forty years. The skins, who followed the ship to Earth, were interested in finding and acquiring the Granolith before it could fall into the hands of the Royal Four, so they searched for any signs of alien life.

Atherton, a conspiracy theorist nut, found one of the signaling orbs from the ship that had crashed. It projected images of the Four Square (the four ovals with spirals inside them connected by the x), so Atherton concluded that it was a sign of alien life, and wrote a book about it. The skins killed him and tried to hide the orb so that the Royal Four would not find it.

The skins then returned to New Mexico, where they met Riverdog and demanded answers from him. He couldn't help them because he didn't know anything about the Granolith, but before they left they drew symbols on the wall of his cave. After they left, the skins killed several FBI agents who were hunting them, including Agent Pierce Sr. His son, Agent Donald Pierce, began a vendetta against aliens in response to his father's murder.

Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess all hatched at relatively the same time. Max and Isabel were adopted by the Evans, and Michael ended up in foster care with Hank. Tess somehow made it into an adoption agency in Los Angeles, where she was adopted by Andrew and Jessica Harding. The skins found Tess in Los Angeles about a year after she was adopted, and killed both the Hardings in a 'car accident.' Tess was taken in by Jim Valenti, who was a friend of Andrew Harding's. A year later, Tess accidentally used her mind-warp abilities to 'convince' Valenti to adopt her.

And everything stayed relatively normal for the four of them for the next several years. During that time, Tess started hanging out with Kyle and the popular group, leaving the other three hybrids by themselves. Max continued to silently obsess over Liz, and Isabel expressed some secret interest in Alex, while Michael dealt mostly with problems concerning Hank. Mr. and Mrs. Evans took an active role in Michael's life as well, inviting him over as much as possible so that he did not need to rely on Hank as often.

Then Liz gets shot (which is where my story begins), and Max heals her. She eventually tells Alex and Maria, and they join in the attempts to keep the secret safe. Jim Valenti begins investigating the shooting, and Tess does her best to lead him astray, finally mind-warping him. Liz is forced to lie to Kyle, whom she is dating at the time, and Kyle believes that she cheated on him, and is understandably upset. After Kyle and Liz break up, Liz and Max start dating, and Liz receives flashes of Max's previous life.

Just as things are about to calm down again, Nasedo breaks out of the white room. Amy DeLuca is in a car crash that puts her into a coma, and it is revealed to Maria that her parents never divorced. Jim, who is secretly dating Amy, is angry about this, but still calls Maria's father and asks him to come to Roswell. Nasedo learns of this, kills the real Sean Everett (Maria's father), and impersonates him to get close to Maria and the aliens. It is then discovered that Sean is not Maria's real father, but pretended to be her father to hide the fact that Amy was raped.

Michael starts getting visions of Atherton's home, and he eventually goes to investigate, dragging Maria along with him. Max and Tess follow, and Max is drawn to the orb hidden in the home. They take it back to Roswell.

Agent Topolski comes to the high school as a guidance counselor. She defects sometime later, and disappears. Brody Davis and his daughter Sydney come to town, and Max starts working for him. At the same time, Hank discovers Michael's gifts, and when they get into a fight, Michael accidentally severely injures him. Although Max and Tess save Hank's life, Nasedo kills him to keep him from revealing the aliens' secret. Michael sues for emancipation with help from Mr. Evans.

Nasedo also kills the doctor that helped save Amy, prompting one of the doctor's friends, a reporter, to investigate. He kills the reporter, something that Michael and Maria discover.

In the middle of all this, Maria and Michael start dating, as do Alex and Isabel. But Isabel starts hanging out more and more with Tess and her friends, who don't think Alex is a good enough boyfriend for herm causing some tension. Kyle starts dating Trudy McIntire, and Tess starts dating a jock named Chris.

Pierce contacts Valenti and tries to get him interested in the investigation again, so the Sheriff breaks out of Tess' mind-warp. Although Valenti is interested, he refuses to work with Pierce. The group debates telling him the truth, but decides they still can't trust him.

During the annual father-child camping trip, Michael goes to investigate an alien sign he saw in the woods, and Max and Maria chase after him. In the process, Maria gets kidnapped by Agent Topolski, who confides in her about Pierce and the Special Unit. Pierce shows up and kills Agent Topolski, but Michael saves Maria, and they meet Riverdog. While Michael is talking to Riverdog, Max is contacted by Nasedo, who informs him that their enemies are drawing near.

Isabel gets very sick, and the group is forced to ask Nasedo for help. He helps her, gaining some of their trust. But then Isabel realizes that he is impersonating Sean, who he had murdered, and Maria is heartbroken. No one wants to trust Nasedo, but when Max fails in his attempt to heal Sydney Davis' cancer, he turns to the shape-shifter for answers. The shape-shifter tells them all who they are and explains about past lives. He also gives them the Destiny Book and the matching orb, and they are able to receive the message from Max and Isabel's mother.

Sean then kidnaps Maria and takes her to a carnival. He modifies her memory so that she thinks she was kidnapped by the FBI, who have followed him there. Michael discovers that she is missing and rallies the others, and they rush to her rescue. Valenti follows them, and realizes that Tess is involved in this conspiracy.

At the carnival, they rescue Maria, but when Valenti is put in danger, Tess risks her own life to save him. He escapes, but the FBI catches Tess and puts her in the white room.

When Valenti demands answers from Max, he refuses to tell the Sheriff anything. Valenti leaves, and Max goes to Nasedo for help because Maria does not remember that it was really him who kidnapped her. He leads the rescue mission, and they save Tess and recover an alien device that is part of the Granolith. Valenti, who forces answers from Liz, shows up in time to help them escape from the base. Nasedo blows up the base as the others flee. But Pierce follows them back to Roswell, interrogates Kyle, and attacks the others. Max is forced to kill him to save their own lives.

Tess tells Valenti the entire truth, but then convinces Kyle to let her mind-warp him into forgetting everything he knows. Max, withdrawn because he killed someone, breaks up with Liz. Michael, with Nasedo's help, engineers a plan to destroy the Special Unit by discrediting Pierce. Nasedo tells the hybrid General that he must lead the group until Max can deal with what happened and move forward. Maria and Michael break up so that Michael can focus on his new duties, but he tells her that he loves her. Isabel breaks up with Alex so that she can focus on helping Max and Tess deal with the repercussions of everything.

Max, in the pod chamber, discovers the Granolith and calls for the other three aliens. They place the alien device from the white room on the Granolith, unknowingly activating a homing beacon, and the story ends with the skins discovering the location of the Granolith.

* * *

Chapter One: Three Months Later

_My name is Liz Parker, and three months ago, my life fell apart. This isn't just the melodramatic angst of a self-centered teenager… this is real. Tess has reverted back to her Ice Queen ways, and she's giving everyone, even Isabel, the cold shoulder. Maria and Michael broke up while Michael tries to figure out how to take over for Max, and it's left Maria heartbroken. Alex and Isabel dance around each other, never getting to close but so obviously attracted to the other that it is a wonder they haven't just hooked up yet. And Max…_

The psychologist leaned back in his seat and stared at Max thoughtfully, his chin resting on the tips of his interlocked fingers. His wavy brown hair and soft green eyes gave him a sort of comforting and welcoming appearance, as though he would be willing to listen to anyone's problems for as long as they needed, and not pass too harsh of a judgment.

But Max Evans was not looking for a confidant.

"Max, your parents are concerned about you," he said finally, sitting up fully. "They're worried that something has happened, something that has forced you into this cocoon of negative thoughts and demeanors."

"I'm fine," Max answered quickly, sharply. He folded his arms over his chest defiantly, but then dropped them suddenly into his lap and glanced in the direction of the window. "Nothing I can't handle. Just, you know… normal teenage stuff."

"Would you like to share any of it with me?" the psychologist prompted.

Max shook his head woodenly. "No, I'm fine. It's fine." He rose in his chair. "I think this has been a waste of your time… I'm sorry. I didn't want to come, I only agreed to make my parents happy. I… I should go." He glanced almost diffidently at the door, still a little unsure.

"Max, please, let me help," the psychologist replied, rising to his feet as well. "I want to help." Max stared blankly back, and he pressed on, "School starts again in a few days. Do you really want to begin your junior year with these burdens hanging over you, unresolved?"

Max refrained from rolling his eyes with some difficulty. It would be a long time before these issues could be resolved. It was necessary, he had no other choice, it was to save all their lives. But Pierce's death still weighed heavily upon him, and he wondered, over and over, if there hadn't been a better way to fight the FBI, a way that didn't end with Pierce's death.

"It is really nothing," Max said with finality. "I'm sorry for wasting your time."

When he had left the room, the psychologist sank back into his chair and sighed. Running a hand through his hair, he silently tried to detangle the bits and pieces he had picked up during the brief session. Maxwell Evans was hiding something, something that was currently eating away at his very soul. It could be something small, like an unrequited crush, or something huge, like a repressed murder.

As a psychologist, he ethically could not discuss his patients with anyone, which meant that he would not be able to interview any of Max's friends, teachers, or acquaintances. But he couldn't shake the feeling that whatever Max was hiding, sooner or later, it would destroy him.

His thoughts were interrupted by the opening of the door, and a young woman stepped into the room. She had pale skin and straight blonde hair and a friendly smile. But he didn't have any appointments scheduled for this time.

"Can I help you?"

The blonde's smile grew, her arms folded across her chest as she walked forward. "I certainly hope so," she said politely. "I understand that you are treating Max Evans?"

"Due to privacy laws, I can neither confirm nor deny that comment, Ms…. Uh, I don't believe I caught your name?"

The woman's smile turned into a frown, and she reached forward and placed her hand on the side of his head. He felt a strange heat seeping from her fingers, and then several images flashed through his mind, followed by a flurry of emotions and impressions.

He pushed away from her and jumped to his feet, knocking his chair over in his haste. "What did you do to me?" he demanded harshly, taking two steps backwards.

The woman walked around the desk towards him, her expression placid and blank. She stopped right in front of him, and pressed her fingertips to the side of his throat. His eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he collapsed forward to his knees.

The woman righted the chair and struggled to move the psychologist back to his seat. She arranged his arms so that they were crossed over the desk, and rested his head forward as though he had just been taking a short nap.

"I apologize for the headache you will undoubtedly feel when you wake," she said sarcastically, "but then, you won't actually remember any of my visit, anyway."

She left the room, shutting the door behind her. Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a thin cell phone. Glancing left and right to make sure she was alone, she quickly dialed a number.

It was answered on the third ring.

"Yes?"

"The psychologist had some interesting ideas about Maxwell Evans," the woman said softly, her eyes lighting up with triumph.

"Is he, or isn't he?" the voice snapped, irritated.

"Oh, he most certainly is." The woman hesitated, then added with smooth sarcasm, "Our _beloved_ king."

There was a pause, then the voice said, "Good work, Courtney."

* * *

Liz watched as Maria began to refill the ketchup bottles and cleared the last of the plates into the sink. The brunette was sitting on a bar stool that she had dragged into the back room, and she was playing nervously with a few strands of hair. Occasionally, Maria would paused and give her a long look, but Liz always quickly averted her eyes, not wanting to meet Maria's probing stare.

Finally, Maria threw her hands up in the air and said in exasperation, "You know, Lizzie, you're supposed to be working tonight, too. You could lend a hand with the cleanup."

Liz flushed and slid off the stool. "Sorry," she said quickly. "Here, let me finish loading the dishwashers." She took the stack of plates that Maria was holding and scurried over to the dishwasher.

"So, where was that head of yours?" Maria asked knowingly as she wiped down the grimy stovetop and the counter around the grill. "With a certain soulful king?"

Liz gave Maria a sharp look. "I don't want to talk about it," she said firmly.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Right," she drawled, clearly not believing Liz. "So, how many times have you called him today?"

"I didn't call him," Liz retorted. "I'm not the needy type." Giving Maria a playful glare, she added softly, "I don't call my ex-boyfriend five times a day."

Maria raised an eyebrow questioningly, "Do you have something you want to say, chica?" she asked with a mock glare.

Liz shrugged. "I just… I just wish I could somehow make this easier for them…for him. I wish I could help, you know?"

"Look," Maria said finally, "he's going to come to his senses eventually and want you back. You don't want to call him all the time. Hold off. Be aloof. Let him come to you. Make him beg."

Liz tilted her head to the side and asked pointedly, "And this is coming from the girl who left five messages for Michael today?"

"So?" Maria asked. "What's your point?"

Before Liz had a chance to answer, the door was flung open and Isabel stalked into the room, nearly shaking with rage. "I am going to kill her," the statuesque teen snarled, eyes narrowed into thin slits. "I am going to strangle Tess and bury her body deep in the desert where no one will ever find her!"

"Not that I don't fully applaud that idea," Maria said quickly, "but do you think maybe she might be a bit difficult to kill? I mean… she is powerful."

Isabel flopped down on the stool that Liz had been sitting on previously and pouted. "I suppose," she admitted. "But still, she's been completely unbearable."

"Izzy, she's been unbearable for the past three months," Maria retorted. "Why are you still friends with her?"

"She's my family," Isabel answered with a grimace. "I'm trying to be… understanding."

Maria rolled her eyes and then said suddenly as another thought occurred to her, "How did you get in here? The diner's closed for the night, I already locked the front door."

Isabel gave Maria a slight smirk and lifted one eyebrow as though to ask if she really needed that question answered. Maria frowned, a little disturbed by the Isabel's use of her gifts, but didn't press the issue. Instead, she turned back to Liz and handed her another stack of dirty dishes.

"Is that the last one?" Liz asked, shifting the plates from one arm to the other. "Because I don't think there's much more room in the dishwasher."

"Yeah, that's it," Maria replied. "I'm going to make sure everything's finished in the diner." And she walked out of the back room, leaving Liz and Isabel alone.

"So," Liz said softly, "how's Max?"

Isabel's expression immediately became much more sympathetic. She gave Liz a gentle look, the type a teacher might bestow on a young student when she informs them that there are no more blue crayons left in the box. "Give him some space, Liz."

"And let him self-destruct?" Liz asked pointedly. "It's been three months, and he's still…" She gestured helplessly, trying to convey her frustration. "I just want to… be there for him."

"There is a difference between being there for someone and crowding them," Isabel replied pointedly. "You can't always help him with everything."

"So you aren't worried about him?" Liz shot back, her tone daring Isabel to deny the truth. "You don't wish you could someone help him? You're just willing to let this continue?"

Isabel was silent for a moment, thinking. Then she said regretfully, "He's my brother. I love him, and I… I want to help. But I've never killed anyone before, and I don't know what he is going through, so it isn't like I can give him advice on how to cope."

Liz closed the dishwasher and turned it on, then yanked the antenna headband off of her head and tossed it on the counter. She pulled her dark hair into a ponytail and watched Isabel silently for a moment. Finally, she asked, "How are your parents?"

Isabel wrinkled her nose. "Still concerned as ever, although more focused on Max than on me. They made him talk to a therapist, but," she gave a bittersweet smile, "it isn't like he can say, 'well, I'm having some trouble because I'm the reincarnation of an alien king and I had to kill one of our enemies to protect myself and my family.' He can't confide in anyone who doesn't already know."

Liz lapsed into silence as Isabel ran a hand through her hair and stared blankly into space, both contemplating the complicated lives they were leading.

* * *

Alex frowned intently at the screen as he scrolled through the website. Michael stood behind him, studying every detail of the site, his eyes practically glued to the screen. Finally, Alex gave up and released the mouse, letting the curser slide across the screen, and turning his attention to the tall alien looming over him.

"Nothing yet, Michael."

Michael began to pace back and forth across the floor, his footsteps loud and angry. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and spun around to face Alex. "There has to be something."

"Well, there isn't," Alex answered calmly. He stood, pushing the chair away from him. "We just need to wait. It is going to take some time."

"Yeah, well, we've been waiting," Michael retorted. He nodded to the computer. "How long can you stay in?"

Alex shook his head, "I'm getting out now," he answered, already turning around and placing his hands on the keyboard. "There's nothing here, and I…"

"No, just wait. There might be something," Michael instructed, his words short and curt.

"Michael, I hacked into a very well protected site," Alex retorted reasonably. "I can't just stay there. They'll know."

"Just wait," Michael ordered coldly. "Nasedo said it would be soon."

"I'm not waiting," Alex answered, refusing to back down. "I'm not taking the chance of having the FBI on my tail." He clicked his fingers over the keys, and the website began to close, shutting down piece by piece.

"No!" Michael spat. "I said _wait_." The light on the table next to Alex exploded, sending shards of porcelain and glass flying through the air and falling on the carpeted floor. Alex jumped away from the computer, wide eyes turning to Michael in shock and incredulity.

"What was that?" Alex asked.

Michael waved his hand at the lamp, causing the pieces to reform into the lamp and meld together. He carefully lifted it from the floor and replaced it on the table next to the bed. Taking a deep breath, he turned to Alex and said, "We need to know."

Alex gave Michael a nervous look. "I know," he answered, hesitantly returning to the computer and quickly logging off of his account. He turned off the power and looked back at Michael. "I _know_."

Michael gave Alex a long, hard look, then stormed out of the room.

Alex sank wearily onto his bed, resting his head in his hands. Nasedo, disguised as Pierce, had initiated a shut-down of the Special Unit by convincing most of the Senate and the rest of the FBI that he was paranoid and delusional. He had secured access to one of the FBI websites that tracked the status of various programs, and had supplied Alex with the necessary information to keep a watch on the proceedings. Unfortunately, the site's security measures allowed the FBI to track who was on it for an extended period of time, so Alex could only check for updates for a few minutes at a time.

It was a safety precaution that Michael did not appreciate, especially now that they were so close to succeeding in the endeavor. Today was the day, Nasedo had said, that the Senate would permanently shut down the Special Unit, and Michael was impatiently waiting the end of all their hard work. The taciturn hybrid had grown more and more short-tempered over the summer as the pressures of leadership began to wear on his already exhausted psyche.

Alex rubbed his eyes and wondered how much longer he would have to endure Michael's erratic and uncontrollable mood swings.

* * *

Amy DeLuca opened the door and stepped aside, letting Jim Valenti into her home. Maria was still at the Crashdown, so they had the place to themselves, and it was time they had a very long overdue talk. Amy's divorce papers had finally gone through, which had only made Jim more concerned. The real Sean Everett was dead, so how could he have signed the divorce papers?

"I'm glad you could come over today," Amy said, gesturing for Jim to take a seat on the sofa in the living room. "I know you've been busy lately."

"Yes, well… I keep losing deputies," Jim replied, referring to the murder of Deputy Hannigan earlier in the previous year and then the sudden departure of deputy Fisher… who had really been Agent Pierce. "It takes a while to get a sheriff's office running smoothly again after losing such integral members."

"I'm sure," Amy agreed with a smile. "And how are Kyle and Tess?"

"They're fine," Jim said, thinking briefly about each of them. Thanks to Tess' mind-warp, Kyle had no idea that anything strange was happening in their family, and it galled Jim to have to lie to his son every day. Just the knowledge of what he was doing had put a strain of his relationship with both his children, particularly Tess. He barely said more than two words to her at a time anymore, and she kept her distance.

"That's good," Amy muttered.

"And how is Maria?"

"Doing well," Amy replied, pleased at any opportunity to talk about her daughter. "She's still working at the Crashdown, of course, and will be busy with classes when school starts up again soon." Her expression dropped slightly, and she added, "Although she and Michael are having some problems, and it's bothering her. Even if she doesn't say it, I can tell. Mother's intuition and all that." She tapped her forehead knowingly. "And, likewise, Sean's appearance and departure have had a lasting impression…"

Knowing that Amy would be liable to continue talking about her daughter endlessly, Jim took that opportunity to switch the topic of conversation to one that interested him a little more. "So you and Sean are truly divorced now?"

"Yes," Amy said slowly, "and I have full custody of Maria. He didn't even fight me on that one." Even thought Maria wasn't technically his daughter, because he and Amy had been married when Maria was born, he could have claimed de-facto paternal status. But since he hadn't seen Maria in all those years, she knew it would have been a difficult case for him to win. Either way, she was simply glad that the divorce had not turned ugly in anyway, and she didn't need to take him to court.

"Are you glad that it is over?" Jim asked delicately, unsure how else to broach the subject.

Amy stared at him, then sighed and said, "I should have told you before. I never should have gotten that serious with you without telling you about Sean, that I was still married to him. I am sorry."

"You don't owe me an explanation, Amy," Jim said, although, of course, he thought quite differently about the subject. They had been dating for a long time, and she should have told him the truth, even though he knew it was painful for her.

"But I do," Amy insisted. She frowned slightly, regarding Jim with a confused look. "And I don't understand why you don't feel that way as well."

"I am trying to be understanding of everything," Jim protested. "I just want… I want you to be happy."

Amy rolled her eyes and said pointedly, "You want _us_ to be happy. Do you really think pretending this isn't important will make it unimportant?" She had tried, on more than one occasion, to start this particular conversation with Jim. But for the past three months, he had seemed uninterested in her reasons, and kept talking about putting the past behind them and moving forward.

And Jim knew how difficult it was for her to grasp the fact that his reticence to discuss this had nothing to do with their relationship. After all, it wasn't as though he could tell her that he didn't want to talk to her about Sean because he knew so much more than she ever would, and every time he saw her he lied to her face while Maria put herself in danger over and over. She wasn't the only one who wasn't completely truthful. Would she ever forgive him if she knew the secrets he was keeping?

"If Mr. Everett simply gave you the divorce without any squabbles, than I don't see how this is such a big problem for us," Jim reasoned. "It is over, and I respect your decision not to tell me about it in the past because of how painful it was for you." He, of course, had heard from her own lips about the truth to Maria's conception and the way in which her relationship with Sean had ended.

Amy snorted. "He gave in without question. Emailed me to say that it was all over and he was going to move on and not look back. I guess he thought it was time to cut his losses."

"That seems abrupt. He was so much kinder when he came last year," Jim remarked casually. "Did you speak to him in person?"

"No. I spoke on the phone once, when he called me. After that, he changed his number, emailed me to say it was over, and even switched apartments. I guess he really jus wanted to let the past be forgotten."

Jim nodded absently. Was this mysterious shape-shifter still playing the role of Sean Everett, tying up loose ends? Had Max or Michael asked him to do that? Or was someone else, human or otherwise, intervening to make sure the truth stayed buried?

"I am sorry that it ended so quickly," he said finally. "It doesn't sound like you had any real closure."

"That part of my life got its closure sixteen years ago," Amy said softly, "but I just never admitted it. I loved Sean at the time, and perhaps part of me loves him still. But it is over, and I am ready to move forward."

"With me?" Jim asked, lips quirking into a smile.

"We'd have to make a fresh start," Amy explained, "because I don't want any of this hanging over me. And I do owe you an explanation, whether you will admit that or not."

"How about this," Jims suggested, "you buy me a dinner instead, and we will call it even."

Amy laughed. "Deal," she agreed, but part of her wondered why Jim didn't care at all about her lies or the life she had lead prior to Maria's birth. He didn't even seem that upset by any of it, and had the situation been reversed, she knew she would have been livid.

Jim, for his part, had learned that the truth is not always pleasant and never particularly easy to accept, and he no longer felt a burning desire to have answers to all his questions. All he really wanted now was to find a way to live with the answers he already had.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Senate Speaks

Due: Sun 1/13


	2. The Senate Speaks

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: _Italics _are memories from a few different chapters in This Brilliant Dance. Any dialogue you recognize is probably taken from the episode _Skin and Bones_.

* * *

Chapter Two: The Senate Speaks

"So…" Isabel murmured, glancing around the crowded hallway, "Junior year. Do you think it's supposed to feel any different from our sophomore year?"

Trudy shoved her hands into her pockets and stopped in front of her new locker. "I think the older you get, the more you're supposed to… what do they say? Rule the school?"

Isabel lifted on eyebrow questioningly, and replied with a pointed smirk, "Don't you guys pretty much rule the school anyway?" She nodded her head towards the clump of students standing at the other side of the hallway. Kyle was joking with Chris, who had his arm wrapped around Tess' shoulders.

Trudy followed her friend's gaze. "Yeah," she agreed. "I guess so." It was a strange phenomenon, the way her friends had managed to rise to the top of the popularity ladder so quickly into their four years of schooling. It helped, of course, that Kyle and Tess were the children of the Sheriff, who was pretty much the only well known authority figure in the town.

"So we're expecting another similar year?" Isabel said with a sigh. Socially, her previous year had been mixed, and as she caught sight of Alex entering the hallway, chatting with Liz, she felt her heart clench tightly.

Trudy glanced at Alex, then back at Isabel. With a knowing smile, she asked, "Did you see a lot of Alex Whitman over the summer?"

"Not really," Isabel answered, feigning calm nonchalance. "He's good friends with Liz, and so he's pretty good friends with Max, but other than that…" She trailed off as Trudy's smile turned into a broader smirk. "Nothing happened, Trudy. You know that."

"We aren't bad people," Trudy said gently. "If you just talked to the others…" She stopped at the annoyed look on Isabel's face and dropped the subject, sensing that it was not a good time to broach the controversial topic of her friends' morality.

Isabel almost snorted in disbelief, but reigned in her sarcastic attitude. At another time, she probably would have agreed with Trudy that her friends were not bad people, and if Isabel simply said that she wanted to date Alex and she wasn't going to change her mind, they would have begrudgingly accepted it. But she'd spent three months dealing with the cold, harsh, and somewhat cruel mood swings that now comprised a good part of Tess' demeanor, and she had her doubts about the fourth hybrid's ethics.

On the other hand, Trudy was the most understanding of the group, and although she enjoyed the company of her other friends, it was Trudy who she was most comfortable talking to about these boy-related issues. She couldn't take her anger out on the girl.

"Hey, Isabel," a voice called, and the statuesque blonde turned to see Maria approaching her. "Have you seen Liz or Alex? I was supposed to meet them before first period, but I'm running late."

"Yeah, they went that way," Isabel answered, pointing towards the direction she had last seen the two friends.

"Cool, thanks," Maria answered, before disappearing into the crowd.

"And how are you and Kyle?" Isabel asked once Maria was out of earshot.

Trudy smiled faintly, a light red blush coming to her face. "It's going well," she said slowly. "We had a great time over the summer, but you know he spent a lot of it at football camp. I'm glad I'll get to see him more now that school has started."

Isabel nodded distractedly. She remembered vividly how displeased Tess had been when Kyle had announced his intention of training for football over the summer. She knew that he intended to use the sport to score a scholarship from some college, and she knew that he loved being on the field. But she also knew that her mind-warp could have adverse side-effects, and she had wanted to keep a closer eye on him. But without actually explaining to him that he had been mind-warped, she couldn't really tell him why he needed to stay in Roswell, so he'd left. The moment he'd returned, however, Tess had kept her eyes glued to him like some type of alien-stalker. Isabel knew that the petite hybrid only wanted to make sure that her brother was not harmed in anyway, and messing with someone's mind, even at their own request, was certainly dangerous.

So far, no one had noticed any problems, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Well… almost everything.

Max entered the hallway, his eyes focused on the floor, hair falling over his features. He exuded a feeling of intense brooding, and she saw more than ever the way the weight of the world seemed to rest on his shoulders.

Only now, she thought ironically, they rested on Michael's shoulders as well.

"How's your brother?" Trudy asked, concerned as she noted the worry in Isabel's eyes. "Is he alright? He isn't sick of anything?"

"Uh…" Isabel was flustered for a moment, before she managed to say, "He's a bit under the weather. But nothing that won't clear up with time and some good chicken soup."

Before Trudy could say anything, the jangling of the bell cut through the hallway, and all the students looked up at the ceiling in disappointment.

"Better go to class," Trudy said with a sigh. "I'll see you later." She and Isabel split paths, and the hallway emptied as the students headed towards their respective classes.

* * *

"I'm telling you," Alex said as he sat down next to Liz in the quad. "Michael's gone crazy. He's not even acting like a rational person anymore." 

"He's under a lot of pressure, Alex," Liz replied, opening her lunch bag and pulling out an apple. "Can you blame him for being on edge?"

"Okay, there's a difference between being tense and blowing up a friends room," Alex replied. "I'm just worried about him. About all of them."

Liz thought of Max, and said softly, "Me, too."

Alex, sensing her frustration and pain, reached out and placed a hand on her arm. "He's got people looking out for him, Liz. And once he gets through this stage, he'll come to his senses and want you back." He grinned suddenly, and in an attempt to lighten the mood, said, "And I think you should play hard-to-get. Make him work for your forgiveness."

Liz wrinkled her nose and laughed. "You sound like Maria," she chided.

Alex protested in mock outrage, "I do not! You take that back this instant."

Before Liz had a chance to respond, a tall blonde appeared in front of her. Both she and Alex broke off and surveyed the newcomer. She was pretty, in a very all-American way. Her straight blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing tight jeans and a dark tank top.

"Hi," Liz said awkwardly, wondering who this person was. She'd never seen the girl before, and she thought she would have at least recognized everyone in Roswell who was her age.

"Hi," the girl said, apparently taking Liz's greeting as an opening to start a conversation. "My name's Courtney, and I'm new around her. My parents just moved from Chicago, and I don't really know anyone. I just…" She glanced around the quad. "You two looked friendlier than the others, so I thought I would introduce myself. Plus," she added to Alex, "I think you were just in my math class."

Alex, ever the gentlemen, said warmly, "Nice to meet you, Courtney. I'm Alex, and this is Liz. Do you want to join us for lunch?"

"Oh, thank you," Courtney gushed, dropping her bag onto the bench and taking a seat next to Alex. "I hate the first day of school. Being the new girl is so annoying."

"Do you switch schools a lot?" Liz asked curiously.

Courtney smiled guiltily and said, " Yeah, I do. My mom's into all this eclectic art, so she travels all over trying to track down the newest, coolest thing. And I get dragged along. She's big into Native American stuff right now, so she came down here to check it all out." She rolled her eyes.

"Must be hard," Liz said sympathetically, trying to imagine what it would be like to have to change schools at her mother's sudden whim.

"It is," Courtney answered. "But my mom doesn't really think about that, you know. She's got the money to do whatever she wants, and she figures as long as she gives me everything I ever ask for, that's good enough." She shook her head, then said, "Sorry, I usually don't share quite that much detail with people when I first meet them. I'm just nervous today, I guess."

"It's perfectly fine," Alex hurried to assure her. "So, Courtney, do you have a last name?"

"Banks," Courtney answered. "Courtney Banks, at your service."

"Ah, well, I am formally Alex Whitman, computer geek extraordinaire, and this is Madam Liz Parker, the best molecular biologist this side of the Mississippi." He grinned as Courtney giggled and Liz rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Welcome to Roswell, Courtney," Liz said with a laugh. "Home of the slightly crazy."

"It's okay, I like crazy," Courtney replied, fishing around in her lunch for an orange. "Better than average and dull, right?"

Alex nodded emphatically, and Liz tilted her head to the side with a little shrug.

Courtney began to peel the orange. "I think I'm going to like it here," she said.

* * *

"Welcome to United States History," the teacher droned, walking towards the front of the class. "In this class, you will learn the fundamental ideas and events that shaped this country, that made America what it is today. You will be required to think rationally about our history and write analytically about the way in which certain decisions impacted our lives." 

"Someone shoot me now," one of the students said, loud enough so that his voice carried to the front of the room, but quiet enough that the teacher could not identify the source of the comment. A muffled chorus of snickering and laughter filled the air and the teacher glared sternly at the assembled students.

Max leaned back in his seat and stared blankly at the chalkboard, barely listening to the whispers of the students around him. He closed his eyes for a moment, and a burst of memories filled the dark space behind his eyelids before he could push the thoughts away.

"_You can't save everyone, your Majesty," Nasedo said as he stepped out of the shadows of the dark night and confronted Max._

"_Hubble poisoned her," Max replied, thinking of what he had seen when he tried to heal Sydney. He'd failed to fix her, true, but he'd also seen the root of the problems, the enemy who had come into their midst._

"_You can't trust humans. They'll sell their own souls to save themselves," Nasedo replied._

In something so small as healing a dying child, he'd failed. How was he ever going to be a king? How would he ever know who to trust? How could he possible tell the difference between an enemy and an ally when he could barely determine who he himself was?

Max glanced around the class. Isabel was in it with him, but she was sitting nearer to the front, next to Kyle and Cliff. Maria was in the class as well, and although she had taken the seat next to Max, she barely spared him a glance. He knew she was angry because Liz had been hurt, but was it his fault that he wanted to keep her safe?

"…may believe that our history began with the Revolutionary War. And yes, that is when America became its own country, independent of all the others. But it is not the beginning," the teacher said. "The war that occurred between the British Royalists and the Colonists was based on a series of grievances, and of completely different and contradictory ideologies, that have their routes in events that date back to the seventeenth century. Perhaps even further. And it is not until we fully understand these differences that we can understand what the war was about, and what it truly means to be American."

The teacher turned to face the class, eyes traveling quickly over the room. "Now, let's begin with what you do know. Can anyone tell me some of the major grievances brought against the British during the eighteenth century?"

Max tuned out the lecture as someone else in the class answered the question. He thought, instead, of the war being fought on his own planet, and wondered what the motives behind his enemies actions were. Was it just greed, or did they have legitimate concerns about the way the planet was being governed? What kind of king was he and what kind of leader could he ever become?

But people were waiting for him, expecting him to lead.

"_Antar," the hologram murmured, her face falling into a bittersweet smile of remembrance. "Our home. But so much of this, of course, you already remember, and I only tell you now so as to remind of the war we are fighting, of the people who are waiting for your return."_

A hologram of his mother had told him who he was and what the people expected of him, and that alone was supposed to be enough to make him into a king? Somehow, he doubted he could ever be that hero.

"Tell me, Ms. Evans," the teacher said, and the sound of his sister's name jolted Max from his reverie, "what did the colonists have to sacrifice to fight this war?"

"Their identity, I guess," Isabel said with a shrug, clearly unsure if she was answering the question correctly. "I mean, they were no longer British, so they had to reinvent themselves. They had to all become someone else."

The teacher nodded. "True, very true." He glanced around the room again, pinning each day-dreaming student with a sharp gaze. "But they also sacrificed their security. You have to remember that, to fully understand the consequences of this war. They gave up their identity, their security, everything that they were. Because they believed that they could be something different, something better." He turned to the blackboard, pulling out a piece of chalk, and continued, "Now, let's see if we can come up with a list of motivations for this change."

As the class volunteered possible items for the list, Max turned his attention to the window. He couldn't see past the parking lot, shimmering in the heat of the morning, but he knew beyond that gray cement was the desert. And in the desert was the cave that held his destiny, the cave that had told him who he was supposed to be. Someone so different from who he thought he was.

And he'd sacrificed as well. He'd been forced to give up something so precious to him because of all these people he didn't know who wanted him to be something he simply wasn't.

_Tears were pooling in Liz's eyes as she begged, "We fought so hard for this, Max. I can't just let it go. I can't…"_

_He reached up and wiped away a tear. "Liz, I killed a man," he said, hoping she would understand that he was doing this for her. To keep her safe. "And I don't know what is going to happen next. Michael has a plan, and I think it will work, but even so… I'm supposed to lead and I don't know…" He swallowed and looked away. "I'm dangerous," he said at last, finishing his statement with a sigh of regret._

"_Not to me," Liz answered, and he wished fervently that that was true._

"_You don't know that," he said strongly. "Michael almost died, Tess almost died, Alex could have been killed, Valenti could have been killed." He licked his dry lips. So many lives in peril. How could he put her at risk as well?_

"_It wasn't your fault!" Liz protested. "None of this was your fault."_

_She was standing directly in front of him, her eyes pleading with him to listen to what she was saying, but he could hear only the words in his own heart, the ones that echoed loudly, ordering him to keep her safe._

"_But it still happened. I'm dangerous, Liz, whether you admit it or not. And I can't… I could never live with myself if something happened to you because of me."_

He looked at Maria, who was copying down the notes on the blackboard. She was still avoiding his gaze, angry at him because of Liz. In front of him, Isabel glanced back once, her eyes filled with concern. He'd seen that look directed at him from many people over the past few months, and instead of meeting her stare, he looked away, determinedly avoiding her gaze.

The sun was shining, the sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue, and he felt miserable.

* * *

Alex watched the video-feed on the website, unable to fully believe what he was seeing. On the computer screen, he was watching Nasedo, disguised as Pierce, effectively ending the Special Unit. He held his breath, watching with anticipation, wondering if this would be the end of everything, if their plan would finally come to fruition. Would they now be safe? 

One of the senators leaned forward, and Alex squinted at the screen. He didn't recognize the man, but he could tell from the righteous indignation on the senator's face that this man was not pleased with Nasedo-Pierce, and would probably do quite a bit of damage to the Special Unit.

"Mr. Pierce," the senator asked, "how much of that spending was authorized by your superiors?"

Nasedo-Pierce swallowed nervously and answered, "None, but…"

"What?" the senator interrupted before Nasedo-Pierce could continue. "I'm sorry, Mr. Pierce. My hearing isn't what it used to be. Why don't you speak right into the microphone?"

Nasedo-Pierce leaned forward. "None, sir, but it was…"

"None?" another senator asked, and Alex thought vaguely that he might be from Florida. "Not a penny? For a seventeen million dollar budget spent by a so-called special unit of the FBI, none of it was authorized?"

Nasedo-Pierce was sweating, and Alex couldn't help but admire the man's acting abilities. He was convincing the entire Senate that he was paranoid and delusional, and none of them even realized he was playing them all.

"Mr. Senator, the money was spent for the sole purpose of finding extraterrestrial beings on this Earth and eradicating any threat that they might…"

"Did you find any of them?" another senator asked, and Alex realized with a start that it was Vanessa Whitaker, one of the senators for New Mexico, and a powerful member of the Ways and Means Committee. "Did you discover proof of any little green men?"

Nasedo-Pierce nodded several times, wiping a hand over his forehead. "In 1972, the special unit of the FBI investigated a murder. Several curiosities surrounded the event. No murder weapon. No entry wound, other than the presence of silver markings left on the skin, which subsequently vanished, yet the internal organs and tissues of the victim were completely decimated. Now, nuclear analysis of the victim's bones showed traces of a substance dubbed cadmium-x, an element which doesn't exist on earth. It is, simply put...not human."

Senator Whitaker pursed her lips disbelievingly. "Mr. Pierce, in all records, materials, and other findings appropriated from your offices, we have found no mention of anything known as cadmium-x. Can you explain this to us?"

"Someone… someone must have removed them," Nasedo-Pierce said, stumbling over the words. "Those records where there, I assure you."

The senator who was chairing the meeting looked at Senator Whitaker. She stared back, her face lied with contempt, and the chairman said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I move for the immediate disbandment of that component of the FBI known as the Special Unit and a ceasing of this reckless and irresponsible spending in the pursuit of a threat which clearly does not exist. All those in favor of this proposal, say aye."

Alex held his breath, almost jumping for joy when he counted the number of responses and realized just before it was announced that the majority had ruled in favor of the proposal. The Special Unit was over.

He pressed paused on the video feed and quickly pulled his way out of the site, making sure to save the video to the desktop. Then he downloaded the video onto a CD and shut down the internet on his computer, making sure to cover his tracks so the FBI security system wouldn't track his use of their site. He was sure they would show this coverage on C-Span or CNN or some other news channel, but until this became public, he would keep the CD as backup.

He reached for the phone. Dialing a number, he waited until he heard Michael's voice on the other end, before saying excitedly, "Michael get over here. There's something you need to see. And you're going to love it."

* * *

Tess glanced up at the sound of knuckles rapping against her window. She pushed herself off her bed and crossed the room. Pulling back the curtains, she found Michael standing there, staring up at her. She yanked the window up and sighed. 

"You know, now that Jim knows about everything, you could just knock on the front door like a normal person."

"Kyle doesn't know. No reason to make him suspicious. Don't want him to break out of the mind-warp," Michael countered. "Anyway, we need to talk."

Tess didn't bother responding to his comment. Instead, she said sarcastically, "So this isn't a social visit?"

"Nasedo was successful. He shut down the Special Unit," Michael explained. He'd already delivered this information to Max and Isabel, both of whom were relieved at the turn of events. Alex had promised to call Liz and Maria, and that left him only with Tess.

"Oh, joy," Tess deadpanned. "So now we only have to worry about the psychotic powerful enemy aliens out there who want us dead. I'm _so_ happy."

"You know, a lot of thought went into this plan," Michael snapped irritably. "The least you could do is pretend to be grateful that my thinking managed to remove that threat."

Tess rolled her eyes, looking incredibly bored, and answered, "I didn't realize you had the ability to think at all, let alone come up with elaborate plans. Will wonders never cease?"

"We haven't been attacked by other aliens yet," Michael pointed out.

"Well, since it hasn't happened yet, it's probably never going to happen," Tess answered sardonically, shaking her head and turning away from Michael. In a more serious tone, she said, "You know they're probably lining up by the thousands outside of Roswell, ready to kill us all."

"Nasedo said they wouldn't attack unless they knew where the Granolith was," Michael replied, attempting to keep his voice calm.

Tess gave him a disbelieving look and said, "Since when has Nasedo been so trustworthy? Anyway, how do you know our enemies haven't discovered its location?"

Michael threw his hands up in the air in frustration and turned away. "Bye, Tess," he snapped, not wanting to stay around and listen to her verbal abuse anymore. Maybe she would simply never change, but he wasn't going to wait around and see if she would ever learn to be civil.

Tess watched him go, then shut the window and let the curtains fall back into place. As she walked back to her bed, she thought ironically that for all the progress they had made in learning about themselves and their histories, they had still managed to end up exactly where they had started a year ago.

Clueless.

* * *

Next Chapter: Skin 

Due: Sun 1/20


	3. Skin

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I've changed a bit of the back-story for both Courtney and Congresswoman Whitaker, although certain aspects are the same (Courtney is still obsessed with Michael, Whitaker is still an evil skin). But don't be surprised if some things are different from the show.

* * *

Chapter Three: Skin

Mrs. Evans set a plate of pancakes in front of her son and watched in concern as he pushed the food back and forth with his fork, but refused to eat. She could hear the sounds of Isabel rummaging around in he room on the floor above, probably getting dressed and preparing for school. Mr. Evans had left earlier than usual, needing to finish some work at his office before an important morning meeting.

"What's with the pancakes?" Max asked finally. "You don't usually make breakfast un school days." He glanced at the cupboard were they kept the cereal, his usual morning food.

"I felt like cooking a little," Mrs. Evans answered with a plastered smile and shrug. "Eat up."

Max twisted the fork in his hand. "It looks delicious."

"I imagine it's even better if you eat it," Mrs. Evans replied lightly. Max offered a smile and took a bite of the pancake, and Mrs. Evans turned towards the door of the kitchen, listening to the sound of Isabel's footsteps on the stairs.

"Hey, Mom," Isabel said cheerfully as she entered the kitchen. "Trudy and Jessica are going to go shopping this afternoon. Is it okay if I go with them?"

"Sure," Mrs. Evans replied. She fumbled with the tie of her bathrobe as she pulled the material closer to her body. Despite the heat, she was still a bit cold in the mornings, and didn't often warm up until she had gotten dressed and fully started her day. "Be back by dinner time."

Isabel dropped into the seat across from Max. "Pancakes, yum."

"Mom felt like cooking," Max remarked casually, taking another bite and chewing slowly. "They're good."

Mrs. Evans walked from the kitchen with a smile on her face, pleased that her pancakes had been a hit. Max and Isabel watched her go, then Max stared moodily at his food again.

"You know she's only cooking because she's worried about you," Isabel muttered as she poured syrup over her breakfast. "She'd never do it if she wasn't."

Max shrugged carelessly. "Yeah, I guess," he answered, barely glancing up to look at Isabel.

Isabel frowned, then changed the subject. "That was pretty good news that we got from Michael, wasn't it? We won't have to worry about the FBI anymore." She shot a quick look at the door, but her mother was out of earshot now, having left to get dressed.

"Yeah, Michael did a good job," Max agreed readily. "Still, we might have other problems."

"You mean the… evil Czechoslovakians?" Isabel asked in a hushed whisper. It was the first time Max had voluntarily mentioned that particular threat, although she knew it was constantly on his mind. "I don't know, Max. No one has attacked yet."

Max nodded, but countered, "Doesn't mean they won't. Listen, I've been thinking about that device we took from the white room. You know, the ignition-like thing for the Granolith. When we connected them, they sent off some kind of spark… what it was traceable? Maybe someone could have found it. Like more FBI people. Or the CIA? Or the Army. I don't know…" He stopped and shook his head. "We just need to be careful."

"We're always careful," Isabel said, even though she knew it wasn't true. They'd made mistakes last year, but now the stakes were being raised and the fate of an entire planet seemed to hang in the balance.

Max nodded again, but didn't say anything. He continued eating in silence.

"Do you want to have a group meeting or something?" Isabel ventured finally. "We could meet at the Crashdown tonight after it closes..."

"No," Max cut her off instantly, emphatically. He met her gaze, then looked away sharply. "No," he said again in a softer tone. "No meeting yet."

Isabel let out a frustrated sigh. "You can't avoid Liz forever, Max. She loves you and…"

"It doesn't matter," Max snapped harshly, rising to his feet. "Liz and I are over. End of discussion." And he stalked from the room.

* * *

Michael watched with narrowed eyes as Maria chatted animatedly with a girl he didn't recognize. The girl was tall and blonde and looked rather friendly, but the fact that she was new in town bothered Michael. And the fact that she had made friends with Maria worried him even more. 

"Who's the hot new chick?"

Michael turned at the sound of voices, and saw Kyle and several other boys standing in a group, eyeing Maria and the other girl.

"Don't know," another guy responded. "Must be new in town." He raked his eyes over her, then said, "You got to love a blonde."

"Uh, I think her name is Courtney," Kyle said with a frown. "My dad said her family just moved her from Chicago."

Michael turned back to his locker and began moving around his books, surreptitiously eavesdropping on the conversation. He was interested in this new girl, and although he tried to tell himself that he was merely making sure she was exactly who she claimed to be, a little part of his brain also knew that he was interested in looking out for Maria.

"Is she a junior like us?"

"Yeah, I think so," Kyle answered. "I think her mom does something with art. Tess was listening when my dad told us about them, so she probably knows better."

"And this Courtney chick comes and makes friends with Maria DeLuca?" one of the boys scoffed. "She's got lousy taste." With a suggestive smirk, he added, "I bet I could introduce to her to some people who could show her a better time."

Michael clenched his fingers tightly around his books and took a slow breath. Human boys were crass, he decided, but that was no reason to start a fight. After all, who cared if that boy made comments about this new Courtney? As long as he kept his eyes off Maria…

As if on cue, another of the boys laughed and said, "Bet we could show DeLuca a good time too."

Michael whipped around, dropping his books to the floor, his hands curling into fists at his side. He had no idea which of the boys had made the comment about Maria, and he really didn't care. Stepping forward threateningly, he raised on fist.

The hallway instantly scattered, several people recognizing the fury in Michael's eyes as a warning to stay out of his way. Maria and Courtney, startled from their conversation, looked up as well, and Maria spotted Michael a moment before the hybrid swung his fist and knocked one of the jocks to the ground.

"Michael!" Maria cried in dismay, darting forward. She reached Michael's side before he could continue his attack, and caught his arm. "Stop it! What is wrong with you? You're on school grounds, you could get expelled!"

"Geez, man," the injured jock said, pulling himself off the floor and rubbing what would soon become a dark bruise on his cheek. "What's your problem?"

Michael blinked, recognizing the football player as Cliff, one of Tess' closer friends. Still, he crossed his arms over his chest and hissed, "If you can't say anything nice, keep your mouth shut." Again, he raised the first. "Or I'll close it for you."

"Is there a problem here, gentlemen?" a voice asked, and one of the teachers stepped into the hallway, a cross look on his face.

"Yes, there's a problem," Cliff snapped, instantly pointing at Michael. "Guerin here just went completely psycho on me."

"What happened?" the teacher demanded.

"Nothing happened," Maria interrupted before Cliff could speak. "It was an accident. They just bumped into each other."

"Yeah, he bumped into me," Cliff said sarcastically. "With his fist." Again, he gingerly touched his face.

"Did you hit him, Mr. Guerin?" the teacher asked warningly. "Fighting on school grounds in a serious offense, and I'll have no choice but to report you to the principal."

Cliff smirked, Kyle grinned, and Michael found himself sitting outside the principal's office ten minutes later, awaiting judgment. Maria sat on the chair next to him, glaring at him in disbelief and anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked in a low voice. "How could you possibly be that stupid?"

"Who was that girl you were with?" Michael asked, refusing to answer her question.

"Courtney?" Maria questioned. Her eyebrows came together in confusion, but she answered, "She's new here. She met Liz and Alex yesterday, and Liz introduced me to her this morning. What's the big deal? She doesn't have any friends, I was just being nice."

"You don't know anything about her," Michael said firmly. "She could be a threat."

"Right," Maria drawled sarcastically. "Because every new person in this town is clearly some grave threat to all of us."

"Ms. Topolski was," Michael reminded her.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Right," she snapped, "and the entire world revolves around you and your problems." Rising to her feet, she said in a huff, "Sorry, I didn't realize I wasn't allowed to make friends without running it buy you and Max first."

"She could be dangerous," Michael snapped, catching Maria's arm. "You need to be careful. You can't just go making friends with anyone who could be using you."

"You're a jerk," Maria retorted. "I hope you get expelled." And she stalked away.

* * *

"…and then, he actually has the nerve to tell me that I need to be careful!" Maria finished her story with a groan of impatience and threw her hands into the air. "He's the one that tried to start a fight when he was already outnumbered and on school grounds. _I'm_ not the one being stupid." 

"I told you," Alex repeated, feeling as though he had made this argument several times already, "Michael's losing control of his temper. Completely."

Maria nodded and glanced around the Crashdown. It was relatively empty now, just before the dinner rush started, and she was taking the chance to debrief with Alex and Liz about everything that had happened at school.

"So what did happen to Michael?" Liz asked. "He wasn't in fifth period with me."

"He got off with a warning and detention," Maria grumbled. "The principal was lenient with him on account of all the stress he is under having to support himself and everything." She shook her head in exasperation and muttered, "I can't believe he used his emancipation from last year to get a lighter punishment."

"Well, he is under a lot of stress," Liz said thoughtfully.

"That's not a reason to randomly attack someone," Maria snapped. She sat down on one of the stools and shook her head. "He's insane. I'm telling you, he's completely lost it."

"A few cards shy of a full deck?" Alex asked sagely.

Maria laughed and answered, "More like he has no deck at all. He's got a three and a ten."

"What was the fight about?" Liz questioned. "Did he ever tell you?"

"No," Maria answered. She was about to say more, but the door to the Crashdown swung open, and the last people Maria wanted to see walked in.

Her mother and Jim Valenti.

"I guess they're going public," Liz said with a wide smile. "Soon everyone will know your mother's dating the Sheriff."

'A lot of people already know that," Maria answered dryly. "They weren't all that discrete over the summer, you know." She swung her legs off the seat and stood up. "Want to cover them for me?" she asked sweetly, turning a pleading stare to Liz.

"Are you avoiding your mother?" Liz asked, bewildered as to why Maria would want to stay away from the couple. Usually, the girl would either go out of her way to float around that area and eavesdrop on any bits of the conversation that she could, or march right up to them and demand outright that they tell her every detail of what they were doing that night so that she would know when to expect them home.

"No," Maria said in a wholly unbelievable tone. "I'm not," she added defensively when Alex and Liz gave her suspicious stares. "I just…" She batted her eyes at Liz. "Please do this for me."

"Fine," Liz agreed, "but you might as well tell me why you're avoiding your mother because you know I'll get it out of you at some point."

Maria nodded in acquiescence, then said, "Later," and scurried from the room.

"Why would she be avoiding her mother?" Alex asked in a confused tone, staring after Maria's retreating back.

Liz shook her head as she started towards Amy and Jim. Although she knew exactly what conversation Maria did not want to have, she couldn't help but wonder if it was such a good idea for her friend to delay the inevitable. In the crises that had consumed them all during the final few weeks of school, Maria's problems with the truth about her father, about her conception, and about Sean, had been pushed to the side. During the following three months, she'd refused to deal with the problems, and instead acted as though everything would simply roll of her skin. Liz knew perfectly well that it didn't work that way, but she had no idea how to convince Maria of that.

"Hello, Sheriff," the brunette said with a polite nod. Her smile grew as she addressed Amy. "Hello, Ms. DeLuca. What can I get for you two?"

"Oh, I was hoping Maria would be our waitress," Amy replied, her face falling slightly as she craned her neck around, searching for her daughter. "She was here just a moment ago."

"Yeah, she went into the backroom for something," Liz lied, feeling slightly guilty. "She's on her break right now, I think, and she was trying to get some school work done. Alex was going to help her with it."

"Oh." Amy answered with an uncomfortable smile. "So she's not avoiding me?"

"Why would she be avoiding you?" Liz asked, forcing herself to stare straight into Amy's eyes as she asked the question. In her peripheral vision, she saw Valenti shifting uncomfortably, and wondered how much he knew about the situation.

Amy shrugged. "No reason. It was really just a joke, Liz. I haven't really seen her since school started, you know…" Her words did not sound believable, but Liz and Valenti both had the good manners not to call her on it.

Liz took their order and turned away. She'd made it halfway to the kitchen, when a tug on her arm caused her to spin around. Sheriff Valenti was standing behind her, looking serious.

"Sheriff? Is everything alright?"

Valenti shifted uncomfortably. "Amy told me the other day that Sean had signed the divorce papers and given her full custody of Maria. But since he's dead, someone else must have done it for him. Like the shape-shifter." He said the words all in a rush, as though he couldn't quite believe that he was saying them. And, to some extent, he didn't believe it. Didn't believe that he was stuck in this strange mess of a disaster that had landed in his sleepy little town.

"Oh… did you tell Tess?" Liz asked, looking past Valenti at Amy. The other woman was sitting at the table, her back to Liz and Valenti, searching through her purse for something. A moment later, she pulled out a tube of chap stick, and Liz turned her attention back to the Sheriff.

"Uh… no," Valenti answered awkwardly. "I thought maybe… well, I didn't know who to tell."

Liz didn't ask why he had chosen to tell her instead of Tess. She could only imagine what it would be like to discover that your daughter was actually one of the aliens you had been trying to prove existed, and that she had worked against you every step of the investigation.

But however hard this was for Valenti, it must have been equally hard for Tess to watch the man she considered her father begin to distrust her so much. The brunette waitress felt a rare moment of sympathy for the blonde hybrid.

"Can you tell Max?"

Liz started at the request and nodded slowly, reluctantly. The last thing she wanted was to talk to Max and watch his expression harden at her approach, watch him turn away. But he needed to know what was going on. She swallowed and nodded again. "Sure."

"Oh," Valenti said, "and I'd like a Coke instead of the Sprite."

Liz scribbled the change down on her order pad and walked away, her mind filled with troubling thoughts.

* * *

"You got into a fight at school?" Isabel asked. She'd repeated the question several times already, but she simply couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that Michael had actually been stupid to start a fight on school property. Usually he at least had the common sense to fight off school grounds, where he at least couldn't be expelled for his actions. 

Michael glared at Isabel and snapped, "How many times do I need to answer that?"

"What could you have possibly been thinking?" Isabel hissed.

"Just drive," Michael retorted, leaning back in the seat.

Isabel shot him a quick look before turning her gaze back to the road. "Seeing as I'm doing you a favor and driving you to the desert, you should at least be nice to me."

Michael didn't answer, just stared blankly out at the desert scenery that passed by them as Isabel drove.

"So, why do you want to go to the desert anyway?" Isabel said finally, breaking the uneasy silence that had fallen.

"I want to look at the Destiny Book," Michael answered. They'd left the book in the cave, knowing that all the alien artifacts would be safer there, away from prying eyes. But it meant that whenever he wanted to look at it, he'd have to go to the cave.

"Why?" Isabel pressed.

Michael shrugged. "I just do," he said stonily. After another moment of silence filled with Isabel's annoyed stare, Michael added, "Do you know anything about this new girl? Courtney, I think her name was?"

Isabel shook her head. "No, although I saw her in one of my classes."

"She and Maria are friends now," Michael grumbled. "I saw them talking at school."

"And why is this a problem?" Isabel questioned. She glanced out the window as they arrived near the cave. Parking the car, she waited for Michael to answer the question.

"I just don't think we should befriend people until we know more about them," Michael retorted. "She might be dangerous."

Isabel raised one eyebrow. "Or she could be a normal teenage girl," she countered. She and Michael climbed from the car and started the trek towards the cave. "Do you think you'll find something about how to recognize our enemies in the Destiny Book?"

Michael shrugged again. "Anything's better than not knowing," he explained.

"I think you're overreacting. We have no reason to suspect that this Courtney person has anything to do with us," Isabel argued.

Michael stopped and turned to look at her. "Izzy, you heard what Nasedo said. There are people out there after the Granolith. They'll come for it, and for us."

Isabel could tell from his expression that she wasn't about to change his mind. Grumbling under her breath, "You're paranoid," she nonetheless followed him along the rocky incline.

And then Michael froze, and she came to his side, confused.

Lying out in front of them was a skin, like the sheets of skin shed by snakes or other reptiles as they grow. But it was in shreds as though it had been pulled off in thin strips.

"What's the big deal?" Isabel demanded. "It's just shed skin. Probably some next of snakes out here or something."

But Michael dropped to his knees and reached out to touch the skin, and the moment his fingers made contact with the paper-thin material, it dissolved into dust beneath his hand.

Isabel opened her mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. "What was that?" she asked in a hushed voice.

"I don't know," Michael whispered. "But I don't like it."

* * *

Courtney held the cell phone in one hand as she stared out of the window of her room. It was dark outside, night finally falling over the town. It had been an eventful day, and she was exhausted, but her duties were far from over. 

Some sixth sense warned her of the other's approach long before she heard the steps on the stairs outside her room or the rapid knock on the door. She didn't bother giving a response, knowing the other one would come in regardless of what she said.

Sure enough, the door swung open and the woman stepped into the room. "How was your day, honey?" she asked, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness. "Did you make new friends?"

Courtney turned around slowly, arms crossed over her chest. "I met Maria DeLuca," she answered quietly. "I think we hit it off rather well." Her lips quirked into a thin smile. "You don't need to worry about me, _Mother_. I can take care of myself."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "I'm sure you can, _honey_, but there are greater things at stake here than just our lives. I am less concerned about your wellbeing than I am about the fate of our entire race." She stepped further into the room. "Do any of them suspect?"

"The humans certainly don't," Courtney replied derisively. "I haven't met the Royals yet."

"Don't rush it," the other woman said sharply. "The last thing we can afford is to drawn unwanted attention to ourselves. The Royal Four obviously do not realize that they let loose a signal that will bring the entire army down on their heads. I would prefer if we could keep it that way."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "I've presented myself to the world as Courtney Banks, normal high school student," she snapped irritably. "I've gained the trust of the three people closest to our _darling king_ and his little posse of attendants. I am doing my job, Mother. Are you doing yours? Have you convinced the world that you are Mrs. Banks?"

Mrs. Banks snorted and said unpleasantly, "I do not like being stuck with you anymore than you do, my dear. But we are in this together, and as long as I have to play your mother, you might as well get used to the idea that I will be watching over everything you do." She left the room, closing the door sharply behind her.

Courtney stared at the closed door and let out a breath. "I'm counting on that," she said under her breath. Then she flipped open her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Yes?" the distant voice echoed through the phone lines.

"Everything is in place," Courtney said softly. "I've gained the trust of Maria DeLuca, Alex Whitman, and Liz Parker. Tomorrow, I move in for the real target."

"Be careful, Courtney. I think I need hardly remind you that you are walking a very fine line. One wrong step…"

"I know," Courtney snapped. "You don't need to remind me of the dangers I am taking so that you can fulfill your plans."

"Does_she_ suspect?" the voice asked, ignoring Courtney's previous reprimand.

Courtney looked at the closed door again. "My _mother_ doesn't like me very much," she answered, "but that is more of a personal grudge. No, she doesn't suspect. As far as she knows, we're still on the same side."

"Good. It is imperative that you keep her trust, and gain the trust of the Royal Four. When Khivar's army comes, we must be prepared." And without another word, the line went dead.

* * *

Next Chapter: Bone 

Due: Sun 1/27


	4. Bone

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I've kept Grant Sorenson in this story, although I make him an archaeologist instead of a geologist. He isn't completely the same character, so once again, don't be surprised if some things are different.

* * *

Chapter Four: Bone

The hot sun burnt down on all of them, causing beads of sweat to form on their brows and fall, stinging, into their eyes.

The woman was the first to stop digging, and she straightened up, stretching her sore muscles, and shading her eyes with one hand as she peered at the others. There were five of them all together, two geologists, a botanist, a zoologist, and an archaeologist.

"This is ridiculous," the zoologist muttered from where he was sitting on a large, flat rock. "It has to be 115 degrees out here."

The woman rolled her eyes and tossed her shovel to the ground. "And you aren't doing any of the hard work," she snapped irritably, "so quit complaining." She ran a hand over her forehead, trying to wipe away the sweat and dust.

The other geologist grinned at her. "Next time, let's choose a location in Alaska."

She gave him a half-hearted smile, then wandered off to find her water bottle. As she passed the botanist, who was crouched on the ground, fingering the leaves of some small, prickly desert plant, he looked up and asked, "How much longer?"

She shrugged. "Maybe an hour?"

The sudden, sharp sound of metal hitting something caused all eyes to swing towards the male geologist. He yanked his shovel out of the ditch at the same time that the archeologist came rushing over, a smaller hand-shovel and a brush in hand.

"Careful," the archeologist murmured. "If there is anything of importance down there, we don't want to ruin it." He lowered himself into the hole as the others crowded around. On his hands and knees, he began to gently brush at the dirt, layer by layer exposing the object beneath.

After a moment of silence and abated breath, the archeologist removed the object from the ground and held it up for all to see.

It was a human skull.

* * *

"So you found a giant skin in the desert and it disintegrated when you touched it?" Max asked skeptically as he and Isabel spoke in hushed whispers in the kitchen. "I think you've been watching a bit too many alien-specials on television." 

Isabel rolled her eyes at her brother's comment and slanted a quick look at the living room, where her parents were sitting. "I'm telling you, something strange is happening. That wasn't human."

"It could have just been a big snake," Max suggested idly, not really listening to his sister's argument. He was washing the dishes from dinner, and she was drying them.

"Right," she drawled. "The giant snake from hell. Max, if that was a snake, the thing had to have been the size of you or me!"

Max crossed his arms over his chest and replied pointedly, turning from the sink "There are big snakes in the world."

"Yes, but not in New Mexico. This isn't Brazil, Max, you don't step outside to see forty-foot anacondas devouring everything." She huffed impatiently and demanded, "Why aren't you taking this more seriously?"

"I am," Max snapped. "I just don't think there is much we can do right now."

"Max? Isabel?" Mrs. Evans voiced drifted to them from the living room. "Are you two almost done?"

Max glanced at the pile of dishes still in the sink. Due to his listless manner and the trouble he and Isabel had gotten into during the last year, his parents had given them both more household chores in an attempt to keep them busy, focused, and out of trouble.

"Almost," he called back, picking up the sponge again.

"So you just want to go on with our lives as normal?" Isabel asked incredulously. "There's some alien-thing out there and you want to pretend that…"

"Isabel, what do you want me to do?" Max interrupted his sister, his voice a low hiss. "Lead an attack against the enemies that we can't find and wouldn't be able to identify?"

Isabel shook her head. "I just… I'm worried."

"So am I," Max replied coolly, "but I don't have answers. Stop pushing for them."

Isabel stared at his back for a moment, then ran a hand through her hair and picked up a newly washed pot and began to dry it.

* * *

Courtney strode quickly through the hallway, her eyes traveling over the crowd of students. She flashed a seductive smile at the various guys around her as she walked by, but inside she couldn't help but feel a bit of disgust at these pathetic teenage humans. Of all the planets in which to hide the reincarnation of the Royal Four, why would anyone have chosen this one? 

She paused momentarily when her eyes landed on three of the four targets grouped together around a locker. Isabel, still as beautiful as she had once been, still able to fell a man with a single glance, and yet no memory of anything she had once been. Michael, once the commander of armies, feared by all the surrounding planets, now a struggling emancipated minor, lost in his own world. And Max, a fierce leader, a king, now just a boy lost in himself.

Courtney walked briskly towards them, forcing herself to smile and appear friendly. The last thing she wanted was to draw their suspicions anymore than absolutely necessary.

Michael looked up sharply as she approached, and she met his dark eyes with a cheerful smile. "You're… uh… Michael, right?" she asked pleasantly. "And Isabel and Max? Maria and Liz mentioned told me," she added hastily, because Max was giving her a strange look.

"You're Courtney," Michael said stonily, who tone closed and guarded.

"Yeah," Courtney said, her voice happy at his words. "Look, I'm trying to find Maria. I was supposed to meet her here before class, but…" She gestured around the crowded hallway. "Was she here?"

"Why were you supposed to meet her?" Michael snapped.

Courtney appeared flustered. "I just… well, we were going to make plans for lunch and I…"

Isabel glared at Michael and elbowed him sharply in the stomach. Turning to Courtney, she said, "Please excuse Michael, he was born without manners. We haven't seen Maria yet, but she's probably just running late."

Courtney nodded, but gave Michael a hesitantly worried look. "Okay. I… uh… guess I'll go wait over there," she muttered waving vaguely with one hand.

Before Isabel could say anything in reply, Maria and Liz appeared. Liz looked quickly at Max, who turned away and stared determinedly at the locker. Maria gave Liz a sympathetic look, Max and annoyed glare, Michael an unreadable look, and Courtney a cheerful grin.

"Hey, you want to get to class?" Liz offered, forcing words into the silence that had suddenly fallen.

"Is she always that eager to get to class?" Courtney asked with a laugh. Liz flushed as Maria smiled at the comment and nodded emphatically.

"Well, I got good news today," Liz said as she lead Maria and Courtney away from the three aliens. She glanced over her shoulder at them, quickly, only to see Max averting his eyes. Isabel was looking at her brother in concern, but Michael was watching the three departing students with a scrutinizing gaze.

"What was it?" Maria asked, drawing Liz away from her thoughts.

"Oh," Liz said, "you remember over the summer when I was applying to a few internships?"

"A few?" Maria teased. "Didn't you apply to about ten internships? I seem to remember you rushing around like a madwoman trying to get letters of recommendation and transcripts before the deadlines."

Liz retorted defiantly, "I wasn't that crazy!"

"Did you get one of the internships?" Courtney asked, breaking into the argument.

Liz nodded. "Yes, working with our state senator's campaign. It's election year, you know."

Maria blinked. "Who is our state senator?"

"Andrea Whitaker," Liz said promptly, and as she was looking at Maria, she missed the sudden dramatic pallor in Courtney's face or the way the other girl's eyes widened in surprise. Oblivious, Liz continued, "I'm going to be working as an assistant after school three days a week. She's taking a real interest in Roswell now, so she's going to run her campaign from our city center."

"We have a city center?" Maria asked blankly.

"Yeah," Liz replied, shaking her head at Maria's naiveté. "Every city has a city center. Ours is on Main Street. It's where City Hall… or the old dilapidated building that passes as City Hall… is located."

"What kind of things will you be doing for Senator Whitaker?" Courtney asked casually, tugging a hand through her hair while studying Liz carefully. She doubted the other girl had any idea what type of mess she would be getting herself into by associating with the Senator, but she couldn't tell anyone what was happening. It would blow her cover, and that was far too risky.

Liz made a face. "I don't really know. I bet a lot of it will be boring grunt work. You know, filing, copying, and the like."

"Fun," Maria laughed. Then she grimaced and said, "Wait, does this mean you won't be able to cover as many shifts at the Crashdown?"

"Yes," Liz said. She shrugged. "Dad is looking for a new waitress. I mean, he's not thrilled about having to replace me, but he is happy that I have an internship. It will look good on my college application."

"The Crashdown is the diner your family owns, right?" Courtney asked curiously. She looked from Maria back to Liz, and asked, "Do a lot of your friends work there?"

"Only Maria and Michael," Liz answered. "Dad employs a lot of college students also. Most of the other waitresses are older than us." She frowned at Courtney and asked curiously, "Why? Are you looking for a job?"

"Not really," Courtney said quickly, "my mother gives me a very generous allowance." But her mind was churning over the possible implications of being able to work at the Crashdown, to be that close to Michael without raising any suspicions. It would be a legitimate excuse to keep an eye on the hybrid General without drawing undo attention to herself.

"Must be nice," Maria sighed.

Courtney shrugged slowly. "I guess," she answered. Then she licked her lips and remarked thoughtfully, "Although I bet colleges would like to see that I've taken a job somewhere. That I can be self-sufficient, that I have good people skills, that I follow direction, that I'm responsible…"

Liz laughed as Courtney ticked off the various traits she was sure colleges would be looking for. The brunette laid a hand on her new friend's arm and said, "I can ask my father if you want. He'd probably be thrilled to have found someone to replace me so quickly."

"When does the internship start?" Maria questioned quickly.

"Next week," Liz replied.

Courtney considered this in silence. Whitaker was a problem, and one that would eventually need to be taken care of, or the senator could expose everything. Still, there was no easy way of removing Whitaker from the equation, not if Courtney's 'mother' was still keeping a close eye on everything.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the petite blonde standing in front of her until she had walked right into the smaller girl. Tess stepped backwards, the books tumbling from her hands, and glowered angrily at Courtney.

Chris, standing next to Tess, instantly reached down and retrieved the books. He handed them to his girlfriend, who took them, snapped at Courtney, "Watch where your going, new girl," and turned away from the group.

Maria took Courtney by the arm and steered her away from Tess before she could respond to the comment. Once they were out of earshot, Maria whispered, "That's Tess. You should probably avoid her, she's not that pleasant to be around."

Courtney smiled inwardly at the description of Tess. Ava had been known for her temper as well.

She glanced over her shoulder towards Tess, and was surprised to find the blonde hybrid's brilliant blue eyes staring hard at her. She met the girl's gaze, and Tess stared back, unblinkingly.

Courtney was the first to look away.

* * *

The quad was filled with students, all eager to escape the confines of school for their well-earned lunch-break. As the crowd spilled down the stairs and towards the various picnic tables, Max scanned the area for the different members of his group. He spotted Liz first, her bright smile, soft eyes, and glistening hair standing out sharply in the crowd. She was with Maria, and he could see Alex and the new girl Courtney walking towards them. 

Next, he found Tess and Isabel, surrounded by Kyle and several other jocks, all laughing about something. They were pushing their way through the crowd towards their usual picnic table, and he watched them go for a moment before turning away.

And found that Michael was standing before him.

He hadn't heard his friend approach, but he had been so lost in his own thoughts that it wasn't much of a surprise. Without a preamble, he jerked his head at Michael, signaling for the other to follow him. They scrambled down the steps and towards the outskirts of the quad.

"So… a giant skin?" Max asked.

"It was weird," Michael agreed, lowering his voice as he looked around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "It didn't look like a snake skin, and it just completely disintegrated when I touched it."

"We don't know that it is alien-related," Max pointed out logically.

"We don't know that it isn't, either," Michael countered. He lowered himself onto the bench of the picnic table in front of them, and Max took a seat across from him. "I'm worried."

"Nasedo took care of the Special Unit, right?" Max asked.

Michael gave grim smile and replied, "They won't be believing Pierce's stories any time soon. The entire Senate committee thinks he's a paranoid nutcase." He frowned, and after a moment's hesitation said, "That doesn't actually mean that we are safe, though."

Max didn't reply. He was staring past Michael, across the quad. Michael twisted in his seat and followed Max's gaze until his eyes landed on Liz. He let out a slow breath, and looked back at Max. Max lowered his gaze to the tabletop.

"What do you want to do, Michael?" he asked wearily. "You keep talking about this as though somehow we can all band together and fight away our enemies. We don't even know who our enemies are or where they are. How are we supposed to fight?" His voice was tinged with frustration and annoyance, and he swallowed back his anger at the unfair situation.

"Anything is better than our hiding-in-plain-sight idea," Michael argued. "It's like we're sitting ducks, just waiting for the enemy to kill us."

"Fine," Max snapped. "Then what is your brilliant plan?"

Michael stopped, then slammed his fist angrily against the table when he realized he really didn't have an answer to Max's question. At this point, there was nothing they could do, and that wasn't going to change until the enemies revealed themselves.

Instead, he asked, "What do you know about this new girl?"

Max looked across the quad again, this time letting his gaze linger on Courtney. "Not much," he said. "She just moved here a little while ago. Her mother does something with art or something like that…" He rested his head on his palm, propping his elbow on the table. "Tess might know more."

"I don't trust her," Michael announced instantly.

Max rolled his eyes. "Why?"

"I just don't," Michael replied. "I mean, do you really think it is just a coincidence that she moved here now? And the people she decided to befriend are our friends?"

Max pursed his lips. "I don't know what I believe," he said firmly, "except that interrogating her would be a very bad idea."

"If she's the enemy, it would be even worse to let her get close to Maria," Michael hissed, and realized too late that he should have included Liz and Alex in that statement. Max gave him a piercing look, filled with sweetly-sad amusement, and Michael belatedly corrected himself, "We can't let her get close to Liz, Maria, and Alex."

"What if she isn't the enemy?" Max countered. "What if she is just a normal girl? Are you going to deprive the three of them of the opportunity to make a new friend?"

"When did you turn into Mr. Rogers?" Michael snapped irritably. "Who cares if they make friends?"

"Look, I know you want to protect Maria," Max said softly. "I know how you feel…"

Michael rose to his feet, eyes narrowed. "You really don't," he retorted hotly. Liz would have willingly taken Max back if he just got over his own problems long enough to see that she still loved him. But Maria had initiated the break with Michael because she loved him too much, and it was less likely that they would somehow be able to return to where they had been before the end of last year. Max didn't have a clue how lucky he was, and Michael wasn't about to let him pretend like he had the worse deal.

With those thoughts in mind, Michael turned and stormed away.

* * *

Sheriff Valenti waved the five people into his office with a polite, but confused, smile. Three of the men took spots standing along the wall at the back of the room, and one of the men strode briskly forward, holding something wrapped in cloth in between his hands. The woman took a seat in front of the desk. 

The man with the object in his hands introduced them. "My name is Grant Sorenson, and I am an archeologist for Emporium Power." He gestured with one hand to all the others and explained, "They are geologists, a botanist, and a zoologist."

Valenti blinked. "Emporium hires botanists?" he asked, bewildered. Emporium Power was the largest of the electrical power organizations in the Southwest. They were responsible for the power in all of New Mexico, and parts of California and Nevada.

Grant continued, "Emporium is debating the possibility of building a power structure on a piece of property they own about thirteen miles west of the city borders. Before they can build on the land, a team must inspect it to make sure that they are not building on anything with a natural, geological, or Native American history."

Valenti nodded slowly. Because New Mexico was filled with strange plants, unusual animals, and Indian villages, ruins, and burial grounds, it was imperative that any construction first be approved by a team trained to monitor the impact of such construction. Almost all corporations had some team on hand to do that work for them. He had heard of numerous occasions when a construction project had to be stopped or altered because it would destroy the habitat of some new-found endangered species.

"Anyway," Grant continued, slowly unwrapping the object in his hands, "I found this."

Valenti started, staring in confusion and mild disgust at the human skull before him.

"At first," Grant remarked, "I thought we had stumbled on some never-before discovered Native American burial ground. So we quickly closed up the hole, marked it, and returned to do some research."

Valenti smiled slightly at that. Indian burial grounds were under protection and could not be disturbed for any reason other than issues relating to public safety. That had never stopped vandals or less scrupulous archeologists from removing significant or religious artifacts, either for curiosity or for profit. It was despicable, actually, the way some people treated those holy and revered sites.

But Grant, being a federally-trained archeologist, would never dream of disturbing such a place, not until he had the proper authorization to do so.

Grant wrapped the skull again, then said, "When I did a little research and spoke with some Elders on the Reservation, however, they did not know of any burial grounds around there. And a seismic mapping of the ground did not reveal any other graves."

"So it is just one person?" Valenti mused thoughtfully, understanding the implications.

Grant nodded emphatically. "I think you have a homicide on your hands, Sheriff."

Before Valenti could reply, there was a knock at the door. He turned and called out, "Come in," and the door swung open to reveal Tess.

The blonde appeared startled to see all the others in the room, and she hesitated in the doorway. "Is this a bad time?" she asked, unsure.

"No, it's fine," Valenti answered. "This is my daughter, Tess," he said to the others in the room. Turning back to her, he asked, "Is everything okay?"

Tess held out a few papers. "Just some forms I need you to sign before I can do after-school activity stuff." She looked incredibly bored, but Valenti caught the tiniest bit of curiosity that flickered through her eyes as she gazed at all the different people in the room.

Grant reached into his front pocket and pulled out a card. "Obviously," he said, "we can't go ahead with the rest of the inspection until you've done your own investigation. Here is my number, give us a call when everything is finished and we can go back to work." He left the wrapped skull and the card on the table and gestured for the others to follow him from the room.

He nodded at Tess on his way out.

"Investigation?" Tess asked curiously.

"Homicide," Valenti replied, staring at the cloth-covered skull on his desk. "They found a body buried in the desert."

Tess considered this for a moment, thinking to herself that they had found some strange things in the desert recently. Isabel had already informed her of the discovery of the giant skin, and although she agreed that it was a very unusual thing to find, she also recognized the truth in Max's point of view, that there was little they could do about it right now.

Valenti took the forms from her and asked, "Does Kyle have some that need to be signed also?"

"They're there," Tess answered, waving at the papers. "He has a permission form for playing football, and something else I don't remember…" She looked back at the skull. Valenti signed the forms and handed them to her. She took them, tore her gaze away from the skull, and said, "Thank you."

"You know," Valenti said with a slight smile, "You could have just waited until I came home to have me sign them."

Tess gave him a searching look, then said simply, "You don't always come home."

It was true. Valenti had always been overly-involved in his work, and for the past several years, it had kept him at the office for some very late nights. But since the events of last May, he had spent more and more time out of the house. He hadn't realized that anyone had noticed, but Tess had picked up on it, and came to the obvious conclusion that he was avoiding them. Or, more specifically, avoiding her.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't think of anything, and Tess had already turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Next Chapter: Close Calls 

Due: Sun 2/3


	5. Close Calls

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: This chapter is going to start the beginning of a plot-arc that explores Michael's expanding gifts. So, just to warn everything, I've changed things a bit from the show. If you don't remember from _This Brilliant Dance_, Michael had the ability to control molecular combustion, but his gifts are going to grow, allowing him to do other cool things with molecules as well.

* * *

Chapter Five: Close Calls

Liz stared at the phone for a moment, working up the courage to dial the number. She held it in her hands, bouncing it back and forth, biting her bottom lip in frustration. There was no reason not to call; in fact, it would be irresponsible not to pass the message along. Sheriff Valenti had specifically asked her to relay his concerns to Max, and although she had put off doing this for a full day now, she really couldn't do it any longer.

Besides… Max would have to listen to her, wouldn't he? It wasn't like he could just disregard everything and… ignore her. Could he?

She took a deep breath and dialed the number, some part of her secretly hoping that he wouldn't answer the phone. Maybe she could just leave a message and…

"Hello? Liz?"

He was there. She closed her eyes and forced herself to answer in a businesslike tone, "Hello, Max." For a moment, the awkward silence fell over them, and Liz found herself wondering why Max had even bothered to answer the phone in the first place if he wasn't actually going to talk to her.

Finally, Max asked, "What's up?"

Liz drew a slow breath. "Sheriff Valenti said that Amy DeLuca told him that Sean signed the divorce papers and gave her full custody of Maria. He wanted me to ask you if you knew whether or not Nasedo was still pretending to be Sean. Because if he isn't…"

Then someone else was impersonating the man and keeping in contact with Amy. And while that seemed unlikely, it was still a possibility they needed to investigate. Pierce may have been discredited, but that did not mean the FBI would no longer be a threat. They needed to be careful.

"I'll ask Nasedo," Max said swiftly, reassuringly. He paused, then asked curiously, "Valenti asked you to talk to me? _He_ asked _you_?"

"Yes," Liz said, clutching the phone tightly with one hand. The other one was pressed flat against the wall to keep her standing, because she thought there was a very good chance her knees would give out. She simply couldn't handle the continued ups and downs on the emotional rollercoaster ride that was her relationship with Max.

"Oh."

"I didn't offer, Max," Liz said quietly, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall again. "I'm not trying to stay in contact with you when you obviously don't want to talk to me. But _he_ asked _me_, and I couldn't say no."

There was a silence, then Max said, "I'm not accusing you of anything, Liz."

She pulled at her hair and rolled her eyes at the comment, even though she knew he couldn't see her. Maybe he wasn't accusing her of anything, but he still had made it clear on more than one occasion that he didn't want anything more to do with her. It wasn't an unrealistic assumption to think he might be suspicious of her now.

"Okay," Liz answered eventually. She crossed the room to her bed and sat down. Pulling her knees into her chest, she added, "What should I tell Valenti?"

"I'll take care of that," Max answered stonily.

"You don't need to shut me out, Max," Liz countered. For good or ill, she was in this, and there was no way out now.

"I… this isn't about you," Max said, apparently struggling for words. "I'm not accusing you of anything, I just…" He trailed off for a moment, and Liz pressed the phone closer to her ear, straining to hear the sound of his breath through the line.

"Max?"

"Why did Valenti go to you?" Max said finally. "Why didn't he go to Tess?"

Liz suddenly felt incredibly foolish for assuming that Max's confusion was due to her. Of course he wouldn't be skeptical that Valenti had gone to Liz instead of Tess. Of course he would wonder what exactly was going on. Tess had much more difficult problems right now, and somehow Liz was overlooking that and making everything about her.

Of course, where Max was concerned, everything often was about her.

She wasn't even sure if she believed his claim that his earlier words hadn't been an accusation. Of course he was worried about Tess, but that might not have been the only thought on his mind at the time. He'd pushed her away over and over, and she wasn't sure if she could really trust his reassurances.

And part of her wondered how he could be so thick that he wouldn't see what was going on. Did he really need to ask why Valenti wasn't talking to Tess? Wasn't the answer obvious? He'd just found out his daughter had the power to control people's minds, he was quite naturally freaked out by that.

"I don't know," Liz said finally, deciding this was probably a better conversation to be between Max and Tess. "Why don't you ask Tess?"

"Right."

Liz kicked herself as soon as she heard the dull tone of his voice. Had he wanted to talk to her? Was he trying to open back up, to get her in his life again?

"Max, if you want to talk…" she started.

"I have to go," was Max's abrupt reply, and the line went dead.

Liz bit back the urge to hurtle the phone across the room. She was angry, but violence was not in her nature, and so she did what she always did whenever her emotions threatened to overwhelm her.

She tossed aside the phone and reached for her journal.

* * *

Tess watched as Jim leaned over his paperwork. He was sitting at the kitchen table, ignoring both of his children as he immersed himself in the details of the homicide case. The skull found in the desert weighed heavily on his mind, and he knew that some people in high places would want an answer pretty quickly. 

Kyle watched Tess as she watched Jim. Finally, when the tense silence became so unbearable that he desperately needed to make noise, he asked, "So, what's the big case you're working on now, Dad?"

"Homicide," Tess answered before Jim could speak. Kyle shot her a confused look, and she elaborated, "I was at his office when the people brought in the skull. They found a skeleton in the desert."

"Cool," Kyle said enthusiastically.

Tess raised one eyebrow at his comment and said pointedly, "It probably isn't quite as exciting for the dead person."

Kyle at least had the decency to blush. "Ah… right," he agreed. He looked back at his father. "So… routine homicide, then?"

"There's very little routine about a homicide," Jim answered, giving his son a stern look. "We rarely get anything like that around here, and to find someone actually buried in the desert…"

"So are they sure it's homicide?" Kyle asked interestedly. "I mean… it could just be a gravesite." There were plenty of those around from the times when all of New Mexico was controlled by cowboys and Native Americans. Although it was unlikely that the remains of any body would have survived for that long.

"Doubtful," Jim replied. "Sorenson spoke to a few of the people on the Reservation, and it certainly isn't any grave that they know about."

"Sorenson?" Kyle questioned, not recognizing the name.

"The archeologist who found the skull," Jim answered. He shoved the documents back into the leather case and stood up. "Anyway, I have to look into this as soon as possible because some people are starting to ask questions. I'm heading back to the office."

"But you haven't eaten anything," Tess answered, nodding towards Jim's still full plate of food. "We only just sat down to dinner."

Jim stopped, unsure. The last thing he wanted was to blatantly avoid his daughter, but when he looked at her, all he saw was the girl who had lied to him, manipulated him, for years. He could barely bring himself to be in the same house with her, let alone the same dinner table.

"The mayor heard about the case," he said finally. "He's already pushing for answers. I have to go."

After Jim had left the room, Kyle turned to Tess and asked curiously, "Who is the mayor of Roswell, anyway? And why don't I know the answer to that?"

"Jere Wood," Tess replied, still staring at the door where Jim had stood a moment before. "He hasn't done anything worth knowing about. And you don't know the answer because you never pay attention to anything."

"Huh," Kyle commented as he forked casserole into his mouth. "I pay attention sometimes."

"Don't speak with your mouth full," Tess snapped irritably, tossing her napkin at Kyle. "Did you never learn manners?" She rose from the table and left the room, and Kyle watched her go for a moment, confusion clear in his eyes.

Contrary to what both his sister and father seemed to think, Kyle wasn't that oblivious to everything around him. Over the summer, his father had grown more distant, and Tess had become increasingly moody. Something nagged at the back of his mind, trying to remind him of something that had happened, something that might explain all this. But he couldn't figure out what it was, and even as he tried to remember, some sixth sense told him that maybe he didn't actually want to know the answer.

Outside the kitchen, Tess closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, her mind racing. The body in the desert had bothered her, mostly because they never did find out what Nasedo had done with Pierce's body. Could it be him? It might be a long shot, but still, they needed to be on the safe side.

The sound of the engine in the driveway pulled her to the window, and she watched as Jim backed out onto the street. His car moved forward until it turned the corner at the end of the block and disappeared from view.

She'd seen him interact with the others a few times over the summer, stopping to talk to Michael or Max, or greeting Maria and Liz when he passed them on the street. He was always stiff and uneasy around the other aliens, but he didn't avoid them the way he avoided her. The look in his eyes when he stared at her with haunting and disappointed, and it wasn't there when he spoke to Max, Michael, or Isabel.

They'd all betrayed him, all manipulated him, but although he seemed to be able to forgive the others, she could feel the distance growing in her small family. He was pulling away from her, and she didn't know how to stop it.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, two words she could hardly ever bring herself to say to someone. It was easier to say them in the emptiness of the room where no one could hear her admission of guilt. But they did little good her, falling into the silence instead of reaching the one person she wanted to apologize to.

She turned away from the window and set her mind to more pressing tasks. She needed to find out what had happened to Pierce's body, just to allay her own fears. Her disintegrating relationship with her adopted father would have to wait.

* * *

"I told you I would take care of everything," Nasedo said, his voice clearly filled with annoyance at the question. "Do you really think I would have left Pierce's body lying around in the desert?" 

Michael shrugged uncomfortably, shifting the phone to his other ear as he tried to make a sandwich with his free hand. "I'm just checking, alright? Better safe than sorry."

There was a pause, then Nasedo said, "The only thing of Pierce they're going to find is dust. Trust me, if they managed to stumble across his remains, it wouldn't actually be identifiable as bone."

"So there is no reason to worry?" Michael pressed.

"No, none," Nasedo snapped before hanging up the phone.

Michael sighed and tossed the phone onto the kitchen table. He glanced around the apartment, wondering what to do now. Although he certainly believed Nasedo's words, he couldn't help but wonder who this mysterious person who had ended up buried in the desert was. A nagging feeling told him not to just let go of all of this, and he knew to trust his instincts.

Why was the mayor interested? Homicides were rare, but that wasn't reason to put so much pressure on the Sheriff. Yet Tess had said that Valenti felt it necessary to figure this out…

And what about the team who had discovered the skeleton in the first place? He knew they claimed to be hired by some power company, but what if that wasn't the case? What if it was simply a cover-story? What if they worked for the government or some other organization? What if…

What if they weren't as safe as they thought?

He wanted to investigate the mayor and Emporium Power. He needed answers, and his first instinct was to call Maria and ask her to accompany him on this mission. He'd already reached for the phone when he realized that he couldn't do that. He needed to stay away from her, because right now being around her only put her in danger and got himself into trouble.

On the other hand, breaking into the mayor's office or the regional headquarters of a powerful electrical company would not be easy, and he did require some assistance. But who could he go to for help? Liz was out of the question, as was Alex, since being human didn't give them the necessary gifts for this type of job. For obvious reasons, Max was less than likely to agree to help him. Isabel, too, would never agree to risking exposure or capture.

That left Tess, and she was a long-shot. But her mind-warping abilities would come in handy, and she was concerned about this body found in the desert. Could he somehow convince her that this was a good idea? Probably not, but it was worth a shot.

He dialed her cell phone number, then waited until she finally answered the phone.

"Hi, Michael."

Her greeting was more civil than usual, but he could tell from the tone of her voice that something was still bothering her. He wondered about how Valenti was acting, now that he knew the truth, but he opted not to ask.

Instead, he said, "Hey, Tess. I just spoke to Nasedo. The skull definitely doesn't belong to Pierce, and we don't have to worry about him anyway. But I am concerned…"

"And let me guess, you have some incredibly stupid idea that you need my help with?" Tess drawled sarcastically.

"You said that Valenti said that the mayor wants to know the answers to this. Why?" Michael asked, ignoring Tess' tone. The last thing he needed right now was her sarcasm.

"He's the mayor. That's his job," Tess answered, as though it was rather evident.

"No, actually, it's not. That's not the sort of thing the mayor gets involved in," Michael countered. He sat down on a chair and stared across the room at the window. From here, he could see the parking lot and the street, and then the distant desert and the gentle slopes of rolling hills.

There was a silence while Tess considered this. It was true, the mayor rarely became involved in police-related issues. In fact, when Deputy Hannigan had been killed last year, the mayor hadn't even contacted Valenti to offer his condolences. He'd probably sent them to the deputy's widow as a mere formality, but he'd taken no other interest in the case.

Finally she said, "Have you spoken to Max or Isabel?"

"No," Michael replied. He didn't offer any further explanation, and she didn't press for details.

"Do you have a plan?" she asked.

"Yes," Michael replied, although it wasn't really true. He had an idea, and he hoped he could turn it into a plan. But he also knew that Tess was not Maria, and she wouldn't simply go with the flow. He needed some semblance of strategy to offer her, or she'd never agree to it. And to come up with that, he needed a bit of time. "Can you meet me here in two hours?"

There was another pause, then Tess answered readily enough, "Yes."

* * *

Max sat on the edge of the stairs and watched the young girl in front of him playing with her dolls. Brody had decided to leave the UFO Center open late this night, and Max had offered to stop by after dinner to help close. The eccentric owner had left him in charge of watching Sydney while he checked the back doors and the windows to make sure they were all locked. 

So here he was, staring blankly at one of the greatest failures of his life.

She still had leukemia, and he had no idea how to change that. His inability to heal her had left him feeling both upset and helpless, two things he did not like. Doubts plagued him, these twisted thoughts that remained in his mind despite his efforts to push them away.

Her thin arms were tracked with scars, a tribute to the numerous needles that had poked and prodded her skin during her various stays at the hospital. She was quiet, shy almost, something that left Max a little uneasy. She had seen him that night that he had healed her infection, and she had yet to mention that to anyone. Did she remember what had happened?

As if sensing his thoughts, little Sydney turned to Max and offered a hesitant smile. "You be in trouble if they knowed."

"Wh-what?" Max asked, thrown by her confession.

Sydney gave a little half-shrug, holding her doll tightly against her chest, and said, "Daddy knows the aliens helped me."

"Sydney, I…" he trailed off, at a loss for words. She was staring at him with wide, innocent eyes, and he wondered if she knew just how precious her secret was. One wrong word, and she could ruin them all.

"I scared," Sydney whispered. "Daddy scared." She clutched the doll even tighter, and settled herself down on the step next to Max. "I 'amember it… it hurted."

Max glanced quickly around, but Brody was out of sight. Seizing his opportunity to speak to Sydney in private, he whispered quietly, "Sydney, do you remember what happened?"

"You came into da room," Sydney answered with a faraway look in her eyes. "An' I felt warm… like hot cocoa or yummy soup… and the pain stopped." She smiled faintly, not noticing the weary look in Max's eyes.

"Have you told your Daddy this?" Max pressed.

"Daddy knows, silly," Sydney replied, shaking her head at the foolishness of the question. "I told ya! Daddy knows the aliens helped me."

Max inhaled slowly, counted to ten, and let go of the breath. He forced himself to ask in a calm voice, "Sydney, does your father know I'm an alien?"

Sydney shook her head again, laughing slightly. "Didn't you hear me?" she demanded, sounding a little exasperated. "I told you dat you be in trouble if they knew." She rose to her feet and leaned in towards Max. "Don't worry," she said in her sweet voice, "it be our secret. 'Kay?"

"Okay," Max murmured.

Sydney turned and began skipping around the room just as Brody emerged from the back. The father walked briskly over to his daughter and lifted her into the air, swinging her around so that she cried out in delight.

"Is everything all closed up?" Max asked, interrupting the moment, his eyes still lingering on Sydney.

"Yes, it's all set for tomorrow. Go home, Max, I can take care of the last few things."

Max rose to his feet. "Thanks, Brody. Good night."

"Good night, Max," the other man replied, turning his attention back to his daughter and dismissing the teenager.

Max turned and walked out into the cold night air. Outside the UFO Center, he leaned back against the side of the building and closed his eyes, drawing another slow breath. He had no idea what to make of Sydney or his conversation with her, and although she had promised not to tell, she was only a child and could easily let their secret slip.

He wondered, briefly, if he shouldn't just ask Tess to make Sydney forget.

He'd have to keep that option in mind. For now, it was a miracle that Sydney had stayed this quiet for this long, and he'd certainly avoided exposure so far. He'd have to pray that she would continue to keep her secret.

They couldn't afford any more problems right now.

* * *

Michael cautiously lifted one hand and waved it at the security camera on the wall. The red light indicating the power flickered for a moment, then turned off. Turning to Tess, he said, "Someone will come to investigate that soon. We need to hurry." 

Tess nodded and walked purposefully through the hall. The mayor's office was in city hall, and usual buildings like this would be much more secured. But in Roswell, the mayor was really more of a figure head than anything else, and no one really knew what he did, so there didn't appear to be a reason to protect his privacy beyond the minimum security requirements.

The two of them had easily slipped into the city hall through one of the side entrances, and crossed the lobby without being spotted by either of the guards, thanks to Tess' gift. On the second floor, the surveillance switched from human to technology, and now they had the cameras to contend with.

Although Michael would never say it to Tess, this felt an awful lot like breaking into Eagle Rock Military Base to rescue Tess from the white room. The heavy silence that had fallen was almost oppressive, and the tension was so thick it was almost suffocating.

At the end of the hallway, the two of them stopped in front of a door. The plaque on the door read _Office of the Mayor_, a sign that they had come to the right place.

"There's got to be an alarm system on the door," Tess said under her breath, placing one hand against the wood. She considered for a moment, then said, "And I have no idea how to disable an alarm system we can't see."

"We could just open the door and take care of the alarm system when it goes off," Michael suggested.

Tess rolled her eyes. "And risk getting caught? No, I don't think so."

Michael tilted his head at her, thinking. He was still surprised that she had agreed to accompany him on this investigation. He was also noticing all the differences between her and Maria. Maria would simply follow his lead and storm into any room, whereas Tess was much more calculating and precise. Tess' method might have been safer, but he was missing Maria already.

"Fine," Michael snapped, "what's your idea?"

Tess sighed. She didn't really have one, but that didn't mean she was going to agree to rushing into something without being prepared. Weighing her options, she said slowly, "Do you think the alarm is set on the door or the room?"

"Huh?"

She gave Michael a withering look. "Alarms are either set to locate the opening of a door or movement inside a room. If this alarm was set to detect any movement, however, it probably would have already detected our presence outside the room as well. So that means that the alarm is probably tied into the movement of the door."

"So?"

"So chances are, the alarm doesn't go off if people are in the office, it goes off if the door is opened. So if we could get in without opening the door and disturbing the alarm…" She trailed off, still staring apprehensively at the door.

"How?" Michael questioned.

She glanced over her shoulder at the still-disabled security camera. "We have a few minutes before that comes back online. Can you change the molecules in the door so that a hole appears?"

Michael hesitated. Although he had much better control over his molecular modification than any of the others, she was still asking a lot from him. To shift all the molecules in the door to create a temporary hole required more control than he had.

"Just try," Tess said impatiently. "We don't really have any other choice."

Michael sighed, then pressed his hand against the door and slowly began to shift the wood. A hole appeared in the center, a wavering opening that expanded slowly and unevenly. The strain was showing on Michael's face, but Tess was smiling at the sight.

"Good job," she murmured in encouragement. "Just keep focusing. Concentrate."

"I am," Michael hissed, his face twisted in his attempt to focus all energy on the task at hand. Once the hole was large enough for Tess to crawl through, she scrambled into the office. Michael followed, then reshaped the door. Once the task was complete, he sagged against the wall, drained.

Tess, looking elated, peered around the office. "I don't think the alarm went off. That was great, Michael!"

Michael narrowed his eyes at Tess and demanded, "Alright, who are you and what have you done with Tess?"

"What?" Tess snapped back, already moving towards the far end of the room. "I'm not allowed to be happy about something?"

"You're never happy," Michael replied pointedly. "At least, not since…" He stopped abruptly as Tess turned glaring eyes towards him. He sighed and turned away, knowing that any continuation of this subject would most likely result in an argument, and they had a task to complete.

Tess, for her part, stared at Michael's back, lost in thought. It was true that she hadn't been particularly happy since the end of last year. When she closed her eyes, she could see the white room and Pierce's sneering face. In the silence of the night, she could hear sounds of doors slamming, smell the acrid scent of the white-washed walls. And then there was the strain between herself and Jim and her own lingering regrets from the previous year. So many things had changed, and somehow she still felt stuck behind, unable to move forward with everyone else.

But now she was doing something, now she felt like they were fighting. They were taking matters into their own hands instead of just waiting for the enemy to attack. She didn't feel quite as helpless at the moment.

Tess turned her attention back to the room. The large desk was made of some dark wood, and covered with scattered documents, a computer, a keyboard, and a telephone. The back wall was lined with file cabinets, and there were two chairs next to the window set around a small circular table. Across from the window was a giant bookshelf.

She watched as Michael walked over to the telephone and hit the redial button. "What are you doing?"

"Finding out who the last person the mayor called was," Michael said. "You check the trash. That's generally the a good place to find things." As he answered this, he thought again of Maria, the one who had taught him all those tricks.

Tess walked over to the trashcan. Kneeling down next to it, she frowned at the contents. It hadn't been emptied yet, but there wasn't much in it besides a few pieces of crumpled up paper, a file, an a half-eaten apple. She wrinkled her nose as she pulled out the papers, careful not to touch the apple core.

"People should learn to recycle," she murmured.

At that moment, however, Michael replaced the phone and turned to her with a confused look on his face. "The last call was to one of our senators. Whitaker."

"It's not unusual for senators to be in touch with mayors of various cities in their state," Tess answered. "Besides, it's election year."

Michael nodded slowly. "It was her home phone."

Tess raised on eyebrow and said in amusement, "Someone's having an affair." Michael didn't seem entirely convinced, but she turned her attention back to the papers in front of her. First, she unfolded the crumpled pieces and stared at them. Most of them were just notes and to-do lists, but the last one caught her attention.

"Maybe it is a bit more than an affair," she murmured, holding out the paper to Michael.

He crossed to her side and took it, reading aloud, "Five o'clock meeting with Whitaker. Bring files, evidence. The Vilandra Project." He turned back to Tess. "Evidence?" he repeated questioningly. "And what is the Vilandra Project?"

"Funny name," Tess murmured.

"Sounds familiar," Michael said thoughtfully, "but I can't place it."

Tess shrugged, then turned her gaze to the file. She flipped it open and stared at the documents. It was a bunch of financial records, nothing that looked particularly interesting. She sorted through the papers, then paused when she reached the last one.

It was blank except for a list of four names.

Max Evans. Isabel Evans. Jim Valenti. Liz Parker. She swallowed nervously, then held it up for Michael to see. She noted that her names wasn't on it, and neither was Michael's. It had Liz, but not Maria or Alex, and Jim, but not Kyle. What did it mean?

Before she could venture any questions, however, the sound footsteps on the hall outside the room caught her attention. She and Michael exchanged a brief look, then hurriedly stuffed the papers back into the trashcan. Closing her eyes, Tess focused on the presence outside the door and gently entered his mind.

The door swung open and a janitor entered the room, replacing a keycard he had used to remove the alarm in his pocket. He walked over to the room and picked up the trashcan, then carried it back to the door and emptied it into the large receptacle outside the office. Next, he brought in his broom and mop, and Michael took that opportunity to guide Tess, who was still mind-warping the janitor, out of the room.

In the hallway, Michael once again disabled the security camera, and Tess let the mind-warp drop.

"That was close," Michael whispered.

"Let's get out of here," Tess agreed, rising shakily to her feet.

* * *

Next Chapter: Dreaming in Technicolor 

Due: Sun 2/10


	6. Dreaming in Technicolor

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Italics are dreams. I introduce Nicolas in this chapter. He's a little different than on the show, but he still pretty much has the same agenda.

* * *

Chapter Six: Dreaming in Technicolor

"_You would have made a better king," Courtney said, pouting slightly as she stared at Michael. "You might have been able to unite us, to bring all of us together."_

_Michael shook his head. "That is treason. You should not talk that way."_

_She laid a hand on his arm. "Can a girl not dream?" she asked with a teasing smile. "Dream of all the things she wants in this world?"_

_He pulled his arm away from her. "It would be best if you were to leave."_

"_The Princess would not want me to bother you so much," Courtney said slowly, lowering her eyes. "I suppose I distract you from her."_

_Michael did not reply right away. Finally, he said, "You are causing trouble. We already have problems. I do not believe… it would not be wise for you to remain here."_

_She looked at him. "Where is the Princess, General?" she asked as she turned to leave. "I should pay my respects to her before I depart. Tell me, is she still entertaining Khivar and Nicolas?"_

Michael awoke from the dream with a sudden start and a lingering feeling of unease. The details of the dream faded from his memory, and no matter how hard he tried to remember what he had witnessed in his sleep, the answers were gone.

He got out of bed and walked through the apartment to the kitchen. It probably wasn't that important anyway, he figured. It was just a dream.

* * *

"So, then, I was thinking it would be fun to have a party. Jennifer's house is gigantic, and her parents will be out of town for that weekend. What do you think?"

Isabel blinked and stared at Sara, realizing with a start that she had ignored pretty much everything the other girl had said. She opened her mouth, but the only thing that came out was an unintelligible, "Huh?"

Sara frowned, resting one hand on her hip, and demanded in a wounded voice, "Did you actually even listen to a single thing I said?"

"Not really," Isabel answered. "I meant to, but then somehow…" She trailed off with a teasing smile, and Sara just rolled her eyes.

"I'm talking about your birthday, Isabel. Having a party for it." Sara glanced over her shoulder as Tess and Chris joined the two of them. Addressing the petite blonde, she said enthusiastically, "Don't you think we should have a party for Isabel's birthday?"

Tess shrugged, unconcerned. "Yeah, if she wants."

"I don't," Isabel said quickly. "I mean…" She hesitated, flustered by the surprised and annoyed look on Sara's face, then rushed to say, "I appreciate all the thought you put into this, but I don't really… I'm not really a birthday person. It's just another day, right?"

"Yeah… but it's a _birth_day," Sara argued, not understanding Isabel's point of view. "How can you not like birthdays? Don't you get presents and stuff?"

"Yeah…" Isabel seemed hesitant to say anymore, but at length she added, "It's just… it's not like it is my real birthday. I mean… it is just the day my parents decided would be my birthday."

"That's true," Chris agreed instantly. "Hey, you could be older. A lot older. You could be… like eighteen or nineteen."

"Oh, God." Isabel buried her face in her hands. "What if I'm old?" she said, her voice muffled by her fingers.

"Thanks, Chris," Sara snapped sarcastically, glaring at the jock. Turning to Isabel, she said, "Okay, first of all, eighteen isn't old. Even if you were eighteen, you wouldn't be old. And secondly, since you don't know when your actual birthday is, this is the day we have to celebrate. So let's celebrate it!"

"It's not for over a week," Isabel replied. "Isn't this conversation a little premature?"

"No," Sara answered bluntly. "It takes time to plan a party. I mean, I need to invite guests, I need to make decorations, I need to figure out food…" She began ticking these tasks off on her fingers as she walked away.

Tess watched her go, then turned to Chris and said, "Go away. I need to talk to Isabel." Chris obliged, pushing his way through the now-crowded hallway. Tess waited until he was out of earshot, then she looked back at Isabel and said, "We need to talk. After school."

"Everything okay?" Isabel asked, lowering her voice. After the words left her mouth, she realized just how stupid of a question it was, and predictably, Tess answered with dripping sarcasm.

"No, everything's peachy. Because we frequently hold group meetings when everything is fine." She paused, for a moment, then sighed and said, "Just let Sara plan the party."

"I don't know…" Isabel muttered. "I just… I don't like parties, okay? I don't like my birthday. It's…"

"How can you not like your birthday?" Tess demanded. "You go crazy when planning any event. You love planning things. You label and make calendars and color code things."

Isabel licked her dry lips. "I know. But for my birthday… we only ever celebrated it with my parents and Max. It was never a huge deal." It was difficult to explain her feelings to Tess, because, unlike the others, the fourth hybrid had actually made friends outside the alien clique. Tess had friends who did normal things. She had parties and dates and study groups. For most of Isabel's life, the only people she had hung out with were Michael and Max, and they just didn't do that sort of thing.

Tess didn't answer for a moment. Finally, she asked, "Did you miss it? Having friends other than Michael and Max? Did you want that?"

"Yes," Isabel replied honestly.

Tess tilted her head to the side and ordered, "Let Sara plan the party." Then she turned and walked away.

* * *

"Why are we meeting at the Crashdown?" Maria asked, pulling Michael away from the clumps of students in the hallway and glaring at him. "And why didn't you tell me?"

"First of all," Michael replied, "_we_ aren't meeting in the Crashdown. _You_ aren't part of this meeting."

"Of course I am," Maria argued, interrupting him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because this doesn't concern you," Michael answered calmly. "There's no reason to get involved in something. You're only putting yourself in needless danger."

"I don't need you to protect me," Maria hissed, lowering her voice. "In case you've forgotten, I've been through stuff too!"

"All the more reason for you to stay out of this," Michael snapped back, folding his hands over his chest and glaring at her. "How did you even hear of this meeting anyway?"

"I overheard Max and Isabel talking about it," Maria admitted, a little guiltily. After talking with Tess, Isabel had approached Max to see if he had any idea what was going on. He didn't, but Maria had heard enough to wonder why she wasn't invited to this little meeting of theirs.

"You were eavesdropping?" Michael demanded, making a mental note to berate Max and Isabel for their carelessness later.

"Look, I know we aren't together or anything…" Maria started, but this time it was Michael's turn to interrupt.

"This has nothing to do with that." His eyes turned dark and stormy, clearly not liking the reminder that they weren't together.

But Maria ignored the warning signs of his growing temper and said heatedly, "Oh, please. If we were together, you would have invited me in a heartbeat. And you would have taken me instead of Tess on your little escapade last night."

Michael seized Maria's arm and dragged her through the crowds to the nearby eraser room. Pulling the door open, her pushed her inside, then slammed the door shut and glared at her. "This isn't a joke, Maria. People are in danger. _We_ are in danger."

"Then let me help you," Maria argued. "You need help."

Michael threw up his hands in frustration, accidentally knocking into the shelf of erasers above his head. The shelf wobbled slightly, the stacks of erasers shaking back and forth until they toppled, falling down on Michael and Maria's head. Michael jerked, subconsciously raising his hands as though to defend himself…

And the erasers froze.

Hanging in midair like some sort of giant sculpture, like marionettes on invisible strings.

"What…?" Maria was the first to find her voice after the startling surprise, but even then she couldn't bring herself to say anything coherent. "How did you…?"

"I didn't do that," Michael retorted, even though he knew full well that he must have been the one to do that. He opened his mouth again, but it took him a moment to find the exact words he was looking for. "I can't do that. Stopping things in midair is not one of my gifts."

"Well, I obviously didn't do it," Maria snapped back. She shot a worried look at the door, then said, "You need to undo it. Someone might walk in and see."

"I don't know how," Michael answered automatically, shaking his head, still refusing to believe that he had done this. It just didn't make sense. He could make miniature explosions, he could manipulate molecules, but this…? He didn't even know what it was he had done.

"Well figure out how!" Maria ordered tersely. She reached up and plucked one of the erasers out of the air, holding in it her hand. It didn't feel any different to her, just a little bit stiffer. But it was moving in her hand, tiny jerking movements, so small she couldn't see them. But she felt the hum. "It's vibrating," she said in wonder.

A loud noise suddenly filled the air, and Maria dropped the eraser, which continued to hover midair, now directly in front of her. She reached up and covered her ears.

"That's the bell," Michael said, stating the obvious.

"We need to get to class," Maria agreed. She nodded to the erasers. "Do something about this."

"I don't know how!" Michael said again, his voice filled with the frustration he felt at being helpless. But he simply had no idea how to fix what he had done.

"Just concentrate," Maria suggested. "Think of whatever you were feeling when you did that, and then try to undo it. Feel the opposite. Think the opposite."

Michael sighed. When he had frozen all the erasers midair, he had been feeling a mixture of anger at Maria, annoyance at the entire situation, frustration at knowing so little about what was going on, and surprise at the erasers which were about to tumble down on his head.

He took a calming breath and stared up at the erasers, imagining them cascading down.

"Nothing happened," Maria remarked.

"Be quiet," Michael ordered tersely. "I'm concentrating."

He closed his eyes, trying to relax. Lifting one hand, he tried to imagine some form of energy flowing from his hand, like it would if he were trying to destroy the erasers. Instead, he pictured them falling, and a moment later was rewarded by the thud of several small objects colliding with his head.

And then the door swung open, and their history teacher stood in the hallway, staring at them.

Maria glanced around, knowing how the situation would appear. She and Michael were alone in the eraser room, surrounded by fallen erasers that littered the floor, and now their clothing was covered in chalk dust as well.

"I suggest you get to class," the teacher said, "and I'll pretend I didn't see this."

Maria practically ran from the closet, but Michael lingered for a moment, staring at the erasers on the floor, a thoughtful expression on his face. Then he too left, closing the door behind him, and wondering what exactly he had just done.

* * *

It was raining. The torrential downpour covered everything in sheets of water, and the gusts of winds prevented the umbrella Liz was holding from actually protecting her. By the time she reached the door of the office, her freshly pressed pants and nice blouse were soaked.

She stepped inside the building, shutting the door firmly behind her. Closing her umbrella, she glanced around the hall. It was well lit, but the lights above her flickered abruptly, and she wondered if the storm would cut the electricity.

"Strange weather we're having, isn't it?"

Liz jumped, and turned to face the man who was approaching her. She pulled at her wet hair, wishing she appeared a little more put together, and answered, "Yes, it is. We usually don't get storms like this."

"You must be Liz Parker." The man eyed her, his gaze traveling up and down her body with a slight sneer plastered to his face.

Liz flushed. She was under no delusions about her appearance right now. The blouse clung to her thin frame, and the bottom of her pants were dripping water on the pristine floor. Still, she forced a smile and answered, "I am."

The man held out his hand. "My name is Nicolas Crawford. I'm Senator Whitaker's campaign manager."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Liz answered as she shook his hand, studying him closely. He was tall, but look to be in his early twenties. His brown hair was neatly combed, albeit slightly long, and it fell over brown eyes and tan skin.

"Senator Whitaker is in a meeting all day today, so I am going to show you the ropes," Nicolas said, gesturing for Liz to follow him. "Now, as this is a campaign year, most of us take time to prepare our own looks…" he trailed off, looking pointedly at Liz's wet hair, before continuing, "because we will probably end up in the media around here."

"Oh, yes, of course," Liz said hurriedly. "I just… the rain." She gestured with one hand towards the windows, but couldn't quite find the words to express what she wanted to say.

Nicolas didn't appear to be listening anyway. "We don't have any other interns this year, so you will be doing most of that grunt work around here. That means entering data, copying and distributing fliers, and answering letters from constituents."

"Okay," Liz agreed.

"I know it isn't that glamorous," Nicolas muttered, "and everyone wants something exciting." He stopped abruptly and spun around. "Trust me, Ms. Parker, we've had interns here before, and we all know what they are like. So there will be no whining about your job, no complaining about boredom. We all do our best to get the Senator reelected, and that includes you."

"Of course, Mr. Crawford," Liz answered, almost tripping over her words in her haste to assure the other man that she would be nothing like the other interns. "I am happy to help in anyway I can."

Mr. Crawford rolled his eyes. "You're probably one of those type-A personalities." He turned his back on her once again, and proceeded down the hallway, pausing outside a large oak door. "Here we are," he announced, then he pushed the door open and stepped into an office.

Liz followed him inside and looked around. It was part-office, part-storage room. There was a desk against the far wall, with a computer and a phone. Next to the desk were a few stacks of boxes, a pile of folders, and a cupboard of office supplies. Rolled up and stacked against the near wall were several posters, and across from the windows was a large map of New Mexico.

"This is your office. This is where you will work. As you can see, we use it for storage, so people will be coming in and out a lot." Nicolas watched Liz carefully, trying to gauge her opinion, and she smiled up at him, hoping to appear pleased with the situation. Apparently satisfied, Nicolas continued, "People will come in and give you odd tasks to fulfill. That is your only priority, running jobs for us. Any questions?"

"No," Liz answered mutedly.

"Good," Nicolas replied briskly. "Now, as the Senator is gone, so are most of her aids and advisors. It's just you, me, and Winston Graves, who is in the middle of some research on the racial divide in this state. I'll introduce you to him later, he's a political analyst. In the mean time, I want you to look into the environment."

"The environment?" Liz echoed, confused.

"Yes," Nicolas replied, giving her a annoyed stare, clearly not liking the interruption. "Senator Whitaker has a meeting with some lobbyists from an environmental PAC in three days. They are concerned about the state of the national parks in this state. I want you to do some research, figure out what lands, plants, and animals around here are endanger, and write up a brief for the Senator so she can be prepared for the meeting."

Liz swallowed. "Okay," she agreed readily enough.

"Good," Nicolas said again. "Get to work. I'll be in my office if an emergency arises."

He left the room, and it wasn't until many minutes later that Liz realized she didn't even know where his office was.

She walked over to the computer and sat down in front of it, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into.

* * *

"Where is he?" Isabel asked impatiently, narrowing her eyes at the far window. It was night, and the Crashdown was finally shut down for the day. The last of the patrons had left, and the dishes had been cleared, the remaining food disposed of, and the tables wiped down. Isabel, Max, and Tess were all gathered at one of the booths, and Maria was standing near the counter.

"Michael's probably just running a little late," Max answered dully, staring at the table, obviously lost in his own thoughts.

"What are you still doing here?" Tess demanded, turning her attention to Maria. "I thought we told you that we would close up."

"You don't work here," Maria answered. "I can't just leave you alone in the diner."

"Michael works here, and he will be here any moment," Tess snapped a reply. "You can leave him in charge."

"Look, if this concerns the four of you, then it probably concerns Liz, Alex, and myself as well," Maria argued, refusing to back down from Tess' angry glare. "I'm not about to let you kick me out of it."

"Tess is just worried about your safety, Maria," Max said, quickly inserting himself into the conversation to prevent an escalating argument. "After all, you don't need to be in the middle of all this, and it isn't really safe…"

"Right," Tess drawled under her breath, her tone sarcastic "that's what I'm worried about. Her safety."

Isabel rose to her feet, and walked away from the other three, heading towards the window of the Crashdown. She leaned against the glass, staring out into the dark and stormy night, watching for any sign of Michael.

"I am a part of this," Maria retorted, "whether any of us want it or not." She pushed herself away from the counter and crossed the room towards Max. "I mean, I was the one who was there when all the strange things started happening in the eraser room, wasn't I?"

"What?" Max asked in confusion, having not heard the story yet.

Tess, however, looked up with a smirk on her face and said, "Way too much information, there, Maria. What you and Michal do in the eraser room is your own business, and I certainly don't need you to share."

Maria made a face. "Nothing like that," she muttered, shaking her head. "We were just talking."

"You were just talking?" Tess asked innocently, widening her eyes. "In the eraser room?" The smirk widened into a full-blown gloat, and she continued, "That's funny, I didn't know people used that room for talking."

Maria was about to respond, when she looked past Max and Tess to Isabel, who was staring out the window with an odd expression on her face. "Isabel? Are you okay?"

Isabel glanced at Maria, suddenly flustered. "Yeah… fine," she said, but the inflection in her tone caused Maria to raise her eyebrows in surprise and move towards Isabel.

* * *

"Hey… Michael."

Michael started as he looked at the blonde standing in front of him, a smile on her face. "Courtney," he said.

"Yeah," Courtney answered. She was holding tightly to an umbrella, but due to the wind, it was doing little to protect her from the downpour.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked. He'd been walking towards the Crashdown when his path had taken him by Courtney, who had been frowning in apparent distress at her car.

"Oh, my car broke down," Courtney replied, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "I can't figure out how to fix it." She turned pleading eyes to Michael. "I don't suppose you know anything about cars?"

"Uh… not really," Michael answered. "Did you call a mechanic?"

"Yeah, and they said they'd come look at it… eventually," Courtney replied, pushing a few wet strands of hair out of her eyes. "But I don't want to wait out in the rain forever." She looked up at the sky and added, "Doesn't look like it is going to stop any time soon."

"Oh… right," Michael agreed, looking upwards.

"What are you doing out here?" Courtney asked, turning her attention back towards Michael.

"Oh, I… uh…" He gestured towards the Crashdown on the other side of the street. The lights were still on inside the building, indicating that the others were waiting for him. "I'm meeting some friends."

"Oh, is the Crashdown still open?" Courtney asked eagerly. "Maybe I can go in there to wait. It will be drier." She stepped away from her car, but just as she did so, she slipped on the wet sidewalk, her shoe catching on a crack in the curb. She tumbled, dropping the umbrella and throwing out her hands in an attempt to steady herself.

Michael reacted on instinct, and caught her a moment before she could hit the ground. She fell into his arms, and he quickly pushed her back into a standing position. "Careful."

Courtney smiled. "Thank you. I'm usually not this clumsy. The ground is just very slippery."

Michael stared past her towards the Crashdown again. Isabel and Maria were standing in the window, staring at him.

Courtney turned to follow his gaze. "Oh," she said as her sight landed upon the two girls, "look, it's Maria."

Michael swallowed nervously and agreed, "Yes, it is." He wondered just how long Maria had been standing there and what she had seen. Not that he'd actually done anything to be ashamed of, he reminded himself. After all, Courtney and Maria were friends, and he was just taking an interest in the new girl at school.

"Cool," Courtney said happily, linking arms with Michael. "Come on, let's go inside." She paused, then added with a smile, "It was a great coincidence that my car broke down here and that you were walking by. Otherwise I would have been stranded."

They entered the Crashdown together, just as Maria and Isabel stepped away from the window. Isabel walked back to the table to join Max and Tess, and Maria moved to the door, her gaze lingering for a moment on Michael before she turned to Courtney.

"Hey, Courtney. We were just closing down," she said, trying to sound polite even as she frowned at Michael's arm that was still looped around Courtney.

"Oh, okay," Courtney said. "Well, I don't want to keep you from that, I'm sure you have work to do. Um… my car broke down, and I don't have any way of getting home. Michael said he was meeting with you guys, so I thought I'd just get out of the rain for a bit. I don't know if the mechanic is going to come any time soon…" She trailed off, flushed, and muttered, "And now I'm rambling again."

Michael dropped Courtney's arm and stepped away from her. "Maybe Maria can drive you home on her way back," he suggested. "I can finish closing up here."

"I'm closing tonight, Michael," Maria answered through clenched teeth. "It's my job." She raised one eyebrow and added, "Don't you want to take your new friend home?"

"I work here, too," Michael replied pointedly, ignoring the latter comment. "Let close. After all, we don't want to leave Courtney out in the rain, do we?" Without waiting for a response, he pushed past Maria and walked towards the backroom.

Maria opened her mouth to say something, then shook her head and looked back at Courtney, knowing there was no way to finish this conversation without drawing Courtney's suspicions. Finally, she sighed and said, "Sure, let me grab my coat and I'll give you a ride home."

"Great," Courtney said with a smile. "Thanks."

Maria turned on her heel and marched into the backroom. She opened the door and stepped inside, instantly searching out Michael. He was standing by the grill, and she stalked over to him and demanded harshly, "What were you doing with her?"

"Her car broke down in the rain, Maria," Michael answered warily. "What did you want me to do? Let her freeze?" He wasn't really sure if this was an argument he could actually win, but he also didn't want to just let Maria yell at him.

"And she happened to end up in your arms," Maria muttered.

"I thought you were friends with Courtney. I thought she was just a regular normal girl that you wanted to be friends with," Michael shot back challengingly.

Maria rolled her eyes. "I do trust her," she answered. "I just…"

"Just what? If you trust her, is it me you don't trust?" Michael demanded.

"Of course I trust you. Both of you," Maria replied. "But you were standing in the rain with her, holding her in your arms."

"She tripped," Michael defended himself.

"I know!" Maria cried in frustration. "I know she tripped. You were just being a good friend. You didn't do anything at besides catch her. But you... you caught her! Don't you get what's wrong with that? You are so _infuriating _sometimes!" And she turned and marched from the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

Michael shook his head and sighed. Woman were confusing.

* * *

Next Chapter: On the Campaign Trail

Due: Sun 2/17


	7. On the Campaign Trail

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So, in my haste to show more of the complication that is Maria and Michael's current relationship, I think I've been neglecting the other couples. So for the next few chapter I'll be doing my best to show Alex and Isabel and Max and Liz and how they interact now.

* * *

Chapter Seven: On the Campaign Trail

"You froze erasers?"

It was perhaps the tenth time Isabel had asked the question. She'd started with plain incredulity, but now her tone had changed more towards one of suspicion and disbelief, and Michael was getting annoyed. Max had long since stopped asking anything, and was now watching the conversation with mild amusement. Tess, too, was silent, but her expression was, as usual, unreadable.

"Isabel, how many times do I have to go over this?" Michael asked hotly. "They didn't really freeze, they just stopped moving." He leaned back in the booth and stared around the empty Crashdown. For some reason, he didn't like the idea of meeting in the diner without Maria or Liz, but he also saw the reality of the situation, and it would have been too dangerous for both of them to get involved in this.

Never mind that they had been in danger many times before.

"Did they stop moving completely?" Max asked, finally breaking into the conversation to keep it from going in circles.

"No," Michael answered thoughtfully. "They were vibrating."

"Vibrating?" Isabel asked skeptically. "They were vibrating erasers?" She smirked, the corners of her lips turning up.

"Yes," Michael hissed, glowering at her. "Do I have to spell this out for you?"

"So you have a new gift," Tess said, giving Michael a contemplative stare. She paused, seeming to choose her words carefully, before saying, "Congratulations. Can you control it?"

"Not yet," Michael admitted warily. "It's just a reflex right now."

"You might want to work on that one," Isabel interjected with a smile. "It would be a bad idea if you suddenly froze things in public." The situation really wasn't that funny, but she was trying to see the humor in it because yielding to the panic might very well send her over the edge into hysteria.

They had way too many problems to deal with.

"Well, now that I've shared that little tidbit," Michael said sardonically, "Tess and I have something else to report. About the mayor. And possibly about Senator Whitaker." And he launched into the story of his nighttime trip into the mayor's office.

* * *

Max pushed his way through the crowded hallway, searching for Liz. Lunch had started only a few moments before, and he knew she would probably being heading towards her locker before venturing outside with all the other students. He needed to talk to her, needed to warn her.

He caught sight of her, standing next to Maria and Courtney, chatting with the two blondes. He paused, watching with the tiniest bit of curiosity as she smiled and gestured with her hands, clearly caught up in some conversation.

Then she turned and their gazes met, and her expression became instantly blank.

He walked forward determinedly. Maria and Courtney both watched him as he approached, Maria with blatant suspicion and a warning in her eyes. He could read her expression well enough, and she was warning him not to hurt Liz. But he wasn't here to hurt Liz, he was here to keep her from being hurt.

"Liz? Can I talk to you for a moment?" Max asked, finding his voice shaking even as he formed the words.

"Oh… sure," Liz answered, clearly surprised. She followed Max as he lead her away from the other two. Once they were far enough away that their conversation could not be easily overheard, she tentatively touched Max's arm and asked, "What is it?"

"It is Senator Whitaker," Max answered. "You're working for her."

"Yes," Liz answered, wondering how the news had reached him. "It's election year, you know, and I need something like this for my college applications."

"Right," Max agreed. He stared at her, watching as she pulled nervously at a strand of hair. "Just… be careful, okay?"

Liz lifted on eyebrow. "Max, what could possibly happen to me in this job?" she asked, her mind instantly traveling over several scenario. They mostly involved unscrupulous politicians flirting with her behind closed doors, and while the thoughts of harassment by male employees were not exactly pleasant, they were also unlikely.

"Senator Whitaker and the mayor… we think they might know something about us," Max answered. His mind traveled back to the papers discovered in the mayor's office. Liz's name had been on that list, and Max still wasn't sure why.

"What do you mean?" Liz's eyes were wide now, wide as saucers and filled with worry.

"They might know something about us," Max repeated. The statement didn't really need explanation, and anyway he couldn't give any even if he had wanted. The name Vilandra had sounded familiar to all of them, but they couldn't come up with any idea of what the Vilandra Project was, or how they were involved.

Liz was quiet for a moment, thinking. "I can do a little digging at the office," she offered finally. "I'm working their again this afternoon. Maybe I can find something."

"No!" Max said instantly, fervently. Liz started, and he said in a calmer voice, "Don't do anything dangerous, Liz. Let us handle this."

"Why not?" Liz countered. "Max, I am in the perfect position to look around. If anyone asks what I am doing, I can just say that I was trying to familiarize myself with the campaign. It is a lot less suspicious that having you there, investigating."

Max leaned against the wall, shaking his head slowly. "Liz, the FBI knew so much more than we realized. We don't know who else in the government had access to that information. But if it was Whitaker, then she is a threat. A very serious threat, and she probably won't hesitate to get rid of you if she feels you are in the way." He paused, thinking of all the others, killed at the hands of Agent Pierce and his followers.

Liz didn't answer. There wasn't anything she could say to convince Max to let her help, but she also wasn't about to just pretend like she didn't know something was going on. She could do her own digging, and once she found something concrete… well, Max couldn't do anything after the fact.

"Just be careful," Max said finally, breaking the silence.

"Fine," Liz answered. "I'll be careful." She turned and walked away, seeking out Maria and Courtney. Inside, she couldn't help but feel a little elation, because Max still so obviously cared about her, cared enough to seek her out and warn her that she might be in danger.

* * *

"Okay, how about this?" Sara asked, pushing a piece of paper towards Isabel. "It's a list of all the types of chips we should have at the party."

"Why are you so determined to do this?" Isabel asked wearily, taking the list and skimming over it. "It looks fine," she said, and pushed it back towards her friend.

"Why are you so determined to ruin it?" Sara snapped back. "I'm trying to plan a party for you, and you aren't even attempting to have fun with it."

"I just… don't really do parties," Isabel said, gesturing vaguely with one hand. She have a half-hearted shrug and turned her attention back to her lunch.

Sara turned incredulous eyes to the other three people sitting at the table. Kyle, who didn't seem all that surprised by the conversation, and rather bored by the constant arguments, gave her a tiny shrug. Chris, who was sitting across from Kyle, and apparently deeply engaged in his task of trying to stack all his carrot sticks on top of one another, didn't even bother adding to the conversation. Only Trudy, squeezed in between Kyle and Isabel, looked up with a sympathetic gaze.

"What about the guest list?" she offered. "Don't you want to talk about that?"

"A guest list," Sara agreed. "Now, I was thinking, obviously, you'd invite all of us and our friends. Did you want to do one of those things were you invite the entire class, or just a few select people? Personally, I think a few people is better. Just the cool ones, you know? You don't really want to hang out with anyone else, and inviting everyone is really only a stupid tradition leftover from kindergarten when we weren't suppose to exclude people."

Isabel looked at Sara with a resigned sigh. At some point, she had to give Sara credit for persistence, and it seemed unlikely that she was going to get off the hook for this one. "Fine. For the guest list… us, Tess, Jessica, Cliff, anyone else from that group you think necessary, Max, Michael, Liz, Alex, Maria… maybe the new girl, Courtney, because she's friends with Maria and Liz now…"

"Woah, wait a minute," Sara cut in. "You want to invite all of them?" She was clearly displeased by the idea of having some many incredibly uncool people at her party.

"Well, she can't very well not invite Max," Trudy pointed out logically. "He is her brother, after all."

"And Liz is Max's girlfriend," Kyle added, deciding to participate in the conversation when it became clear that Sara was not going to stop talking about this party.

"Not anymore," Sara said in a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard they've been having problems. And notice how he never sits with her anymore?"

Kyle glanced across the quad, and sure enough, Max was sitting with Michael, while Liz was sitting at a separate table with Maria, Courtney, and Alex.

"What do we think of the new girl?" Sara asked, fixing her eyes on Courtney now.

"She's hot," Kyle said without thinking. He received a sharp elbow in the ribs, and said ruefully, giving Trudy and pleading smile, "But not as beautiful as my amazing, wonderful, charming girlfriend."

"Nice save," Chris muttered under his breath.

"Okay, so we have to invite Max and possibly Liz. Why all the others?" Sara demanded, turning the conversation back to the party. Kyle groaned and buried his head in his hands, murmuring something about killing himself to get out of this conversation. Chris echoed the sentiment, then continued building towers with his carrots.

"Because I was friends with them," Isabel answered defiantly. Then she flushed and said, "I mean… I _am_ friends with them."

"It's her party, she can do whatever she wants," Trudy interjected.

"Exactly," Isabel agreed. "It's my party, I can invite whoever I want."

Sara's smile widened into a grin. "So you've agreed to the party, then?"

* * *

Liz turned away from the computer and glanced at the door. It was her second day of work, and she was both exhausted and frustrated by her tasks. So far, Nicolas Crawford had treated her with open contempt, and she had yet to meet any of the others in the office. The Senator had stopped by briefly in the morning, before Liz had arrived at work, and left a list of rather dull chores for her.

Still, she reminded herself gamely, someone had to do the leg work, and this internship would look good on a college application.

She chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. School had been rather boring, the only interesting part of the day being Max's surprising attempt at conversation. Lunch had been a relatively silent affair, with Maria and Courtney exchanging polite, but clipped, conversation and Liz lost in her own thoughts. Alex had joined them at one point, but then drifted away when he caught sight of Isabel.

She rose from her chair, walking towards the door. In the hallway, she heard a soft rise and fall of sound coming from Nicolas' office. He was on the phone, and she crept forward, staying out of sight of the partially-open door, struggling to hear the words being exchanged.

"I know… Of course not, Mayor. But you have to admit it was too good of an opportunity to pass up… She's just a girl. She's harmless. And she's very good at filing documents…Well, I can ask the Senator her opinion, but… Which one do you want? You can't have both, and I'm not risking my life for the other… I know, but it's Vilandra… because that's what he said he wanted! Her, not the others."

Liz frowned as she listened to the conversation, but the sound of a chair scraping against the ground warned her that Nicolas was moving now, and she jerked away from the door. Racing down the hallway, she scrambled back into her own room and settled herself at the computer just at the same moment that Nicolas came to the doorway, slamming his cell phone shut and staring at her.

"How is the work going?" he asked.

"Fine, Mr. Crawford," Liz answered, turning to smile at Nicolas. "I just finished inputting the last of the census data into the spreadsheet."

"Good," Nicolas answered. He glanced around the room for a moment, before turning back to her with a lingering gaze. "Go home," he said finally. "We won't need you any more today."

"Uh… are you sure?" Liz asked. She glanced at the clock on the computer screen and noted that there was still an hour until her usual leaving time.

"I'm sure," Nicolas snapped irritably. "I'm always sure." He strode from the room, letting the door bang shut behind him.

Liz took a slow breath as he left, then began stuffing her belongings back into her purse. She closed the browser on the computer and shut down the machine. Slinging her purse over one shoulder and pulling her backpack on, she crossed to the door and flicked off the lights.

In the dim room, the light from the window fell across the computer and the chair were she had been sitting, lighting it up like a beacon. Somehow, the imagery sent chills down her spine.

She turned, and determinedly walked from the room.

In the hallway, she listened for any sounds from Nicolas' office, but it was silent. She wondered if she would meet Senator Whitaker any time soon. She wondered why Nicolas had been calling the mayor, and what the two of them had spoken about. But most of all, she wondered if she was actually walking into any danger, and if these people she now worked for posed a threat to any of her friends.

* * *

Courtney watched as the woman across from her carefully chopped vegetables. She felt a strong and sudden desire to grab the knife and stab it directly into the other woman's heart, but she was fairly certain such an action would blow her cover, and they couldn't really afford that right now.

"Be useful boil some water for the pasta," the woman said, looking up sharply. "And stop staring like that. It's rude."

Courtney rolled her eyes, but moved towards the stove. "Whatever you say, Mother," she sneered. She hoped the others knew what she was sacrificing for them all.

Mrs. Banks licked her lips and shot Courtney a look which said very clearly that she was not amused by the girl's tone of voice. Instead of comment on it, however, she dropped the knife on the counter and dumped the sliced vegetables into the drying pan on the stove. "Are you any closer to the Royals?" she asked, slanting a look at the gril she was pretending was her daughter.

"I'm getting there," Courtney answered. "Stop pushing."

"My dear, we are all under pressure to finish out jobs, and quickly," Mrs. Banks replied, "and I doubt I need remind you that my success is partially determined by your own. I'll push you as much as I please."

Courtney sniffed disdainfully. "Do you want it done quickly, or do you want it done right?" she demanded, watching as the pot of water slowly heated up. She didn't want to look at this woman that was supposed to be her mother or she might end up strangling her.

"I want it done, period," Mrs. Banks answered.

Courtney nodded slowly. "It will be," she answered calmly. "You'll have three dead royals by the time this is all over." She wondered silently if there was anyway to prepare Isabel for what their enemies wanted. She certainly couldn't walk up to the other girl and tell her the entire story, because she would never be believed. But Khivar wasn't likely to stop at one attempt, and if Whitaker failed, there were still several others out there willing to do his bidding and bring back the errant princess.

"I'm counting on it, Courtney. We all are, and you'd better not forget that."

Courtney struggled to keep her temper in check as she replied pointedly, "Mother, darling, you're just my cover. You don't have to do any of the actual work. I'm the one stuck with the difficult tasks." She turned and walked from the room, leaving behind the boiling water and the cooking vegetables.

Mrs. Banks watched her go, a cool look in her eyes, her lips thinning into a straight line. "Your own loyalties have been suspect for a long time, my dear," she said under her breath. "Don't think for one second that I've forgotten that."

* * *

If Alex was surprised to see Liz suddenly appear in the doorway to his room, he didn't show it. But, she supposed, after everything that had happened in the past year, could any of them really say they were surprised by anything?

"Hey, come on in," Alex said, stepping aside and letting her enter the room. "How was your day at the office, Ms. I-have-a-job?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "I think Maria's starting to rub off on you," she commented dryly. Taking a seat on the edge of his bed, she then added, "And my day at the office was… interesting."

"Enthusiastic," Alex deadpanned. "I see you love it already."

Liz offered a hint of a smile. "My boss is a condescending, egotistical, self-important…" She struggled to find the right words, then finally gave up with a huff of frustration. "I haven't even met Senator Whitaker yet," she added morosely.

"Maybe it will get better," Alex answered, ever the optimist. "After all, it's only been two days."

"Yeah," Liz agreed somewhat sullenly. "I suppose."

Alex settled himself into the chair in front of his desk and fixed Liz with a shrewd stare. "But I'm guessing you didn't come here for a pep-talk about your job. What's going on?"

"Does the word Vilandra mean anything to you?" Liz asked, getting right down to business.

Alex mouthed the word slowly, testing it out on his tongue. He shook his head. "It sounds foreign," he remarked, "but I don't think I've ever heard it before. Is it a word or a name?"

Liz let her mind wander back to the conversation she had overheard. "It's a name," she said finally. "A name of something or someone. I'm not really sure." She pushed herself further back on the bed and pulled her knees into her chest. "Can you do a web search, see if it comes up with anything?"

Alex gave Liz a long look, then said, "If it is alien related… have you discussed this with Max?"

Liz swallowed nervously. "I haven't discussed much of anything with Max lately," she answered pointedly, and Alex bowed his head quickly in recognition of the truth of that statement. Liz bit her lip, but continued firmly, "Look, it isn't like I'm asking you to actually walk up to the mayor or to Mr. Crawford and demand to know what is going on. And it might be nothing. But it might not and…"

Alex finally gave in, and said with a soft sigh, "I'll do a web search for it. If it is a governmental or private organization, I should be able to find it relatively easily. If it is a person, likewise that should be easy enough to come up with a list of people with that name. If it is something more hidden, though, like part of the FBI…"

"Don't do anything that could put yourself in danger," Liz replied instantly, concern clouding her eyes. "I don't want you to get into trouble."

Alex nodded. "I'll be careful."

* * *

"_Do you love her?" Isabel asked, watching as Max paced back and forth across the marble floor. "It is a very simple question, brother."_

_Max spun to face his sister, dark eyes flashing with the reflection of his internal struggles. "It is not a simple question," he argued, his voice filled with fervor. "Sometimes I love her more than anything in the world. Sometimes I look into her eyes and I think that there is nothing I want more than her. And sometimes…"_

"_Sometimes you would like to rip her hair out and burn her at the stake?" Isabel offered, a teasing smile playing at the corner's of her lips. "That is love, my darling brother. That constant up- and-down of emotions is what love is all about."_

_Max seemed to take this in silence as he ran a hand through his hair and stared across the large room towards the great window that opened up into a lush garden. The sunlight filtered through the glass, casting strange shapes of shadows across the floor. It was true, he knew, that what he felt was love. But was it enough?_

"_With her… it is as though everything is… I feel everything so strongly. There are no in betweens, there is no peace, no quiet. I never enjoy a restful afternoon by a fire with her." He let out a slow breath. "I want that. I want happiness that will last even through boredom."_

"_She would make a good Queen," Isabel said finally. "Better, I think, than any other woman you have ever looked at. She has grown up in the palace, she knows the customs, the rules, the way our planet works…" Isabel rose from the chair on which she had been sitting and carefully smoothed the silk of her dress. "You will need a good Queen by your side, if you are to rule wisely."_

"_I know," Max agreed. "And she is the girl that both mother and father have wanted for so long… they were discussing possible arrangements with her father long before I even showed an interest in a wife."_

_Isabel grinned/ "Of course. That is what mother lives for. Watching us become betrothed and then married. She wants grandchildren, I believe. And father wants to know that his line will be continued, that his heir will produce more heirs."_

_Max wrinkled his nose. "I suppose," he said finally._

When Max awoke, it was still dark out, and the tree outside his window was silhouetted against the dark sky. The moon shown faintly from between the tree branches, and the light patter of rain against the ceiling indicated a gentle shower.

They were having very unusual weather, given that it was still the beginning of the school year. This rain usually did not set in until much later in the year, closer to December or January.

He rose, pushing the covers back from his bed, and walked to the window. The dream had faded, leaving the strangest lingering feeling of unease. He knew that whatever he had seen in his dream, it had to do with Tess. But beyond that, everything was a hazy, convoluted set of feelings and emotions.

He wondered, idly, if Nasedo could teach him how to remember these dreams, how to sort through the emotions and determine what exactly it was that he was feeling. But then, he thought vaguely, would knowing his emotions from a previous life color what he thought of this one? What if there was only room for one set of memories in his brain, and by trying to remember something else, he would have to forget parts of this life?

He wanted to remember. For the sake of the other three hybrids, for their safety, he wanted to remember what he had been like, as a king. What decisions had he made? How had he acted? How had he worn the mantle of leadership?

But what if remembering that meant forgetting his parents here, on Earth? Or forgetting Liz? Maria and Alex? Could he do that?

He walked back to his bed and lay down. Staring up at the ceiling, he willed himself to fall asleep.

It didn't work, and he lay awake the rest of the night with his worries and his doubts.

* * *

Next Chapter: Round and Round and Round We Go

Due: Sun 2/24


	8. Round and Round and Round We Go

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Eight: Round and Round and Round We Go

"Rumor has it that the new girl is starting a job at the Crashdown," Kyle said, taking a bite of his pizza. "To cover for Liz, now that she's interning with the Senator."

"Courtney Banks," Tess supplied the name automatically, picking at her salad. "That's _fascinating_." Her voice was practically dripping with sarcasm.

"And Isabel's birthday should be fun," Kyle added. "Rumor has it that some people plan to crash it. Jessica is going to need to be careful about that."

"I'm sure she will manage," Tess replied uninterestedly.

"And someone saw Michael Guerin and Maria DeLuca in the eraser room," Kyle commented, taking another bite of pizza.

Tess pushed her salad away and took a slice of pizza. Turning to Kyle, she demanded, "What are you doing?"

"Eating pizza," Kyle said, his mouth full.

Before Tess could clarify her question, Jim walked into the room at that moment, holding the phone in his hand and looking annoyed. He grabbed a slice of pizza, dropped the phone onto the sofa next to Kyle, and took a seat in one of the chairs near the makeshift dining room table Tess had set up.

"Problems at work?" Tess asked.

Jim nodded. "Yeah. The mayor really wants to know about this homicide thing. He's demanding reports from the archeologist. But he also doesn't want the archeologist to tell me what is in the reports… so I am supposed to solve a homicide without all the clues."

"Why the secrecy?" Kyle asked.

Jim shrugged. "Mayor doesn't want the reports released," he answered, "and he won't tell me why." He rubbed his eyes warily and gave a resigned shrug. "I'm going to get nowhere on this case."

"That's too bad," Tess said, her expression growing contemplative. After her wanderings into the mayor's office, she no longer trusted him to be a benign force in their lives. The mayor had something to hide, and she wanted to know what it was. Why was he so interested in this case, and what was so secretive about this report?

"Oh," Kyle jumped in, changing the subject abruptly, "And Sara and Cliff are having problems. They might break up soon."

"Okay, really," Tess snapped, turning to Kyle, "why are you telling me this?"

Kyle, taken aback by her frustration, held up his hands in a gesture of surrender and said, "I was just trying to help."

"By telling me all about random things related to other students?" Tess asked, completely bewildered by his response.

"You're upset," Kyle said bluntly. "You've been upset for the past few months, but you've been even more upset for the past few days. I don't really know how to cheer you up, but Trudy said that girls like gossip. So… I'm gossiping. Or, at least, I'm trying to. But I'm a guy, so I don't really know how to gossip."

Tess stared at him for a moment, surprised by the answer. Then she smiled, one of the first real smiles he'd seen in a while. "That's really sweet," she said. After a moment, she added, "Or kind of disturbing."

* * *

"Alright," Alex said, dropping into the seat next to Liz, "I've found nothing about Vilandra. Whatever it is, it isn't something having to do with the government or the FBI… at least, not so far as I can tell."

Liz glanced up from the magazine she was reading, and frowned. Looking quickly around the quad, she determined quickly that no one would overhear the conversation, and dropping her voice, asked, "So it isn't anything Czechoslovakian?"

Alex shrugged. "All I can say is that it isn't anywhere I've found. Doesn't mean it isn't something, though." He looked across the quad, his gaze landing on Isabel, who was chatting with Trudy and Jessica. "Did you hear about the birthday party?"

Liz followed his gaze, then nodded slowly, "Yeah, I got an invite also."

"Got an invite to what?" Maria asked, sliding in across from Alex and Liz. She placed her lunch on the table, looking curiously at the brown paper bag, not quite sure what her mother had packed for her to eat this time.

"Isabel's birthday party," Alex replied.

Maria wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, it's the three of us, Isabel, Michael, Max… and then Tess and Kyle's crowd. It's going to be so awkward."

"So you're going?" Liz asked curiously, leaning forward.

Maria raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Why miss out on the opportunity to make Tess and the others miserable? I bet we could really make it awkward."

"Be nice," Alex said in an unusually disapproving tone. "I think it is a really sweet gesture that she invited us, especially since the rest of her friends probably weren't that thrilled about it."

"Oh, please," Maria replied, "Isabel could ask you to be the butler at her party and you'd say it was sweet of her to remember you."

Alex swatted her arm lightly, a smile gracing his lips. Liz grinned despite herself, and Maria laughed at their reactions. Then Alex sighed and said, "Isabel told me she's not sure she even wants this party. She doesn't really celebrate her birthday, I guess."

"Why not?" Liz asked, surprised. Her birthday had always been one of the best days of the year. Her parents were always excited to celebrate it, and although they generally dragged her to some really cheesy dinner where the waiters sang happy birthday to her at the end of the meal, she still remembered all those events somewhat fondly.

"Remember fifth grade?" Alex said suddenly, turning to Maria, "when Liz brought cupcakes to school for her birthday, and they were all decorated like bacteria?"

"It was _E. coli_," Liz protested, "and my mom spent a really long time on that frosting."

Alex rolled his eyes. "You couldn't have made them look like clowns or balls or something… you know, like normal kids do?"

"They tasted good, though," Maria interjected. "Liz's mom's cooking always tastes good." That statement brought a look of confusion to her face, and she turned to her brunette best friend and demanded, "How come you haven't invited us over for dinner in a while?"

Liz didn't answer right away. Finally, she said, "I guess we've been busy."

"We have," Maria agreed, "but still…" She trailed off, then said softly, "We shouldn't let that get in the way of hanging out… just the three of us. You know, more than just at school. At home also. Like we used to before…"

"Before Max, Michael, and Isabel?" Alex supplied when Maria didn't finish the sentence.

"Yeah," Maria sighed.

Liz shoved her food away from her and stood up abruptly. "I need some air, I'll be right back," she said quickly, and walked briskly away.

"She needs air?" Maria echoed. "But… we're outside. How could she possible need air when we are outside?"

"I think it was bringing up the M-word," Alex answered calmly, pulling an apple out of his lunch and cleaning it as best as possible on the hem of his shirt. At Maria's blank look, he elaborated, "Max. She doesn't like talking about Max."

"It's been over three months," Maria muttered. "He broke up with her. He refused to return her calls. She needs to let go… at least for now. Wait until he's ready, you know?"

Alex struggled to keep back a smirk as he asked pointedly, "Have you… let go… of Michael?"

"What's your point?" Maria asked blankly, giving him a confused look. When he didn't answer, just shook his head in silent despair, she rose to her feet and followed Liz away from the table. Alex watched her go, then buried his head in his hands.

"Problems?"

Alex jerked his head up as Isabel took the seat across from him. She offered a slightly smile, which he returned hesitantly.

"No… Maria's just being her usual dense self," he replied.

"Ah…" For a moment, Isabel was silent, clearly unsure how to proceed with the conversation. Then, finally, she asked cautiously, "So, are you coming to my party?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Alex responded.

"Oh… how sweet," a voice sneered, and they both looked up to see Tess standing there, staring at them with an unreadable look on her face. "Young, naïve lovers…"

"I'm not so sure I would go all the way to lovers. Alex and I are just friends," Isabel snapped, glaring at Tess. They were supposed to be friends now, but Tess still had the unnaturally good ability to show up at exactly the wrong time and ruin the moment.

"Hm… I wonder if that's what he thinks," she mocked, leaning against the table.

"Is there a particular reason you came over here, or was it just to annoy me?" Isabel asked, giving a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Not that I don't take great pleasure in annoying you…" Tess returned the smile, the bent closer to Isabel and lowered her voice, "but we have a more serious problem. One I think you can help me with."

"What do you need me to do?" Isabel asked, getting slightly concerned. She hadn't seen Tess at all during the day, and Trudy had mentioned that Tess seemed preoccupied with something. Anything that could worry Tess had to be serious, and Isabel really didn't want to face another alien issue right now. Not, of course, that she had any way of escaping it.

"Flirt with a pretty attractive mid-twenty-year-old who is conveniently going to be at the Crashdown later tonight."

"And this will help us how?"

"His name is Grant… Something. Don't remember the last name. Not that it matters." Tess lapsed into silence for a moment, thinking about this. Then she shook her head and continued matter-of-factly, "You need to find out everything he knows about the remains of a human body he found in the desert."

"Oh, this is the guy who found the dead guy?" Alex asked, looking up in surprise. "That's all over the news. The mayor is really eager to find out who did it." He blinked, then demanded, "Wait, why do we care about this?"

Tess gave him a cold look and replied, "_We_ don't care about it, Alex. Isabel and I do, however." She looked across the quad for a moment, her eyes falling on someone, and she said quickly, "I have to go, I told Chris and Kyle I would meet them for lunch." She looked back at Isabel. "You coming?"

Isabel glanced at Alex. "Uh…"

"You should go," Alex said, "so Tess can fill you in about the archeologist. Anyway, I need to track down Maria and Liz because I was actually supposed to be eating with them… before they left me."

"Right…" Isabel stood awkwardly. "Okay."

Tess placed hand comfortingly on Alex's shoulder and whispered in a voice quiet enough that Isabel couldn't hear, "Don't worry, I'm sure Isabel will come running back to you when the archeologist realizes that she's jailbait." Then she turned and walked away, Isabel following her.

Alex watched the two go, then sighed, gathered up his belongings, and set off to find his two best friends.

* * *

"Elizabeth Parker?"

Liz spun around in her chair, looking up from the computer screen that she had been staring at for the past thirty minutes. Mr. Crawford had asked her to write up a quick brief for the senator about Native American rights, and she really had no idea where to start, so she had been searching through past briefs, trying to figure out what to do. She had been so engrossed in her task that she hadn't heard the door to the small office open, hadn't realized the senator herself was standing there.

"Senator Whitaker," Liz answered, rising quickly to her feet. "I… uh, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." She extended her hand, which the other woman quickly took and shook with a firm grip.

"It is a please to meet you as well," Senator Whitaker replied. "Nicolas has said very good things about you."

Liz opened her mouth, then closed it, too surprised to come up with anything to reply. She hadn't gotten the impression that Mr. Crawford liked her, and was shocked that he had actually said anything nice about her.

"So…" Senator Whitaker pulled up a seat across from Liz and gestured for her to sit back down. "Why don't you take a few minutes to tell me about yourself. I always like to know the people who are working for me," she winked teasingly, "even the lowly interns."

Liz grinned, finding herself instantly liking this woman. "Well, I'm a junior at Roswell High School, and I want to go to Harvard after I graduate. I want to be a molecular biologist."

"I know that much," the Senator replied with an easy laugh. "I read it on your application. Tell me something more interesting. Why are you so passionate about science?"

Liz hesitated, thinking over her answer. Originally, she would have said that she loved science because it made sense to her. There were rules to science, theories and laws that controlled how the world worked, and she liked that. She liked knowing that she had to operate within these structures, that everything in the universe could be explained somehow, they just had to find the answers.

But now… "I guess part of it is just that… I'm curious, you know? About the world, the solar system, the universe. There's so much out there that we just don't know anything about, and I… I want to learn. I want to know things."

The senator smiled, but something in her expression seemed out of place, and it took Liz a moment to realize that the other woman just seemed smugly satisfied about the answer, as though she knew something that Liz did not.

"I understand that feeling," Senator Whitaker answered softly. "I was interested in science as well, Ms. Parker. But then I got to college and found I was much better suited for politics. Do you have interest in government at all?"

"Some," Liz answered. "I mean… I think it is important to stay informed."

"So tell me, if you are passionate about science, but only lukewarm about politics, why did you accept this internship?" It wasn't phrased as an accusation, but merely an innocent question, as though the senator was simply curious about the answer.

"There aren't many science labs around here," Liz pointed out dryly. Then she shook her head and added, "I am truly interested in politics. It might not be my passion, but I do think it is necessary to know what is going on in the community and the country. This is our country, after all, and we have a responsibility to look after it."

"Well said," Senator Whitaker agreed. "I always enjoy meeting civic-minded youth."

"Did you want children?" Liz asked curiously. She knew the senator had never married, and wondered if this loss of family had bothered her. Liz, for all her hopes and dreams, could never see herself without a husband and children.

The senator shrugged. "I suppose I might have liked it, but… I never met the right guy, so I didn't really… Well, I can't say I miss it. Dating was always… complicated. Politics tends to make everything complicated."

Liz thought of Max and answered, "Boys are pretty complicated, even without politics. But external factors do make it worse."

"Oh…? Thinking of someone special?" Senator Whitaker prompted.

Liz blushed and shook her head. "No… Max and I aren't… things are complicated, so I…" She was now beet-red and unable to form an explanation. Taking a deep breath and willing herself not to babble like a complete idiot, she said in a tone of forced calm, "His past came back to haunt him, you know?"

"Really? Did his past take the form of another girl?"

Liz blinked in surprise as the question, then let out another slow breath. "I guess a little, but not really. There isn't anything between him and Tess now… might have been before, though… just not now. Actually, she started hanging out more with Michael and Isabel… doesn't really talk to him much now… But there was a lot of other stuff going on, and…" She looked away. "I really shouldn't be boring you with the details of this."

"Well, if it helps," Senator Whitaker replied, rising to her feet and clapping Liz on the shoulder, "most boys do mature into decent men."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The senator smiled. "It was nice to meet you, Elizabeth Parker. Welcome to the campaign."

* * *

"So… let me get this straight," Isabel said, following behind Tess as they hurried towards the diner, "You want me to flirt with some complete stranger in order to find out everything I can about the mayor?"

"Yes," Tess answered.

"And you want me to do this at the Crashdown?" Isabel pressed.

"Yes," Tess replied again.

"And you can guarantee that this guy will be there?"

Tess stopped, turned to face Isabel, and demanded, "Do you really think I would be dragging you along to this if he wasn't going to show up? Trust me… I've got it covered."

"Yes, but how?" Isabel questioned.

Tess rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I'm God, Isabel, I can do this sort of thing."

"Not funny."

"Stop worrying."

"Tess…"

The petite blonde frowned in annoyance and finally snapped, "Look, I convinced Jim to ask to meet with him at the Crashdown at four o'clock to discuss the case. He will run a little late, which will give you ample opportunity to flirt. Okay?"

Isabel huffed, "And why did it have to be me and not you? You're good at flirting also. Not to mention the whole brain-control thing you've got going on."

"And if I thought I could just mind-warp him into spilling his secrets, I would do that. But a mind-warp doesn't work that way, and I can't read minds. You know that." Tess paused outside the diner and turned back to Isabel. "Isabel, you don't look like you are sixteen. You look as though you could be twenty. This guy is also in his twenties, and wouldn't flirt with someone who appears to still be in high school. You know, like me. Not to mention that he's already met me once, and he might remember that I am the Sheriff's daughter, which would definitely put me off-limits."

Isabel nodded finally and said, "Well, I suppose that is good reasoning."

"Good. Now go…" Tess pointed to the door of the diner, "find a good place to sit and get ready to be flirty."

Isabel strode forward, but then stopped with her hand on the door, and turned back to Tess. "Do Michael or Max know about this?"

"Of course not," Tess answered. "Why would I bother telling them? They're too busy being angry with each other or mooning over girls."

Isabel accepted that with silent resignation, recognizing the truth of the words, and turned around. She walked into the diner, and after a moment, Tess followed as well.

Inside the diner, Isabel chose a seat by herself at one of the tables, and Tess scanned the area before her eyes landed on Alex. She crossed towards him, then took the seat across from him in one of the booths.

"Come to keep an eye on your girl?" she asked.

Alex glanced from Tess to Isabel, then back. With a cautiously questioning look, he asked hesitantly, "This is safe, right? Nothing is going to happen to Isabel, will it?"

"In broad daylight in a crowded diner?" Tess replied pointedly. "I don't think so."

"I don't like this," Alex muttered.

Tess rolled her eyes. "What a surprise," she drawled sarcastically. "And it wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Isabel's going to be engaging in conversation with a potentially cute, older guy?"

"No, it doesn't," Alex answered calmly, refusing to let himself be baited by Tess' words. "I'm concerned that he could be dangerous."

Tess gave him a skeptically look. "Sure," she said. "I really believe that one." The sound of the door opening caught her attention, and she squinted at the two men who entered. "There he is," she murmured, nodding to the one on the right.

Alex looked at him carefully. Although he would never actually admit this aloud, especially not to Tess or Isabel, but he wasn't thrilled about the fact that this guy was rather good looking. In fact, he wondered briefly if he had seen a look of real interest in Isabel's eyes as she studied her quarry.

But he shook off the paranoia and looked back at Tess. She had caught Isabel's eye, and jerked her head towards the archeologist, indicating that he was the man in question. Isabel gave a tiny nod of understanding, and then turned back to the two men.

The two men walked towards her. Just as the archeologist… what did Tess say his name was? Maybe Grant?... walked by her, she stood up quickly, averting her head as though she wasn't paying attention to where she was walking, and managed to conveniently crash into him.

Grant reached out to steady her. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to hit you."

Isabel flashed a winning smile and pushed a few strands of long blonde hair out of her eyes. "Don't be silly, it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Grant answered. "I'm Grant, by the way, and this is a colleague of mine, Dave." He gestured towards the other man. Dave nodded his head in greeting and gave Isabel a smirking look before turning away. He, obviously, had not been fooled by her little act.

"Oh, I'm Isabel," she answered. "It's nice to meet both of you. But I don't think I recognize you. Are you new it town?"

Grant leaned against the table as he answered casually, "What makes you say that? Do you really know everyone in town?"

"Oh, I just think I'd remember your face," Isabel replied, then lifted a hand to her mouth, eyes widening in mortification. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that."

Grant chuckled. "That's alright. I'd certainly recognize your face if I saw it again." He ran a had through his hair, ruffling it slightly, and added, "We are new in town. Actually, more like passing through. We're here on assignment, and I have a meeting with the Sheriff here in a few minutes."

"With the Sheriff?" Isabel asked breathlessly. "Ooh, is it something exciting and scandalous?"

"Hey," Dave cut in before Grant could answer, "you can't spill our secrets to a lady, Grant, no matter how pretty she is."

"Oh, come on," Grant laughed. "What is she going to do with it? Sell our information to the CIA?"

On a whim, Isabel cut in, "Actually, I would sell it to the FBI. They're more my style."

"Is that so?" Dave asked, lifting one eyebrow. Turning to Grant, he said, "Come on, Grant. Let's find a seat. The Sheriff will be here soon."

Isabel grimaced inwardly. It didn't help to have Dave here, preventing her from talking to Grant on his own. She shot a desperate look at Tess, who seemed to understand her silent plea, and a moment later the shorter blonde had closed her eyes, mind focused on Dave.

Dave frowned abruptly and said, "Hey, I need to use the restroom. I'll be back in a moment, and then we need to get down to business. Okay?"

Grant held up his hands in surrender. "Yes, master," he droned, and Isabel giggled.

Dave rolled his eyes, the turned and stalked away.

"So, tell me something, Isabel," Grant murmured, taking a seat at the table and waiting for Isabel to do the same, "why are you so interested in scandals?"

Isabel smiled, playing with one strand of hair. She leaned closer to Grant, tilting her eyes up at him in just the right, and answered, "In this little town, we rarely get anything so thrilling. Why are you meeting with the Sheriff?"

"My colleagues and I discovered a skeleton buried in the desert," Grant replied, waiting for Isabel's reaction. Her mouth fell open, and he grinned inwardly, pleased that he had managed to impress her. "It's been in the paper. Have you read about it?"

"Yes, I have," Isabel replied, her voice filled with awe. "And you're the one who found it? I heard even the mayor is interested in this discovery."

Grant nodded sheepishly. "He is," he explained, "and that's part of the reason we're meeting with the Sheriff. The mayor has asked us to do some tests, but he doesn't want anyone, even the Sheriff, to know the results before he does. Don't know why the secrecy, but…"

"Can the mayor do that? Keep clues from the Sheriff?" Then Isabel blinked, as though the idea was just occurring to her, and asked hesitantly, "Why would he want to keep it from the Sheriff anyway? Wouldn't he want the culprit caught as soon as possible?"

Grant leaned back in his seat. "I have no idea," he answered, "but they've got some territorial battle going on right now, and it's being fought over my discovery." He couldn't quite keep the pride out of his voice, and Isabel forced herself to look appropriately impressed by his words.

"Hm… I wonder why," Isabel whispered, more to herself than to Grant. Looking up at the archeologist, she said suddenly, "Hey, maybe the mayor was somehow responsible for this skeleton's death and doesn't want anyone to know. He's trying to cover his tracks!"

"Somehow, I doubt it," Grant answered, laughing. "All he wants me to do are run some chemical tests… pretty advanced stuff, though."

"Wait, you're an archeologist who also does chemistry?" Isabel fawned, leaning towards Grant again. "Hm… overachiever, much?"

Grant waved his hand in dismissal of her words, trying to appear modest. "Oh, nothing quite like that, really. It's just a few chemical tests that I learned along the way. Isotope readings, biochemical assays, that sort of thing."

"Sounds complex," Isabel prompted.

"I guess it is," Grant replied, puffing out his chest slightly. "The bone structure of the skeleton we found was a little odd. When we ran some further tests on it… well, let's just say that things didn't quite end up the way we thought they would. So the mayor's asked us to look for extraterrestrial chemicals… things you find only in space," he added as he took in Isabel's blank look. "Also, rare or unheard of isotopes, we're supposed to look for those as well. It is quite advanced stuff, but I've got access to some pretty fancy technology, so I've managed it all."

"That's really cool," Isabel said, and just as she finished that, the door to the diner opened and Jim Valenti walked through. She glanced over at him, then turned her attention back to Grant and said, "Looks like I'd better leave you to your business."

Grant caught her arm just as she was about to leave. "It's all a secret," he said, giving her a wink. "Remember that. You can't spill my trade secrets to anyone."

Isabel returned the wink and replied, "I'll take you secrets to the grave."

As she walked away, Tess and Alex both rose from the booth and left the Crashdown as well, Tess pausing long enough to mouth the words "Thank you" to Jim on her way out.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Worst Day On Earth

Due: Sun 3/2


	9. The Worst Day on Earth

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Thanks to all who reviewed. So, I have a question for you all. Since Tess is not evil and the end of this story can't really mimic what happened on the show, I am going to be drastically changing the second half of the story. Do you all have any ideas you would like to see happen? Let me know, and I'll see if I can incorporate them.

As always, please read and review.

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Worst Day On Earth

Liz sat down on the edge of her bed and closed her eyes, thinking. Alex's assurances that he hadn't found anything about the name Vilandra left her with little reason to be suspicious of Nicolas Crawford or the Mayor. But she couldn't quite shake the feeling that there was something going on, and she wasn't about to just let it happen all around her.

But what could she do? It wasn't like she had any special powers that would allow her access to someone's head. She couldn't do what the aliens did, couldn't break into someone's office and go through their personal files. And she couldn't take her concerns to Max, because he had explicitly told her to stay out of this, and she didn't really want to start another fight with him.

On the other hand… She'd be going into the office tomorrow afternoon, and most of the staff would be gone. Senator Whitaker had gone to Santa Fe for the weekend, and most of the other staff had Friday afternoons off from work. Mr. Crawford might be there, but he was the only one she would need to worry about.

Maybe it was time to do a little more intense snooping.

* * *

Friday morning dawned bright and clear, and Isabel awoke to the sound of singing. She blinked and rubbed her bleary eyes, peeing up to see her mother standing over her, a broad smile on her face, singing an off-key version of Happy Birthday.

"Mom," Isabel protested, "I wanna go back to sleep."

"I made pancakes!" Mrs. Evans replied. "And your father is going into work late so that he can have a nice breakfast with you also. Come on, time to get up."

Isabel clambered to her feet with a disgruntled expression and grabbed her bathrobe from the chair next to her bed. Slipping it on over her shoulders, she glanced at the clock. It was 6am, much earlier than she usually got up on a school day.

"Is Max up?" she asked.

"No, he's still sleeping," Mrs. Evans replied, ushering her daughter out of the room.

"Why does Max get to sleep in? It's _my_ birthday. I should get to stay home from school." She yawned in exhaustion, but her mother paid no heed to her complaints, and simply pushed her daughter into the hallway.

By the time they reached the kitchen, Isabel had already decided that she wanted to make a break for it, and see if she could just run back to her room and go to bed. Somehow, though, she doubted her mother would let her sleep any more.

"Good morning, birthday girl," Mr. Evans said upon seeing his daughter. Isabel offered him a smile in return and sat down at the table. Mrs. Evans placed a plate of pancakes in front of her, and she pocked up her fork and half-heartedly poked at the pancake.

Fortunately, neither of her parents seemed to notice that she wasn't as enthusiastic about this little family breakfast. Mrs. Evans was chattering about their plans for the evening, and Mr. Evans had picked up a newspaper, and was skimming the morning news.

Isabel sighed and ran a hand through her messy hair, thinking over the plans for the weekend. The party was apparently all planned now, and Jessica had assured her that it would be amazing. Even Tess had seemed eager for it, and Alex would be there. But still… her Saturday night would be spent celebrating a day she never really wanted to remember anyway.

Sunday would be full of homework, and of course, trying to figure out the last problem that plagued them. Her conversation with Grant had left her confused, and when she went over the details in her head, it only seemed to make less and less sense. She knew they would have a meeting on this soon, probably later that day, and she wasn't looking forward to discussing it with Max and Michael, both of whom would most likely spent quite a bit of time reprimanding her for doing this without informing them first.

"… don't like them?"

Mrs. Evans' voice pulled her from her reverie, and she blinked and looked up in surprise. "Sorry, Mom, what did you say?"

"I asked why you weren't eating your pancakes," Mrs. Evans asked, her face a picture of concern. "Do you not like them?"

"No, no… they're delicious," Isabel yawned tiredly. "I was just thinking about something else." To prove her point, she took a bite of the pancakes and smiled widely. Mrs. Evans nodded, apparently reassured by Isabel's actions, and Isabel returned to her confused thoughts.

And then it happened.

_Everything was dark, and filled with heavy smoke. Her eyes burned and her mouth ran dry. She was screaming, calling out a name over and over, trying to find someone. In the haze of destruction, she could see nothing but the vague outline of distant shapes…_

Her fork fell from her hand, clattering to the floor. Two sets of eyes swung around to look at her, but she barely gave them a second glance. Stumbling to her feet, she said, "I… I'll be right back," and hurried from the room.

She practically sprinted through the house, pushing her way into Max's room without even knocking. Her brother, yanked unceremoniously from sleep by the sound of her slamming the door behind her, sat up in bed with a look of complete bewilderment and distress on his face.

"Isabel?" he muttered. "Wh-what?"

"I saw something," Isabel said, taking a seat on the bed next to her brother.

"What?"

"I was in a hallway," Isabel murmured. "I was… I was calling for someone. I couldn't see anything. It was dark and smoky and… I was scared. There was someone up ahead and I… I knew it was an enemy. Our enemy."

Max, now wide awake, laid a hand on her arm and asked softly, "Were you remembering something from before? From…" he shot a nervous look at the closed bedroom door, praying his parents were not trying to eavesdrop, "Antar?"

But Isabel shook her head. "No… this was more like… a premonition. It hadn't happened yet… but it will. Soon."

Max nodded silently. Then he asked, "You said you were calling for someone. Who was it?"

Isabel shook her head, still wracking her brain for an answer to that question. "I don't know. I… I don't know."

* * *

United States History was a rather boring class. The teacher, for all his efforts to be interesting, never managed to instill even the slightest bit of curiosity in his students. But it was a class they had to pass, which was the only reason Maria hadn't just stormed out of the class.

They'd been assigned to work in groups on a report about a topic of their choice relating to slavery and the abolitionist movement during the early nineteenth century. And she had been assigned to work with Kyle Valenti and Max Evans.

Her only consolation was that Liz, who had history during a different period, had informed her that she, Tess, and Michael were working together, and although she did not want to take pleasure in her friend's discomfort, she couldn't deny that it was marginally comforting to know that she wasn't the only one not entirely thrilled with their group.

"So…" Max glanced at Kyle, then quickly turned his attention back to Maria. "What topic should we choose?"

"Something historical," Kyle suggested, looking bored.

"Well, obviously," Maria answered, frowning slightly. "It is a history class, after all."

"I meant like an event, Evans," Kyle snapped in reply. "Events are easy, straightforward." He refused to look at Max, but instead kept his attention focused on Maria.

Realizing that she was now the center of both their attentions, Maria sighed and said, "Fine. An event. Which one?"

"When was John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry?" Max asked.

"Uh… too late, I think," Kyle answered, instantly rejecting the suggestion. "It was after 1850, and we're supposed to stay in the first half of the century."

"Okay, when was Uncle Tom's Cabin published? We could do something about literature and propaganda."

"No, that was also after 1850," Kyle answered, shooting Max a quick look of derision. "Still too late."

"Fine," Max hissed, "do you have any ideas?"

Before the argument could escalate, Maria cut in and offered, "Why don't we all go home tonight and try to come up with a few ideas, and then we can discuss them in class tomorrow."

Kyle shrugged in disinterest and muttered his consent, and Max gave a sour look, but nodded. A moment later the bell rang, and Max bolted from the room, eager to get away. Kyle hesitated, glancing back at Cliff and Isabel, who were slowly packing away their books. Maria took that opportunity to tap him on the shoulder, and when he turned to look at her, she was glaring.

"What is your problem with Max? We are going to need to work together for this project, and the least you could do is be civil."

"Yeah, whatever," Kyle said, barely giving her a second glance. "Back off, DeLuca, I don't have to like him if I don't want to." He simply wasn't in the mood to receive a lecture right now, and he certainly wasn't going to take it from her. He had issues with Evans, and they weren't going to just dissipate, so she might as well get used to it.

"Kyle!" Maria snapped. "Seriously, are you still holding onto everything that happened with Liz? It's been over a year. Grow up already." Swinging her back over one shoulder, she stalked from the room.

A moment later, Isabel and Cliff appeared at his side. Isabel stared in the direction Maria had gone, her eyes narrowed somewhat in suspicion, and asked, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing," Kyle said bitterly, glowering. "Come on, let's go." He, too, left the room, his friends trailing behind in obvious surprise and confusion.

In the hallway, Kyle glanced around until he caught sight of Maria and Liz, leaning against the lockers and talking about something. Liz glanced his way, and for a moment their eyes met, but he scowled and turned abruptly to walk in the other direction.

Liz watched him go, a sorrowful expression on her face. After a moment, she turned to Maria and said, "Do you really think he's still holding on to all that?"

"I don't know," Maria replied. "I mean, he never liked Max before, but the way he was acting in class…" She shrugged, unable to give anything more than her suspicions and sympathy. Liz nodded, but didn't say anything else.

The two turned and walked away in silence.

* * *

"I still don't understand why you don't like your birthday," Alex asked as he followed Isabel out into the quad. He blinked as they stepped into the near-blinding sunlight, then slanted a look at the tall blonde next to him.

She sighed. "It's probably not even my real birthday. I mean… it's just some random day that my parents picked and that makes it just another reminder that I don't have a biological family here, and…" she lowered her voice and murmured, "there aren't even others of the same species here, except for Max, Michael, and Tess."

"But you have a real family. I mean… you have parents, even if they are not blood related to you."

"I know that," Isabel answered, "I just…" She couldn't put into words why this bothered her so much. She loved her parents, she truly did, and although she knew, on an intellectual level, that she had parents on another planet as well, she couldn't imagine being the daughter of anyone besides Diane and Philip Evans.

But this was just some random day, and having to celebrate it as though it actually mattered… it was just a reminder of all the things she didn't know about herself… like when her actual birthday was.

Alex, recognizing that Isabel was not going to finish the sentence, changed the subject. "Have you talked to Max or Michael about the archeologist yet?"

Isabel scanned the quad. "About to do that now," she answered, her eyes falling on Max and Michael, sitting alone at one of the tables near the far fence. She noted that Tess was nowhere to be seen, and almost debated finding the other girl and dragging her to the meeting. After all, this was Tess' idea, and if anyone should have to face the combined wrath of Max and Michael, it was her.

But she shook those thoughts away. It wasn't her fault that her brother and his best friend had been to caught up in their own sorry love-lives to pay much attention to what was happening around them, and she wasn't going to apologize for her actions.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Alex asked, noting the apprehension that fluttered through Isabel's eyes.

Isabel gave him a grateful smile, but shook her head. "No, you should stay out of it. No reason for my brother to get mad at both of us." She watched as Alex shrugged and wandered off to join Maria and Liz. For a moment, she thought idly that things had reverted back to the way they were before Max had healed Liz, when the three hybrids always sat together, apart from the humans and from Tess.

She walked over to Max and Michael. Max looked up as she approached, and offered a small smile. His eyes were darkened with worry, and she knew that her retelling of the vision was still bothering him. They didn't know when it would happen, or why, but they knew that sometime soon, she'd be facing their enemies.

Michael twisted in his seat and looked at her. "Happy birthday, Izzy," he said.

"Don't remind me," Isabel muttered, dropping into the seat next to him. "Please don't remind me."

"I don't understand why you always get like this," Michael remarked. "You act like it is the worst day on Earth."

Isabel rolled her eyes but didn't comment. Instead, she said diffidently, "So… I spoke to the archeologist who discovered the body in the desert."

As expected, Max's eyes narrowed dangerously at her and Michael's head snapped up. She waited for the explosion to come, and was incredibly shocked when Max abruptly shrugged and said, "And?"

"You're not mad?" Isabel asked, incredulous.

"Wait, why aren't you mad?" Michael demanded, glaring at Max. "She put herself in danger by making contact with an unknown person. He could have been an enemy. He could have hurt her. He could hurt us all."

"Tess was there," Isabel countered, "and so was Alex. I was safe."

"Right," Michael drawled, "and what is Alex going to do? It's not like he can really protect you from enemy aliens."

"Keep your voice down!" Isabel and Max hissed in unison.

Michael fought to keep back a smirk at the two siblings, and Isabel shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Max ran a hand through his hair and asked finally, "So… how exactly did you go about talking to him?"

"He was at the Crashdown," Isabel said, still a little worried by Max's calm demeanor. Although he had never been one to throw a scene in a crowded public area, he was the one who argued for caution when approaching these issues, and she had expected him to be appropriately dismayed by her actions.

"And you just walked up to him and asked him questions?" Michael questioned.

"Of course not," Isabel snapped. "I flirted with him." She paused, eyeing both Michael and her brother, then added, "And people can't resist bragging about their accomplishments."

"What did he tell you?" Michael asked grudgingly.

"That's the weird part," Isabel replied, a frown creasing her forehead. "He said that he was running tests to determine the composition of the skeleton and to check for extraterrestrial elements and unusual isotopes. It was almost like… like the mayor was expecting the skeleton to be not human."

"Do you think it isn't human?" Max asked interestedly, leaning forward. "If the mayor is FBI, it would make sense that he was looking into something like this."

"Maybe," Isabel agreed, "and it would also explain why he is so eager to keep Valenti out of it. Tess says that the mayor's refused to release the outcomes of the reports yet."

"Does he even have the legal authority to do that?" Michael wondered.

Isabel shrugged. She didn't know the answer to that question, but it also didn't seem relevant. Legal authority or not, the mayor _was_ intervening in this matter, and whatever the reasons, it probably wasn't for the benefit of the four hybrids.

"Maybe we should as Nasedo," Max mused aloud. It was possible that the shape-shifter knew something, and although he still did not completely trust Nasedo, they did need answers.

"Why isn't he back yet?" Isabel asked, turning her attention back to her brother. "Shouldn't he have finished up in Washington D.C. by now? The Special Unit has already been shut down and Pierce has been discredited."

"I'll contact him and find out," Michael replied.

Max nodded in agreement, then began eating his sandwich. In the silence that followed, Isabel and Michael exchanged brief looks, each thinking the same thing.

Was Max ever going to recover enough to lead them, or would he continue this almost disinterested spiral until they all ended up in the hands of the FBI?

* * *

Liz waited until the sound of Mr. Crawford's footsteps in the hall receded, and then she rose quietly to her feet and hurried across the room to the hallway. The door to the senator's office was down the hall, and to reach it, she would need to cross directly in front of Mr. Crawford's office. Fortunately, he had shut his door almost all the way, and if she hurried, she could probably slip by unnoticed.

She glanced behind her at her own office. Then, taking a deep breath, she tiptoed quickly forward, slipping silently through the hall. She paused at the senator's door, holding her breath for any sounds of movement around her. But the place was silent and still.

She carefully pressed her fingers against the cold metal doorknob, and felt some satisfaction as it slid open in her grasp. She wondered briefly why the senator wouldn't lock her office, but then decided that Mr. Crawford probably needed access to some of things within the room, and he was most likely in charge of locking it at night.

She stepped into the room. This was very not like her. It was something Maria would have done, accompanied by Michael. But she was not reckless and she certainly didn't take spontaneous risks.

Still…

She walked further into the room.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling across the carpeted floor. The furniture in the room seemed to be made of expensive mahogany and dark cherry wood. One entire wall was covered with maps of the state of New Mexico.

She walked to the desk. The computer was turned off, as she had expected it to be. But the drawers of the desk were not locked, and she pulled the top one open, cringing slightly as it squeaked. She looked towards the door, listening for sounds of movement, but heard nothing.

The drawer was filled with pens, pencils, staples, scattered paperclips, and notepads. Nothing particularly interesting, and certainly nothing worth hunting through. She shut the drawer and turned to the next one, but was met with little success when she discovered that it was filled with computer paper and spare folders. The final drawer, the largest of the three, slid open easily, and she found herself looking at a stack of papers.

She reached for the stack. Picking up the first few papers, she scanned through them. They were research reports, information briefs, and policy ideas. Nothing out of the ordinary, and exactly what anyone would expect to find in a senator's office during campaign year. But as she continued digging through the papers, something caught her eye.

It was a piece of paper wedged in between the stacks of files and the back of the drawer. She reached for it, pulling it carefully from the crevice were it had been stuck. She opened it, smoothing down the creases, and letting her eyes travel over the words written on the page.

They weren't words that made much sense. Rather, it was a series of dates lined up next to scribbled notes. The dates started in 1950, and continued from there until last May. The scribbled notes had short phrases such as "R.D.  no information," corresponding with a date in 1983, and "Signal" corresponding with last May.

She wasn't sure what they meant, but it was important somehow, she knew that. She closed the drawer and placed the slip of paper into her pocket before sneaking back towards the door of the room. Before she could leave, however, she heard the sound of footsteps in the hallway outside, and held her breath as the door was pushed open.

"Ms. Parker. Was there something you needed?" Mr. Crawford demanded as he strode into the room, his arms folded over his chest. He was glaring at her, a look of condescension, suspicion, and derision mixed together in his eyes.

"I… uh…" Lying had never been Liz's forte, but it was far too late to worry about that now. "I was looking for some of the data on the legal status of the Reservation for the brief I am writing for the senator. I had a print out of data from last time I was here, but I couldn't find it, so I thought Senator Whitaker might have taken it and left it in her office by mistake."

Mr. Crawford continued to glare at her, eyes cold and calculating. "In the future," he said sternly, "it would be better if you came to me with that sort of concern. You do not have permission to be in here."

"Ri-right," Liz answered, her voice shaking slightly. "Sorry, I just… I didn't want to bother you. I thought you might be busy."

"You do not have permission to look through Senator Whitaker's office unsupervised," Mr. Crawford stressed. "She keeps classified and confidential information in here sometimes. Do you understand that, Ms. Parker, or did you never learn to respect someone's privacy?"

"I'm sorry," Liz said in a small voice. "It won't happen again."

"No," Mr. Crawford agreed, "it won't. I suggest you leave now, Ms. Parker. Consider you day over. Go home."

"Okay," Liz said, all too relieved to get away from Nicolas Crawford and his rather terrifying presence.

* * *

Courtney watched as Mrs. Banks finished her conversation on the phone, then replaced the object on its receiver by the door to the kitchen. The older woman then turned to her supposed daughter, her expression guarded.

"Whitaker wishes to go ahead with the plan tomorrow night," Mrs. Banks said calmly, taking a seat across from Courtney.

"That soon? Are we prepared?" Courtney questioned, growing concerned. She knew that the others were impatient to finish this, but results would be difficult to get if they rushed into anything. And, of course, she would make it more difficult for them. That was her job, after all. To blend in with the others, but keep them away from Michael.

"We are," Mrs. Banks replied. "Have you ascertained what you need to know?"

Courtney hesitated. The first step of the skins' plan was to kidnap the Princess and return her memories so that she would join them, and join their leader. If they succeeded in that, the other three would fall before they even knew what hit them.

And she simply could not allow that. For her own plan to work, nothing could happen to Michael.

The King, on the other hand, was expendable. And so was his Queen.

But she had to keep the others away from the Princess. She had to prevent the reemergence of Vilandra, because that would destroy Michael. And she had to protect Michael at all costs.

And there was only one way to do that right now.

She made her decision.

"Courtney? Which one is the Princess?"

Courtney looked directly into Mrs. Banks' eyes and answered without blinking, "Michael Guerin has been hanging out with Tess Harding a bit more lately."

"Tess," Mrs. Banks murmured.

* * *

Next Chapter: Surprise

Due: Sun 3/9


	10. Surprise

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Thanks to anyone who reviewed. My question from the previous chapter still stands, so you can still feel free to answer it whenever.

As always, please read and review.

* * *

Chapter Ten: Surprise

"Tess? Tess! Where are you? Can you hear me? _Tess!_"

The hallway was dark and filled with a hazy substance she couldn't quite identify. Was it smoke or just heavy fog? The shadows moved around her, and she jumped several times, still straining to see through the gloom. Her footsteps echoed in the silence as she ran, pure terror filling her body with every step.

Where was Tess?

It was like a bad sense of déjà vu. She'd been here, done this already in her visions. She knew this hallway, knew the pounding of her own heart and the hoarse cry of her own voice as she shouted into the stillness.

What good were visions if they didn't help her save her friend?

"Tess!" she cried again, her words bouncing off the walls of the abandoned factory, reverberating through the air and floating back to her, unanswered.

* * *

_A few hours earlier…_

Isabel stared at her reflection in the mirror, unsure if she should have agreed to wear this outfit. She couldn't deny that it looked nice on her, but the black leather skirt was too tight and the red-halter top too skimpy. Her bare shoulders, stuck out on both sides, looking slightly bony, and she'd covered her hair in so much gel she thought a full-blown tornado wouldn't even move a single strand.

"You look fine, Izzy," Tess said, appearing in the doorway to the room. "Stop staring at yourself in the mirror and come downstairs so we can leave. Jessica wanted us to arrive early so you could be there before everyone else."

Isabel turned around and looked at Tess. "I have a bad feeling about this," she said, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. She bit her lip for a moment, worry clouding her eyes, then said, "Something is going to go wrong."

"It's a party," Tess countered. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"Oh, I can think of a few things," Isabel muttered under her breath, but she allowed Tess to lead her from the room and down the stairs. Both her parents were standing in the living room, waiting for her, and she monetarily wished she had thought to pull a sweater on over her top. She did not want her parents to see her dressed like this.

But if Mrs. Evans found it odd for her daughter to be wearing something so different from her usual choices, she didn't comment on it. Instead, she simply gave Isabel a kiss on the cheek and said, "Have a great time tonight, Isabel."

Mr. Evans glanced at Tess. "Will there be alcohol at this party?"

Tess frowned slightly, surprised by the question. But, she reflected, it was exactly the type of question one would expect from a lawyer, and she really should have seen it coming.

"Not that I know of," she answered. There might be alcohol because a number of the guests would likely bring their own beer or drinks to the party. But she and Jessica weren't providing any alcohol for the guests, and she could only hope that her friends would be smart enough to refrain from excessive drinking.

"Don't worry so much, Philip," Mrs. Evans said, swatting her husband lightly on the arm. "You know they're responsible kids." More importantly, they knew that no one would ever be stupid enough to blatantly break the law at a party organized by either Tess or Kyle because the Sheriff undoubted knew that a party was happening and would be keeping an eye on the place.

"You're right," Mr. Evans said finally, giving Isabel an apologetic smile. "You're seventeen now, I should trust you more."

"Is Max going with you two?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"No, he's going to come later," Isabel answered. She slanted a quick look at Tess. "Shall we go?"

Tess nodded, and the two girls left the house. As the door closed behind them, Mr. Evans walked over to the sofa and sat down heavily.

"I don't know how I feel about this," he said wearily, concern mixed with exhaustion showing on his face.

"Look, I know you want answers, Philip. I do as well. But Max and Isabel aren't going to trust us until we trust them." Mrs. Evans took a seat across from them and added, "And you know that Isabel's never gotten in any real trouble before."

"There was that man who came by last year," Mr. Evans countered. "About the investigation involving Hank. About the drugs."

"He said that Max and Isabel had nothing to do with any of that. They were just friends with Michael, and so that put them in the wrong place at the wrong time." She gave her husband a stern glare as she rested her hands in her lap. "They aren't doing drugs."

"I_know_," Mr. Evans answered wearily, shaking his head, "but that doesn't mean they aren't in danger. I can't just sit back and let them walk into trouble."

"We don't know that they are even in any trouble," Mrs. Evans countered.

"We know that they have secrets. We know that they sometimes disappear and won't tell us where they went. We know they're hiding something." He sighed, letting out a slow breath. Running a hand through his hair, he added, "Believe me, I want to believe that I am just overreacting, and everything is fine. But what if it isn't?"

They were his children, and he wasn't going to let anything happen to them. He knew every parenting book he'd ever read said that, at some point, you had step back and let your children make their own decisions and lead their own lives. But even at the age of seventeen, Isabel was still his little girl, and he wasn't going to do nothing if she was in danger. She was still his responsibility, no matter what.

Mrs. Evans watched her husband as his internal struggle played across his face. Finally, she said gently, "Where do we even start, Philip? If they won't come to us with the answers, how do we get them? We don't even know what questions to be asking?"

She wanted to trust her children, she wanted to believe that this was nothing more than the typical teenage problems; dating and popularity and peer pressure. She could handle those problems. She could have a discussion with Isabel about the pros and cons of fitting into a group, she could warn her about the consequences of dating and what it could lead to. They could talk about the birds and the bees and any other issues because these were all things she understood and knew how to deal with, how to address.

But what if there was something else?

She couldn't deny her husband's arguments, couldn't quite convince herself that everything would be alright in the end.

* * *

The party was in full swing and Isabel couldn't deny that she was having a good time. They place was packed, and the music blaring through the speakers reverberated in the air. She didn't even recognize all the people who were here, dancing and swaying to the music. A few times, some boy she only vaguely recognized had asked her for a dance, and she would comply. But she spent most of the time dancing with Alex, or, more accurately, laughing at his attempts to dance. 

"You know, Whitman," Kyle said as he appeared at Isabel's side, "whatever kind of dance you're doing, it went out of style a _very_ long time ago."

"I'm not so sure it was ever _in_ style," Sara added, raising her voice to be heard over the music.

"I think it's cute," Isabel said, defending her friend. Alex grinned at Isabel's words, apparently relieved that she wasn't as embarrassed by his dancing skills as her friends were.

"Cute… like an adorably awkward puppy," Sara replied, laughing. She shrugged, as if to show her despair at the situation, and said, "Well, carry on, I guess." She grabbed Kyle by the arm and dragged him away to track down the rest of their friends.

"I think they're starting to like you," Isabel remarked, turning back to Alex with a teasing smile.

He rolled his eyes at her comment and didn't reply.

Across the room, Liz and Maria watched the couple closely. The brunette had her arms crossed self-consciously over her chest, feeling slightly out of place. Maria probably would have left her to go dance, but had taken pity on her best friend, and so the two of them had decided instead to people-watch.

"It looks like Alex is having fun," Liz said, glancing over at Maria.

"Mm," Maria answered, looking from Alex to Isabel and back. "Yeah, it does." Against her will, her eyes slid across the room to where Michael and Max were standing. They were talking to someone, another girl that Maria recognized vaguely as a sophomore at the high school. Probably one of the party crashers.

"Her name is Lisa," Liz said softly, noting where Maria was looking. "I overheard a few of her friends saying how cool it was to come to the party. Not that they were actually invited."

"Do Michael and Max know her?"

"No," Liz said, and watched as Maria sagged a bit in relief. "They're just being polite."

As soon as she said that, Michael detached himself from the other two and began to push his way through the crowd. Maria, following his path with narrowed eyes, said quickly to Liz, "I'll be right back." And she, too, left her friend standing alone.

She caught up with Michael just as he reached the door to the bathroom on the second floor. He left it open and turned on the faucet, splashing water on his face. Maria watched from the doorway for a moment, then remarked, "Oh, is flirting with the little sophomore making you sweaty?"

Michael, surprised and startled, having not noticed her presence before, jerked abruptly, accidentally knocking into the faucet, and increasing the rush of water from the tap. The liquid prayed everywhere, but before he could get soaked, it froze in mid-air, floating droplets stretching serenely across the bathroom.

Maria had the presence of mind to immediately close the door and lock it.

"What the hell did you do?"

"Nothing," Michael defended himself.

"Space Boy, there is water _floating_ in mid-air. That's _not_ nothing," Maria practically screeched.

"Keep your voice down," Michael snapped, vaguely noting that she had called him Space Boy, an endearment she hadn't used since before the summer. "The last thing we need is for anyone to hear you."

"Oh, I think people hearing me is the least of our worries," Maria retorted, her gaze still fixed on the hovering water. "What if you start doing this in public? What if, next time, it is someone else who sees you?"

"I'll kill them before they can tell anyone," Michael suggested dryly.

"Not funny," Maria hissed.

"Well, if you hadn't startled me like that, this wouldn't have happened," Michael said angrily. "Why were you following me anyway?"

"So this is my fault? The fact that you have some new crazy gift you can't control? I'm not the one who sprayed water in the air and then _froze_ it…"

Michael glared at her. "Just shut up, okay? I can fix this, I just need to figure out how." He turned and looked back at the water. When he was young, only a year out of the pod, he'd started coming into his gifts. He had no control over them at the time, and things would randomly blow up around him whenever he got upset. It had taken a long time to get his control back, but with Isabel's encouragement, Max's support, Tess' advice, and a lot of practice, he had managed to keep his gifts in check.

He had a new gift now, so he would simply have to go through the same process.

The sound of repeated banging against the door distracted him, and then a drunken voice called, "Open up in there, or I'll huff, and puff, and blow the door down." This was followed by hysterical laughter and giggling from multiple people.

"Great, drunk people," Michael muttered under his breath.

"The door is locked," Maria pointed out. "They can't get in. Just focus on fixing the problem, okay?"

Michael closed his eyes and concentrated. So far, his new gift had manifested itself whenever he was startled. To undo what he had just done, he needed to remain calm. He needed to focus solely on the molecules in the water, and nothing else.

The banging on the door continued, now accompanied by incoherent shouts.

Michael opened his eyes. "Damn it! I can't do this with them out there, making noise." He glared angrily at the door.

"Michael, now is really not a good time for self-doubt!"

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one who spontaneously freezes things!"

"Let us in! What are you doing in there anyway?" a different voice, equally drunk, demanded.

Michael closed his eyes again. If someone walked in here and saw this, he'd be screwed. He thought of Max, his face reflecting pure horror as Pierce fell to the ground with a sickening thud. He thought of Tess, a haunted look in her eyes after they'd rescued her from the white room. He thought of Isabel, panicked when she realized what was happening to her family.

He would _not_ let that happen again.

He wasn't even aware of what had happened until his felt the cold splash of water against his chest. He opened his eyes to see the formerly floating liquid now pooling on the ground, and a broad smile was spreading across Maria's face.

"You did it," she said in relief.

"Come on," Michael muttered, "let's get out of here."

They opened the door and found four drunk seniors standing outside the room. One of them, a boy who Michael remembered was on the football team, blinked slowly and then said, "Guerin and DeLuca both in the bathroom?"

His comment was met by a round of laughter, and the one of the others began to sing drunkenly, "Guerin and DeLuca, sitting in a tree, K. I. S. S. I. N. G. First comes love, then comes…"

"Let's go," Michael said stonily, pushing past them and hurrying down the stairs, Maria following closely behind.

* * *

"_Isabel, Isabel… help me." Tess stumbled, falling through the people around her, crashing to the ground and trying to lift herself back up._

Isabel started and looked at the phantom standing in front of her. Eyes wide, she backed away from the ghostly Tess. Beside her, Alex stiffened and reached out to take her hand, but she shook her head and moved back again.

"Tess?" she whispered.

Alex turned and stared at the place she was looking, but saw nothing.

"Isabel? What is it?" Alex asked, worried.

The floor was crowded and hot, but even over the blaring noise from the speakers, Isabel could hear Tess, her panicked voice, crying for help.

"_Please… Isabel, please, please… help me." Tess was on her hands and knees, barely able to support her own weight. She tried to stand up, but fell back again. She wasn't crying, but the fear in her face sent chills down Isabel's spine._

Isabel jerked her head towards Alex. "I'm going into the kitchen," she said. "Find Max and Michael. Get them."

Alex nodded and hurried away, and she pushed through the throng of people, fighting towards the kitchen. At last, she made it into the empty space, almost tumbling onto the tile floor. She moved to the counter, resting her hands on it and looking around. She was gasping for breath.

_A road twisted along the desert. A sign flashed overhead. Red's._

Isabel rubbed her eyes.

"Isabel?"

Max, Michael, Alex, Maria, and Liz all came hurrying through the door. Alex hurried to her side, but Max cut in front of the quiet human and demanded Isabel's full attention.

"What's wrong?" the hybrid King asked, worried. "Are you hurt?"

"I had a vision," Isabel whispered. She lifted her hands to her forehead, massaging her temples as a migraine began to form.

"_No!" Someone grabbed Tess from behind. Everything was blurry, none of the shapes distinct enough to identify. Tess was fighting, but it wasn't enough._

"It's Tess," Isabel continued. "She's in trouble. She was kidnapped. She… she's hurt. She keeps screaming for help… my help." The statuesque blonde shook her head, sinking against the counter. "I can't find her. I just… I see a flash of something… a sign. Red's. And then it is just her… calling over and over."

"There's no Red's in Roswell," Liz said, her voice laced with concern. "I know all the establishments here. That isn't one of them."

Max glanced over at Liz with a frown. In his concern for both Isabel and Tess, he didn't even remember that he hadn't wanted Liz involved in something like this. Instead, he asked, "But where else could they have taken her? She hasn't bee missing long enough for them to have left the town."

"It was in the desert," Isabel murmured, "I think on the outskirts of the town."

"Fred's," Maria suggested suddenly, her eyes lightening up. 'Isn't that the name of that old abandoned factory?"

"Yeah," Liz agreed, "and the lights for the F never worked. In a vision…"

"It would look like Red's," Isabel finished. "We have to go, we have to find her." She looked around wildly. "Who has a car?"

"I do," Max said instantly.

"Okay," Isabel said, thinking quickly, "Alex, you stay here and cover for me. If anyone asks where I am, tell them I spilled punch on my shirt, and Tess is helping me get a new one. Liz," she swung around to face the brunette, "call Valenti and tell him what is happening."

"Should I have him meet you at the factory?" Liz asked, already reaching for her cell phone.

"Yes," Max answered.

At the same moment, Michael shook his head. "No." He looked in surprise at Max, then said pointedly, "He can't help. Whoever this was, they were strong enough to kidnap Tess. Valenti wouldn't stand a chance against them."

"He's her father," Max said softly. "He's going to want to know…"

"Guys, we really don't have time to argue over this," Isabel cut in, exasperated. "Liz can do whatever she wants in terms of telling him, but Tess needs our help _now_."

"Maybe Max and I should go and you should stay here," Michael suggested, eyeing Isabel's pale skin. She didn't look good at the moment, and he wasn't entirely convinced that she would have the strength to fight an enemy. And whoever this was, they were powerful.

"No," Isabel said instantly, shaking her head. "I'm the one getting the visions. She's calling out to _me_. I need to go."

"The three of you go," Alex said, "and I'll cover for Isabel. Liz will call Valenti, and Maria can cover for Max and Michael is anyone notices they're gone." Isabel nodded in agreement to the plan and started to push past the others, when Alex caught her by the arm. "Call us when Tess is okay. Let us know."

"I will," Isabel agreed, surprised that Alex was expression so much concern for the blonde hybrid.

Isabel, Michael, and Max then made their way through the dance floor towards the front door, all thoughts fixed on Tess, praying she would survive until they managed to find her. Behind them, Liz had already dialed Valenti's number, and Alex and Maria were talking in hushed whispers about what had just happened.

Then a drunk boy stumbled across Michael's path, falling into him. He looked up at Michael, and his bleary eyes lit up. "Hey, Guerin!" he slurred. "Guerin and DeLuca sittin' in a tree, K. I. S. S. …"

"Shut up," Michael snarled, shoving the guy against the wall. In a daze, he stared at Michael, and then shrugged.

"What was that all about?" Isabel asked as the three of them stepped out into the cool night air.

"Don't ask," Michael grumbled.

* * *

It wasn't difficult to get into the factory. The fences surrounding the courtyard were easily blasted apart by Michael, and the door to the actual building was already unlocked. But it was a large building, and standing in the entrance, Isabel knew there was no way they would find Tess in time, unless they split up. She didn't like the idea, but what other choice did they have? 

Max agreed reluctantly. "I'll go right," he offered, looking down one of the hallways.

"I got left," Michael said, "and Izzy, you take the center hallway."

Isabel hurried down the center hallway. It was dimly lit by the moon coming in through the occasional window, and the air was heavy with dust. But as she hurried forward, the air became thicker, as though she was encountering smoke or fog.

She remember, abruptly, the vision she had had the day before. She'd been running through an empty building, peering through acrid smoke, calling someone's name.

"Tess!" she shouted, a sixth sense telling her that she was coming closer to her missing family member. "Tess, where are you? Can you hear me?"

The smoke in the air was hazy, like a blanket of fog. She kept seeing shadows moving all around her, and several times she nearly jumped out of her skin. But it was silent save for the echo of her boots on the floor and the sound of her own voice.

"_Tess_!"

Her panic was growing with every passing second.

It was like a bad sense of déjà vu. She'd been here, done this already in her vision. She knew this hallway, knew the pounding of her own heart and the hoarse cry of her own voice as she shouted into the stillness.

What good were visions if they didn't help her save her friend?

"Tess!" she cried again, her words bouncing off the walls of the abandoned factory, reverberating through the air and floating back to her, unanswered.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Enemy Revealed 

Due: Sun 3/16


	11. The Enemy Revealed

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Any dialogue you recognize is taken from the episode _Surprise_ in the second season. As always, please read and review.

* * *

Chapter Eleven: The Enemy Revealed

Amy DeLuca leaned against Jim Valenti's shoulder and stared at the television screen. She wasn't really watching the movie they had rented, even though it had been her decision to pick this particular movie. Her mind was on other thoughts, as it often was these days.

The physical effects of the car accident had long since healed, and although it had been a slow recovery, she had finally managed to pull herself back onto her feet and return to her life. But not everything had healed, and her relationship with both Maria and Jim were still complicated and difficult.

Jim, she knew, still harbored some concerns about her relationship with Sean. He had been more understanding of it all when he thought the man was Maria's father, and therefore still had some reason to be in their lives. But revealing the truth had only served to confuse everything. She knew Jim wondered if she still loved Sean, and it was hard for her to be in a relationship with someone who didn't trust her completely.

And yet, had she given him a reason to trust her? She'd lied, over and over, about very important aspects of her past. And she convince herself that they were her secrets and she did not need to share them if she did not want to, but… she'd been dating Jim. He'd deserved to know the truth.

At least he wanted to give it another try.

But Maria… all conversations ended in awkward silence. It wasn't that they had nothing to say to each other, it was that they had too much, and somehow couldn't fit it all into words and sentences.

Jim glanced down at her, his eyes searching her face for whatever clues he could find about her thoughts, but they were too vague for him to read. He knew she'd been having trouble with Maria, or perhaps it was Maria who had been having trouble with her. She didn't talk about and he didn't ask, but he could still read it in her eyes every time he asked about her daughter.

The irony of the situation was that these were the exact same problems he had been having with Tess. The revelations of truth, it seemed, did not always set a person free.

The harsh jangle of his cell phone tore them both away from the movie, and Jim fished in his pocket for a moment before extracting the offending device. He paused as he glanced at the caller I.D., a frown appearing monetarily on his face. Why would Liz Parker be calling him?

"Hello?" He rose to his feet and stepped away from Amy, crossing into the hallway near the door so he could speak in private. "Liz? What it is?"

Her answer made his heart clench tightly as though all the oxygen and blood had been squeezed out of it.

"It's Tess. She's in trouble."

* * *

Nasedo glanced around the airport with a look of satisfaction on his face. He'd completed the task he'd come here to do, and with the Special Unit now completely defunct and Agent Pierce discredited as a paranoid madman, he knew they would all be a little safer.

He'd also taken a few days to tie up any loose ends regarding Sean Everett's disappearance. Unfortunately, if Sean's death were discovered, the trail would eventually lead someone to Maria and Amy, and he couldn't take that risk. So he had severed all ties between Sean and Amy by allowing for a legal divorce and giving her full custody of Maria. Then, shifting to look like Sean, he had made sure to quit his job and inform everyone in the office that he was having a midlife crisis and would be taking a much needed vacation.

Now he was at the airport, disguised as a nondescript business man, the type everyone looks at once and then immediately forgets about. He would have to come up with a better disguise once he reached Roswell, and a reason for actually being in the town. His reason would need to be permanent because, until the Royal Four decided to leave, he was there for good.

After easily passing through security, he bought a cup of coffee and walked leisurely to his gate. He knew it was only a matter of time before the next enemy attacked, and being so far away from Roswell had left the others in danger. But it was a danger they needed to be in, a danger they needed to understand. This enemy was powerful and ruthless, and until they went up against a skin, they might never accept that.

He thought back to his testimony before the Senate. Everything had gone exactly according to plan… except for Senator Whitaker. She'd been the most outspoken, the most determined to shut down the FBI's black ops. And he was very grateful for that, it had things so much easier in the end. But once, when their eyes had met through the crowded room, he'd seen a spark of something moving beneath her façade, and had the sudden feeling that he was not the only one there pretending to be something he wasn't.

The senator from New Mexico was one of the few women senators, and incredibly influential. It would have been a perfect disguise for anyone hoping to find the Granolith and the Royal Four. He couldn't say for certain that she was an enemy, but a few hours of digging had discovered that she had returned to New Mexico shortly after the Senate hearing, and that her Roswell office had hired Liz Parker as an intern.

He hadn't warned the four hybrids when he learned this. If they were going to grow into the royalty they were supposed to be, they would need to learn to fight their own battles against anyone and anything. And, he had no doubt that any confrontations with the skins would leave them with questions… questions only he had the answers to.

Waiting and watching was a risky gamble he knew, but it was one he was willing to take. If the others couldn't stop one skin on their own, they would be too weak to help him anyway.

One day, with the four of them under his thumb, he would get off this miserable planet and return home.

* * *

"I don't like this," Liz murmured, leaning against the counter. Alex had returned to the party for a few minutes, presumably to make sure Isabel and Tess were not missed by anyone, and that left Maria and Liz alone in the kitchen, waiting.

"Me neither," Maria agreed softly. Whoever had kidnapped Tess clearly wanted to kill them all. What if they were simply walking into a trap? But, on the other hand, they couldn't not go after Tess, not if she was in danger.

"Look, they're strong, right?" Liz said, attempting to convince both Maria and herself. "They faced the FBI and still survived. They can do this."

Maria was about to answer when another person entered the room. They both turned, finding Chris standing in the doorway. "Hey, have you guys seen my girlfriend?"

"Uh…" Liz stuttered, caught by surprise by the question.

"Kind of short, blonde curly hair, incredible blue eyes… answers to the name of Tess?" Chris prompted.

"Isabel spilled punch on her skirt, so Tess was going to help her get a new one," Maria interjected quickly. "I don't know where they went."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Women," he muttered. "I swear, if one strand of hair is out of place, most of these girls won't even leave their houses." But he didn't press the issue, apparently believing the cover story, and walked back onto the dance floor.

The music was loud, causing the entire house to vibrate with the beats of the base. Liz rubbed her head warily, wishing she was somewhere quieter, somewhere that she could think without the incessant noise.

"Maybe we should have gone with them?" Maria said abruptly, changing the subject. "Maybe we should have…" She trailed off and sighed, frustrated by the entire situation.

"Someone had to stay here and keep their cover," Liz pointed out logically. "Besides, how much help would we have been against enemy Czechoslovakians?"

"Chica, Max has really killed your spirit," Maria said, a frown marring her expression. "What happened to the whole 'we're in this together' thing?"

Liz shrugged, self-conscious, and was saved from answering the question by the reappearance of Alex, who looked worried.

"I don't know how much longer people are going to buy this," he said under his breath. "Chris and Kyle are both already asking questions. Apparently, it is unusual for Tess to just randomly disappear from a social gathering."

"We just have to keep up the cover story," Liz replied calmly. "It's not like we have much of a choice. We can't exactly tell them the truth, can we?"

Maria's phone began to vibrate, and she sighed and pulled it from the pocket of her jean jacket. Flipping it open, she said into the speaker, "Hi, Mom."

"Maria, are you okay?" Amy's voice, loud enough to be heard by both Alex and Liz, was filled with worry.

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm at the party. Remember, I told you I was going," Maria answered, a little puzzled.

"I know, but Jim just left abruptly. He said something had happened to Tess. And I knew that she would be at the party also, so I was just checking…"

"What did he say happened to Tess?" Maria demanded, instantly worried. Could the Sheriff have just blown their cover?

"He didn't. He just left. I don't know, Maria. What's going on there?" Amy asked, sounding both confused and concerned.

"Nothing, Mom. It's just a party. I haven't seen Tess all night. I don't really hang out with her. I don't know what happened to her."

"Maybe you should come home."

"I'm fine, Mom. Really. Nothing has happened here." Maria shot an exasperated glance at Alex and Liz, but both of them shrugged, unable to help her with the situation. They knew Amy could be overprotective, but she'd picked a bad time to want to know what was going on.

"Maria…"

"Look, Mom, I have to get back to the party. I'm fine. Trust me." After hanging up on her mother, she stuffed the phone back into her pocket and turned to Liz and Alex. "Great, just great," she muttered.

* * *

The hallway spilled out into a large, round space. Above, a balcony circled the room from the second floor, looking down onto the ground below. A set of large windows opened up to the night sky, casting pale moonlight across the barren floor.

Lying in a crumpled heap in the center of the room was Tess.

Isabel rushed to the other girl's side, dropping to her knees next to the still form. "Tess? Tess, come on, wake up. Come on, Tess, don't give up on us yet. We're going to get you out of here."

"I was wondering how long it would take you to show up."

Isabel rose to her feet and spun towards the source of the voice, one arm extended in front of her, ready to attack. At the far end of the room, a figure stepped out of the shadows, moving into the light.

"Oh my God…" Isabel breathed. "Senator Whitaker."

"That's right," the Senator replied softly, her words filled with satisfaction. She glanced down at Tess for a moment, her lips twisting into a sneer. "Your friend put up quite a fight, I'll give her that much. But she fell in the end… and so will you."

And she raised her hand, causing Isabel to fly backward and away from Tess. The tall blonde crashed into the wall and fell heavily to the ground, her breath catching in her throat. The senator took a threatening step forward, triumph glowing from her eyes.

Isabel retaliated with an attack of her own, but the burst of energy that left her hand was easily absorbed by the senator.

"Pathetic," Whitaker spat. "And people still think of you all as legends. The great Royal Four." She shook her head, then let her gaze fall to Tess once again. "Now that I have you hear," she murmured, "there is no reason to keep her around."

"No!" Isabel snarled, jumping to her feet and rushing forward. Placing herself between Tess and Whitaker, she demanded harshly, "Why did you do this to her? Why are hurting us?"

"I'm not hurting _you_," Whitaker answered calmly. "I'm simply removing a threat." Again, she looked at Tess.

"What are you?" Isabel asked, fear creeping into her voice despite her best efforts to keep it at bay.

"Just a friend," Whitaker answered calmly.

"Friend?" Isabel sputtered. She gestured frantically to Tess' bruised and battered figure, shaking her head. "You are not our friend! How could you do this to her?"

Whitaker shrugged carelessly. "I thought she was you. That's why I took her. But she put up a fight, and when it turned out that she wasn't you…" Again, she gave that careless shrug. "She wasn't important anymore."

Tess groaned at that point, and opened darkened eyes. "Isabel?" she whispered in a barely audible voice, recognizing the other girl standing over her.

Whitaker flung out her hand once more, and an invisible force knocked Tess backwards. The petite girl have a groan of pain as she slammed back into the floor, unable to muster even the strength to stay conscious much longer.

"Stop it!" Isabel cried, rushing again to Tess' side. "Stop hurting her."

"Where is the Granolith?" Whitaker asked, completely unaffected by the pain she was causing. "Tell me where it is and I'll stop."

Isabel looked up, her eyes wide at the question. She knew, no matter what, they couldn't tell anyone about the location of the Granolith. She had to feign ignorance, pretend to not even know what the Granolith was.

"Wh-what?"

"The Granolith," Whitaker repeated. "We know you have it. You activated it, and we were drawn here by its call."

"Who is we?" Isabel whispered.

Whitaker gave her a cold look. "We can't exist her like you do," she said casually, folding her arms across her chest. "We don't have the DNA for that. All we have are these… skins…" She looked down at her own body with a contemplative expression. "We only have fifty years, and mine are almost up. But I will find the Granolith if it is the last thing I do."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Isabel said staunchly. She began to shake Tess in a desperate attempt to wake her up again.

"You'll help us," Whitaker answered. She said it with such a sense of certain finality that Isabel looked up, startled.

"Never," Isabel snarled.

"You did before," Whitaker continued. "You will again."

"I don't believe you."

Whitaker laughed harshly. "You don't remember, do you?" she taunted. "Of course not. Nasedo wouldn't have wanted you to know anything about your past. And certainly not that."

"What does Nasedo have to do with anything?" Isabel hissed.

"Why do you think you don't have memories, my dear?" Whitaker questioned with one raised eyebrow. "It certainly wasn't planned that way. Someone tampered with your pods, ensured that you wouldn't have a memory when you… hatched. And I wonder who that could have been, hm…?"

"You're lying," Isabel growled, although she didn't actually believe her words. Hadn't they known all along that they couldn't trust Nasedo? Hadn't they known the shape-shifter was a killer with his own agenda?

"But perhaps he thought it was for the best," Whitaker suggested, ignoring Isabel's interjection. "Perhaps he hoped it would prevent the knowledge of your betrayal from tearing apart the Royal Four." Isabel said nothing, and Whitaker continued, "Let me tell you a little something about your past. You were called Vilandra and you were beautiful… even more beautiful than you are now. You had a love, a great love… and for him, you betrayed your brother… your entire race."

"God, you liar," Isabel said again, shaking her head in denial.

"You sacrificed your brother, your sister-in-law, your betrothed…" Whitaker trailed off with a smug smile. "Even yourself, my dear Vilandra. You sacrificed everything for you lover… and history, my dear, always repeats itself."

"It won't this time," Isabel retorted, face flushed with anger and hurt­.

Whitaker held up her hand, a rush of electricity suddenly dancing around her fingers. "I will kill the other three if I have to, Vilandra. We want you back, and you will come to us. And you will bring the Granolith with you."

"I won't. Not ever!"

The door behind them suddenly flung open, smashing into the wall. Whitaker spun around and Isabel glanced up from her position by Tess in time to see Max, eyes dark with rage, body shaking with fury, storm into the room.

"Get away from my sister!"

"Well, well, well… if it isn't the almighty king come to the rescue," Whitaker mocked callously.

Max waved one hand, attacking Whitaker. Again, she absorbed the energy back into her own hands and retaliated with an attack of her own. Before the burst of electricity could hit Max, however, it froze, midair.

All eyes glanced up at the balcony from the second floor. Michael stood there, hands outstretched in an odd gesture.

"Impressive," Whitaker said, appearing incredibly unconcerned that she was now outnumbered three to one. "The three of you coming to her rescue," she murmured, waving vaguely at Tess. "I see the Royal Four sticks together now… they certainly didn't do that before."

"I won't let you hurt them," Max said, his voice ringing with an authority that had not been there in the past few months.

"You can't stop me, little king. No matter how hard you try." Another wave of electricity appeared in her hands, and she sent it spiraling through the air towards Isabel. The hybrid reacted instantly and raised her hands in a defensive measure. The electricity paused in midair, hovering between the two of them as they both struggled to defeat the other.

From up above, Michael raised his hand and focused his attention on the beams crisscrossing the ceiling. One of the central beams splintered, causing a rain of wood to fall down directly on their enemy. Whitaker glanced up, surprised by the jagged pieces grazing her skin, and that moment of distraction was all Max needed to throw her off her balance with another wave of his hand.

Whitaker gasped, unprepared, and fell to the ground. The burst of electricity hovering in the air between Isabel and the senator, now no longer held in place by their battle, spun backwards towards the skin. It collided with her in a burst of sudden light, and her body glowed an eerie yellow before exploding, sending bits of dry skin flying through the air.

From the balcony above Michael stared, frozen with his mouth hanging open, at the spectacle. Isabel, a bitter taste rising in her mouth, felt her gaze drawn to the place where Whitaker had stood right before the electricity had hit her. Max, however, jumped into action and rushed past Isabel to Tess. Kneeling at her side, he extended his hands over her body and waited for the bruises to heal.

And all around the four of them, the pieces of skin continued to fall, covering the ground like rain.

* * *

Next Chapter: What Comes of Death

Due: Sun 3/23


	12. What Comes of Death

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So, so, so sorry for the delay. I actually had this written a while ago, but then I was out of town and therefore didn't have access to internet or a computer.

* * *

Chapter Twelve: What Comes of Death

Jim Valenti parked his car on the side of the road next to the old factory and jumped out hurriedly. He slammed the door shut, but didn't bother to lock the car. Instead, he turned towards the building, scanning it for any signs of life. Through the dimly lit night, he saw four figures emerging from shadows. Two were walking hurriedly ahead, looking all around as though hunting for other enemies. Another one was walking slowly, limping almost, leaning heavily on the fourth.

He ran forward. "Tess!"

He saw her look up at the sound of his voice and freeze. Max, who was supporting her, turned and whispered something to her, and she nodded slowly. Michael and Isabel paused as well, but still continued to guardedly observe the area around them, hunting for enemies.

"Jim," Tess said weakly, her voice filled with exhaustion.

He pushed past Michael and Isabel and stopped in front of his daughter. Reaching forward, he pulled her away from Max. "Are you okay?"

"Mm…" Tess answered quietly, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm fine, Jim."

"Come on, I'll take you home," he said Glancing over Tess' head towards Max, he asked, "Is it safe? Are there still… enemies… looking for her?"

"Not right now," Max answered. His gaze shifted to Isabel, then he said, "She's safe, for now. Whitaker won't be a threat to anyone anymore."

"Whitaker?" Jim asked, shocked. The New Mexico Senator was involved in all this?

"Yeah…" Max frowned, thinking. "Izzy, you need to return to the birthday party so that people don't start asking questions. When you're there, can you ask Liz if she can get us into the Crashdown after the party? We need to talk about this… about what we learned."

Isabel nodded dumbly. After a moment, she found her voice and said, "Yeah… sure." Her mind was still on other thoughts, and she couldn't get Whitaker's words out of her mind. She found herself silently thankful that the others had not heard Whitaker's proclamation about her past-self's loyalties.

"Tess," Max said, interrupting Isabel's thoughts, "you should go home. We can fill you in on everything that happens at the meeting later."

Surprisingly, the petite hybrid did not protest Max's decision. She just shrugged, a movement that made her wince slightly, and said, "Sure."

"I thought you healed her," Michael interrupted, studying Tess in concern. "Why is she still in pain?"

"Whitaker just tried to beat her to death!" Isabel hissed. "She's bound to be a little sore, even if Max did heal her."

"Yeah, I know, but…" Michael started, but Tess cut him off sharply.

"Guys, stop talking about me like I'm not standing right here listening to you."

Isabel looked slightly abashed, but Michael didn't seem phased by her comment. She glared at him, and he raised his eyebrows, but neither said anything.

Max interrupted the silence. "I'm going to go back with Tess just to make sure their house isn't being watched." Whitaker hadn't been working alone, and it was possible that there were others out there, ready to attack Tess once they realized that the senator had failed at her task.

"There won't be," Isabel said, suddenly remembering that Max didn't know anything about what had transpired during the fight. "Whitaker wasn't after Tess, she was after me."

"_What_?"

Isabel nodded glumly. "She told me that she had thought Tess was me… That's why she took her."

"But why did she want you?" Max asked, his expression darkening in worry and fear. He didn't like the idea that his sister had been a target for the enemies. Then again, he reminded himself, how was that any worse than believing that Tess was the target?

Isabel swallowed nervously, looked Max straight in the eye, and lied, "I don't know."

"Okay, Michael go to the party with Isabel. I'll go back with the Sheriff and Tess. I don't think it is a good idea for any of us to be alone right now," Max ordered tersely. "We will meet up at the Crashdown as soon as the party is over." He handed his car keys to Isabel and turned away, following Tess and Jim towards the Sheriff's car.

Isabel watched him go with a strange look on her face. "When did he start giving orders again?"

Michael slid his arm over her shoulders and directed her back towards Max's car. "Around the same time one of us almost died," he answered simply, his eyes still resting on Tess' stumbling figure as she walked further and further away from them.

* * *

Liz was the first to spot Isabel returning to the party. The tall hybrid slipped into the room and let her gaze wander over all the dancing students. She'd changed into a completely different outfit, and her hair, once perfectly styled, was messy and damp with sweat.

Liz pushed her way through the crowd. She appeared at Isabel's side and caught her by the elbow, asking a one word question, "Tess?"

"She's fine," Isabel replied. "We… we're all fine." She ran a hand through her hair and exhaled slowly, wearily. "We need to meet as soon as the party is over. Max wants to know if you can get us into the Crashdown."

"Sure," Liz agreed readily. She paused, then asked diffidently, "Where is Max?"

"He's taking care of stuff," Isabel answered, obviously distracted. She'd finally managed to locate Alex in the crowd, and he was pushing towards her, his face filled with questions.

"Hey," he said when he reached the two girls.

"We need to stay here until the end of the party," Isabel ordered instantly. "We don't want to draw attention to our absence."

"Uh… okay," Alex said, surprised by the fear in her voice. He was about to ask for more details when Chris appeared next to him, looking expectantly at Isabel.

"Where's Tess?" he asked. "I thought she was with you?"

"Yeah… she, uh…" Isabel stopped, flustered. She didn't really know what to say, she hadn't through it through clearly. Michael was still outside, having opted to wander around the house once just to make sure there weren't any more evil aliens waiting to attack. She thought it was paranoid, but he had insisted, so she'd entered the party alone. And that left her with the task of coming up with the details for their cover story, something she wasn't so sure she could do right now.

Alex, however, stepped in instantly. "She and Isabel ran into some crazy guy when they went outside to get some air," he explained to Chris. "The guy was drunk or high or something, and he tried to hurt Tess." It was close enough to the truth that he doubted the lie would be spotted and far enough away from the truth that no one would start wondering about aliens.

"Is she okay?" Chris asked, suddenly worried. "Where is she? Is she upstairs?"

"She's fine," Alex continued. "She was just a little shaken up. Isabel took her home."

"But she's okay?" Chris pressed, turning to Isabel.

"Yeah, she's fine," Isabel said, shooting Alex a grateful look as she found her voice once again. "She wanted me to tell you that she's sorry she had to leave early. You should stay and have a good time." Chris looked hesitant, but Isabel nodded once to emphasize her point, and he sighed and wandered back into the crowd.

"Quick thinking," Liz complemented with a thin smile.

"Yes, it was," Isabel agreed. Alex blushed slightly, clearly embarrassed by the praise. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away instead.

"Where's Michael?" Liz asked.

"He's scoping out the house to make sure we're not being stalked or anything," Isabel answered honestly. "Where's Maria?"

"Kitchen, I think." Liz glanced over her shoulder. "Come on, we can go back there and fill her in."

Isabel wandered after Liz and Alex, still thinking about the events of the evening. She knew, very soon, she'd have to make a decision about whether or not to inform Max and the others about Whitaker's words. She had lied once, could she do it again? Or should she come clean? She knew they wouldn't hold it against her, what she had done in a past life. But she just didn't want to tell any of them, to reveal this less than pleasant part of her past life.

She thought, also, of Max. His change tonight had been startling and swift. He'd gone from diffident and unsure to a demanding leader almost instantaneously. And although she could not deny that his change had helped to save all their lives, and that it was certainly not unwelcome… it still concerned her. Had he really gotten over everything that had happened? Or was this just temporary, and would he sink back into the silent despair that had plagued him for most of the summer once this was over?

* * *

"Hey, Dad!" Kyle rushed into the house, slamming the door shut behind him as he frantically looked around for his father. "Dad!"

Jim came hurrying out of the kitchen, a half-drunk glass of orange juice in one hand. "What? What's wrong?"

"At the party, I ran into Chris and he said that some psycho guy tried to hurt Tess," Kyle said, out of breath. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Jim said, blinking in surprise. He assumed that the aliens had known what they were doing, spreading a rumor like that, but still… what if someone found out the truth? "She's just a little shook up. She's in her room."

Kyle let out a sigh of relief. "Oh… okay. I was worried."

Jim cracked a small smile. "Yeah, I noticed." He nodded to the door. "You practically tore that thing off its hinges."

"Yeah, well…" Kyle gave a sheepish shrug. "It's not every day you find out someone tried to hurt your sister." He turned and walked towards the hallway, heading to Tess' room to check on her himself.

Jim watched him go in silence. It might not be every day that a normal family found out someone tried to hurt their family member, but Tess was far from normal. He couldn't help but wonder how many times this had happened in the past, and how many times it would happen again in the future.

He looked down at the glass of orange juice and finished it all in one gulp. Walking back into the kitchen, he put the glass down in the sink and stared at the window. When Liz had called him, his heart had almost stopped beating. If Tess was always going to be in this type of danger, how was he going to deal with that? In some ways, he envied Philip and Diane Evans, envied them for all the things they didn't know.

"Kyle's acting sentimental. He came into the room and actually tried to give me a hug. I'm fearing for his sanity."

He turned and saw Tess standing in the door to the kitchen.

"Yeah, he was worried. I guess you got attacked by some random crazy person," Jim answered.

"Happens," Tess responded with a shrug. She hesitated a moment, then said, "You shouldn't have come out to the factory. You didn't know what was out there. It was too dangerous."

Jim stared at her. She'd said it so bluntly, so simply, as though there was no reason at all for him to come. But he could see the actual concern in her eyes, the fear.

He shrugged in return. "Yeah, well… you _are_ my daughter." And he walked past her and out of the room.

* * *

The six of them silently took seats around the table in the Crashdown. Isabel, nervous and uneasy, sat back in her chair as though it might swallow her and take her away from this conversation. Alex slid into the seat next to her, laying his hand so that his fingers just barely touched against her own. She gave him a quick look, and he returned it with a reassuring smile.

Maria watched the exchange with interest, her eyes darting back and forth between the two. She then looked at Michael, who had taken a seat across from Isabel. When she and Alex had been dating at the very beginning of last year, he'd been kind and sweet and… loyal. Well… right up until he lied to her about the whole alien thing. But things with Michael were difficult and unpredictable and sometimes downright unpleasant. So why on earth did she like him this much?

Max pulled out the chair on the other side of his sister and sat down. Liz sat across from him, with Maria in between the brunette and her ex-boyfriend. The tension in the air was almost overwhelming, and the blonde waitress opted to break the uncomfortable silence quickly.

"So… what happened?"

All eyes turned to Isabel, who was the only one able to provide answers.

Isabel gave a little half-shrug. "I don't really know. I mean… Tess was kidnapped… by Senator Whitaker."

"Okay, but why would the Senator want Tess?" Maria asked.

"She didn't," Isabel answered softly. "She wanted me." She hesitated, then continued, "Or, rather, she wanted who I used to be. She didn't know which one of us it was, so she took Tess instead."

"How is Tess?" Alex asked.

Max answered the question, "She'll be okay. I healed her injuries. She just needs some rest." He didn't mention how badly she'd been beaten or that she hadn't fully recovered and was still weak and exhausted. Those details would only concern the others, and he saw no reason to worry the three humans any more than necessary.

"Why did Whitaker want you?" Alex asked.

"She's our enemy. She's an alien. She said she wanted…" Isabel stopped for a moment, then continued, "She wanted Vilandra. That is who I used to be."

"Vilandra?" Liz and Alex both said at the same time, looking up in sharp surprise.

"Does the name mean something to you?" Max asked, giving Liz a hard stare.

"I… I overheard Nicolas Crawford… he, uh… he runs Whitaker's campaign. He was talking to someone on the phone. Talking about how they needed Vilandra." She paused a little warily. "I thought it was a government project or something, so I asked Alex to look into it. He didn't find anything, though."

"The mayor is in on it, whatever it is," Michael said thoughtfully. "Tess and I, when we broke into his office, we found some notes on it. On the Vilandra Project."

"You broke into the mayor's office?" Maria demanded hoarsely. She had not heard of this particular event, and part of her was torn between fear that Michael could have gotten caught and frustration that he had taken Tess with him instead of her.

"Long story," Michael said dismissively. "The point is, the Mayor is probably an alien also."

"So… the mayor, one of our senators, and her campaign manager… we're surrounded by aliens," Liz said with a puzzled expression. "If they're all over the place, how come they never found you?"

"I don't think they're looking for all of us," Isabel answered. "Remember what Nasedo told us last year? Our enemies are after the Granolith. And, apparently, me."

"Yeah, but they still want us dead," Max argued. No matter how much they may want the Granolith, they clearly wanted the Royal Four out of the way as well. And he wasn't about to let anyone hurt his family.

"Oh…" Liz said suddenly, her face creasing in thought. "I just remembered something…" She jumped to her feet. "I'll be right back," she said hurriedly as she walked towards the back room.

Max watched her go with a confused frown, but then turned to Isabel and asked, "Did Whitaker say anything else before we got there?"

Isabel nodded. "She mentioned something about Nasedo… she thinks he is responsible for why we don't remember anything about our past lives. She thinks he's playing us, using us."

"He gave us the answers, though," Max countered, shaking his head.

"Not all of them," Michael pointed out dryly. "He's been less than forthcoming with quite a few details. And we always knew he couldn't be completely trusted. He's got his own agenda." He slanted a look at Isabel. "Did Whitaker say anything specific?"

"No… just that he tampered with everything so that we wouldn't remember…"

"He's using you," Alex said quietly, but with a firm tone. "Think about it. He's making you dependant on him. You went to him to help with Pierce and the FBI. You went to him for explanations about your past, your enemies, your gifts. He's made himself indispensable to you."

"So what do we do?" Maria asked harshly. "He killed the real Sean. We should have known not to trust him."

"He has answers," Max replied quietly, wincing as he saw Maria's anger flare in her eyes. "We still need the knowledge that he has. We still need his help."

"So he can kill you, too?" Maria shot back. "Hardly!"

"He doesn't know that he know this," Max mused contemplatively. "I say we pretend like we still trust him, and figure out a way to use that to our advantage."

"Um… guys?" Isabel cut in, "why are we actually trusting Whitaker? How do we know that she isn't just trying to turn against Nasedo? It could all be a lie." She wanted to believe it was a lie. She wanted to believe everything their enemy had said was a lie so that she could convince herself that she had never betrayed her brother and his family. Had she really gotten them all killed in a past life?

And was Whitaker right? Did history always repeat itself?

Max let out a frustrated sigh. "She's got a point," he conceded unwillingly.

Before the argument could continue any longer, Liz repeared, holding a note in one hand. She extended it to Max, who took it with a questioning look.

"I… um… I sort of broke into Whitaker's office at one point… and looked around…" She flushed a deep red as Maria and Alex gaped at her. Max, she knew, was glowering, but she refused to meet his eyes and stared instead at her two best friends. "I wanted to know if she was our enemy. Max had warned me that she might be involved in something…"

"So you broke into the office of a potentially dangerous enemy?" Max snapped.

"Well, it wasn't technically breaking and entering," Liz protested. "The door was unlocked."

"That's not the point," Max argued. "I specifically told you not to do anything stupid, and you went and…"

"I'm just trying to look out for you," Liz shot back, annoyed. "That's what friends do."

"Stop it," Isabel said suddenly, harshly. "Stop arguing. Maybe Liz was an idiot, but you can't go back and change what happened, so why don't we focus on the present. Or did you forget that there are apparently enemies all around us?"

Max looked slightly abashed by Isabel's comment, but he still shot one last angry look at Liz. Then he stared at the note she had given him.

A list of dates starting from 1950, corresponding with phrases or words.

"Look," Isabel said suddenly, pointing to one of the dates. "It says 'Signal.' That was from last May. It corresponds to the same day that we put that black device into the Granolith."

"Do you think it sent out a signal to them?" Michael asked curiously, leaning across the table to better see the wrinkled paper.

"Whitaker said it did," Isabel replied, glancing up at Michael. "She said that they had heard the signal, that's how they knew the Granolith was here."

"So… our enemies know where the Granolith is… or at least that it is near this town, some of them are apparently after Isabel, and we still have the issue of Nasedo's trustworthiness and the body the archeologist found in the desert to worry about…"

"Yeah," Alex said with a nod. "I think that pretty much sums it up."

* * *

"Izzy?" Max pushed open the door to her bedroom and stepped inside. They'd just returned home, apologizing profusely to their parents for being late, and blaming the party. Mr. Evans had been somewhat more suspicious than his wife, but they had both eventually let the matter slide and ordered their children to bed.

Isabel looked up from where she was sitting on her bed, running a brush through her hair. She'd changed into her pajamas, and had pulled a bathrobe over her shoulders. "Hey," she said softly.

He took a seat next to her. "You want to talk?" Isabel gave him a look, and he elaborated gently, "You look the way I felt after… after I killed Pierce."

"She wanted to kill us," Isabel said. "Or… well, she wanted to kill the three of you. She was hurting Tess and I… I just wanted to protect us. But I… I killed her." She looked down, trying in vain to wish away the burning tears in her eyes. "How do I justify that?"

"I don't know," Max answered honestly. "I'm sort of in the same boat." Pierce would have killed them all without a second thought, but did that make killing him first a justified solution?

Isabel gave a watery smile. "What if we have to kill again, Max? What if this doesn't get any better, any easier? What if it really is a war?"

"Then we will do whatever we have to," Max answered stoically. "We will protect ourselves and the people we love." He placed his hand over hers. "And we will do it together, as a family."

She looked up at him, at his trusting tawny eyes and the sincere faith in his expression, and felt her heart breaking inside her chest. How could she have ever betrayed him so much in a past life? How could she have done this to him? And why did she deserve his faith now?

In that moment, she resolved never to tell anyone about Vilandra's betrayal. It would be her secret, one that she would have to come to terms with on her own. But she simply couldn't burden anyone else with those truths. She had made this mess, and somehow, she would pull herself out of it.

* * *

"I heard she was attacked by a ex-convict! He came to the party and tried to kill her. She had to fight him off all on her own."

"Really? I heard he had a gun."

"No, it was a knife. And he was totally high on crack or something."

"That's because he was a drug dealer."

"No, he was sober. But he was running from the law, you know. An escaped felon. He wanted to take her as a hostage."

"Wow."

"I know, crazy, right?"

"And she fought him off?"

"I heard she had help."

"From who? I heard she was all alone when he tried to kill her. That's why he chose her, because she was an easy target."

"He didn't want her dead! He just wanted a hostage."

"Why?"

"Because he needed to negotiate with the CIA. He was running from them, you know."

* * *

Alex looked up in surprise, turning away from his locker as Tess stopped by his side. He certainly had not expected her to willingly speak to him at school, but when he looked around to see who she might have stopped for, he realized that he was alone.

"Uh… hi, Tess," he said, a little awkward. "How are you?"

Tess rolled her eyes in frustration and gestured around the half-empty hallway. "Everybody has been asking me how I'm doing," she complained. "Whatever rumors you guys started to cover my absence at the party this weekend, they've spiraled out of control."

Alex nodded, trying his best to appear unamused by her comment. He'd heard the circulating rumors also, they'd traveled so quickly that by the start of school that morning everyone seemed to have a different theory on what had happened… and it was only Monday. How much longer was this going to go on?

"Yes, I heard you were attacked by a escaped prisoner of the CIA. You were going to be his hostage." Alex smiled slightly, but noted that Tess' expression only grew darker.

"Yeah," she sighed, "or an ex-convict who wanted to kill me."

"Well, at least it is far enough away from the truth that nobody will suspect the reality of the situation," Alex pointed out. He shifted his backpack in his arms, wondering why Tess had sought him out. He doubted it was just to talk about the rumors.

"Have you spoken to Isabel?" Tess demanded.

"No," Alex replied. "At least, not today. I'll probably see her at lunch."

"Hmm… okay."

"Why?" Alex asked, suddenly worried. "Is she alright? Did something happen?" He'd spoken to her a few times since the party and Tess' abduction, and she'd seemed withdrawn and moody, but he just assumed that she was preoccupied with everything that had happened. It had been a stressful weekend for all of them, after all.

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me," Tess replied. She licked her dry lips and lowered her voice, "She's been acting strange, and I thought maybe she had told you whatever was bothering her."

Alex shook his head. "She hasn't said anything to me."

Tess sighed. "Alright… well… I guess just… keep an eye on her, okay? Just in case."

Alex blinked. He was a little confused as to why Tess was standing here, asking for his help in something related to Isabel. He was fairly certain that the petite hybrid only tolerated his presence because she was too lazy to torment him anymore. He knew that she still didn't like him, that none of Isabel's friends did. But here she was, asking for his opinion, asking for his help.

"I'll do that," Alex said softly.

"Hey, Tess," Chris said, coming up behind her and draping his arm over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" He gave Alex a curious look.

"Nothing," Tess answered quickly, turning away from Alex. "You heading to class?"

"Yeah," Chris replied, "you coming?"

Tess hesitated, glancing over her shoulder at Alex. She knew he was in class with her and Chris, and some part of her wanted to ignore him completely and walk away like she would have in the past. But…

Isabel liked him.

And Isabel had come rushing to save her, despite not knowing what the danger was, despite not knowing what was wrong in the first place. Isabel had heard her subconscious call and responded… because they were family.

It made her think of Jim, of the way he had looked at her when he reminded her that she was still his daughter, and he wasn't just going to leave her in danger. Family, she knew, made people do strange things.

Before she could really think through what she was saying, she had already started speaking.

"Are you coming?"

"Wh-what?" Alex stuttered.

"To class," Tess clarified, rolling her eyes. "Are you coming to class?"

"Um… sure." Alex slammed his locker shut and followed Tess and Chris through the hallway, unable to quite comprehend what had just happened.

* * *

Next Chapter: Not Over Yet

Due: Sun 4/6


	13. Not Over Yet

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: Not Over Yet

"Senator Whitaker is dead," Mrs. Banks said coldly as she entered her "daughter's" room. Courtney was sprawled on the bed, flipping through the pages of the latest _Glamour_ magazine, looking for all the world like a normal human teenager. She looked up as the other woman entered and gave a simple shrug.

"So?"

"Your information was incorrect," Mrs. Banks continued. "Tess Harding is not Vilandra."

Courtney wrinkled her nose. She'd known all along that giving Tess' name would wind up getting her into trouble because she would, of course, have to come up with an explanation for why her facts had been wrong. "Isabel Evans is Vilandra? Hmm… Well, she's showing no interest in Michael Guerin at all." Neither was Tess, but nobody had to know that.

"Do you understand how serious this is, Courtney?" Mrs. Banks demanded. "Stop treating it like it is just a minor setback."

Courtney sat up in bed. "Mother, _darling_, how is this so important? The Mayor, Nicolas, and the two of us are still in position. If Whitaker was incompetent enough to get herself killed, she certainly wasn't an asset anyway."

Mrs. Banks rolled her eyes at Courtney's proclamation. "Sometimes I wonder about your loyalties, Courtney, _dear_, as your heart does not seem to be in this."

Courtney gave a harsh laugh. "My heart doesn't seem to be in this?" she echoed mockingly. "While you and Nicolas and Whitaker and the mayor were all sitting back doing nothing for the past few weeks, I've been ingratiating myself with the group. I've gotten a job at the diner were Guerin works, and I've made friends with Isabel Evans and those three humans. I'm the one doing all the dangerous work here, not you and your pathetic band of friends."

Mrs. Banks narrowed her eyes. "Watch your tongue, Courtney," she warned, "or I'll rip it out of your mouth." She turned and stalked from the room, still fuming.

Courtney fell back onto the bed once more. As she stared in the direction of the older woman's retreating figure, she murmured under her breath, "This isn't over yet."

* * *

Maria carried the stack of precariously balancing trays into the backroom of the Crashdown and set them down on the counter. Michael was working the grill, leaning over the hot stove with a concentrating expression, flipping hamburgers over and over. Courtney was standing a few steps away from him, watching him with a slight smile as she held onto several bottles of ketchup.

"Hey, Courtney, you should put those on the tables," Maria said, nodding at the bottles. The other blonde started, then gave an embarrassed nod and hurried from the room.

Michael glanced over at Maria. "What?" he asked when he realized she was still staring at him with a suspicious expression on her face.

"Did you not see Courtney checking you out?" Maria asked sarcastically, one eyebrow quirked questioningly.

Michael slid several hamburgers from the grill, flipping them easily onto a nearby plate. He turned his back on Maria as he grabbed a set of hotdogs and rolled them easily across the now hissing stovetop. Finally, he glanced at Maria and said, "She's new. She's a little unsure of what to do. She was hanging out back here trying to get her bearings."

"Right," Maria drawled, shaking her head.

"She's your friend, Maria," Michael snapped, a little annoyed.

Maria gave a huff of impatience and walked out of the room. She paused in the crowded diner, her eyes quickly traveling over the patrons. She paused as she noted who was sitting at one of the tables, and a quick look of dismay settled over her features before she could force it away.

Alex was sitting with Isabel… and Kyle, Tess, and Sara. The past two days, he'd spent more and more time with them, eating lunch at their table in the school quad, hanging out with them at the Crashdown after school.

"Looks like he might finally be getting what he wants," a voice commented, and she turned to see Liz standing there, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"Yeah," Maria agreed. She couldn't deny that she was happy for Alex. He'd liked Isabel for so long, and it seemed like the hybrid liked him as well. They'd certainly been spending a lot more time together lately. But…

She didn't like that he was hanging out with the popular crowd. She didn't like to consider the possibility that he would soon have other friends, friends that would replace her and Liz. As she had seen all to well with Isabel, it was easy to get sucked into that crowd, easy to leave everyone else behind in the desire to belong somewhere.

Liz, oblivious to Maria's thoughts, remarked, "It's strange to be here during the day and not be on waitress duty."

"Well, you did give it up to be an intern for Whitaker," Maria pointed out. Lowering her voice, she asked, "How's that going, by the way?"

Liz shrugged. "Nicolas said they found her body, but we know from Isabel's story that he must be lying. Still, he gave me a few days off while they plan the funeral and all that. Next week he says he might need me to come back and help with the arrangements for ending the campaign."

"How did they say she died?"

"Myocardial infarction," Liz answered.

"Huh?" Maria asked, giving Liz a blank look.

"Heart attack."

"Oh."

They were both silent for a moment, mulling over this information. With Whitaker gone, they had one less person to worry about, but it was clear that several others were somehow involved in this. How much danger were they in, and how much longer would it be until the next attack?

"Why are they all suddenly being nice to Alex?" Maria asked finally, gesturing towards Kyle, Sara, and Tess.

Liz frowned at her friends question. "I don't know. Alex said it started this week. Tess was being nice to him, and since Isabel like him also… the others just sort of followed suit." She gave Maria a searching stare. "Why?"

Maria bit her lip. "I just don't want him to get hurt." She could envision all sorts of cruel pranks that ended with Alex being humiliated and kicked out of the group, and she swore to herself she would cause serious harm to anyone who did that.

At that moment, Tess got out of her seat and walked over to the two. "I'm sure you two are having a lovely time standing her ignoring all your patrons, but some of us actually want to order," she said to Maria, giving the girl a sneering smile. "Or did you forget that waiting on people is sort of the whole point of being a waitress?"

As if on cue, Michael stuck his head out of the backroom. "Is anyone going to pick up these orders?" he demanded, holding out two plates filled with hamburgers and fries.

"We'll talk later," Liz promised as she turned to go.

Maria nodded and grabbed the plates from Michael, passing Courtney as she did so. The new waitress was trying to hold three platters in her arms, and she stumbled slightly, almost dropping them. Michael, only a few feet away, reached out to steady her before she could lose hold of her dishes, and she flashed him a grateful smile.

"Apparently balance isn't one of my fortes," she said with a sheepish smile.

"You get used to it," Michael said, his face betraying no emotion at all. He turned and walked away, disappearing into the back room, and Maria scowled as she watched him go.

Liz observed the interaction, but chose not to comment on it. She, too, made her way out of the diner, heading towards the staircase that lead up to her own home. She hadn't gotten that far up the stairs, however, before she heard Tess call out her name.

"Liz. Wait a second."

The brunette turned to find Tess at the base of the stairs. "What?" she asked, startled.

Tess quickly climbed the stairs. "What's going on at Whitaker's office? Does… what was his name… Nicolas Crawford?... suspect you of anything?"

Liz shook her head. "Not as far as I know. He's given me a few days off while he takes care of things."

Tess accepted this in silence. She still seemed to be worried about something, but she didn't divulge her fears. Instead, she sighed and said, "Let us know if anything changes."

"Of course," Liz said, allowing herself a moment to be confused. She didn't understand why Tess was taking the time to talk to right now. Usually, she would just get her information from Isabel or Max, or occasionally Michael. This was a weird change in attitude.

"And be careful," Tess added.

Liz raised both eyebrows, speechless. "Uh… okay," she stammered finally. After another moment's pause, she added, "I haven't actually mentioned this to Max, but Mr. Crawford did say that Whitaker has family somewhere in Arizona. Copper Summit, I think. I don't know if it is worth checking out or anything, but… well, maybe you should talk to Max and see what he says?"

Tess pursed her lips. "What am I, your telephone service? Give him the message yourself."

Liz smirked inwardly. Not _that_ sounded a lot more like the Tess she knew. But her expression sobered as she said, "I think he might prefer to hear it from you. He's… uh… not really pleased with me at the moment."

Tess rolled her eyes. "And avoiding him is your plan to fix it?" she asked derisively. "Now that's just pathetic."

Liz flushed. "Look, you don't know anything about what is going on between me and Max…"

"There _isn't_ anything going on between you and Max," Tess interrupted.

"Yeah, well, not for lack of trying on my part," Liz retorted, annoyed.

"Oh, is that what you're calling it now?" Tess asked, a smirk curving the corners of her lips. "He discovers that he's a king meant to save his planet from war, he kills someone to save us all, and he's so upset by all of this that he breaks up with the love of his life. And what do you do? Pretty much nothing. You let him walk away and then you spend the next four months sulking and complaining. You call that fighting, Liz? Because from where I'm standing, that looks an awful lot like giving up."

Liz watched in frustrated silence as Tess stalked back down the stairs and disappeared into the diner. With an angry sigh, Liz turned and stormed up the stairs. She slammed the door to her bedroom shut and flopped onto the bed, fuming. It was so like Tess to just butt into somebody else's problem and act like she had any idea what was going on, like she alone knew what was best.

Still… Liz sat up in the bed again, thinking. Maybe Tess had a point. Maybe she should stop waiting for Max to deal with what had happened. Maybe she should stop waiting for him to realize that she loved him and she wasn't going anywhere.

Maybe it was time she took those arguments to him and made him face the facts that she wasn't giving up on him.

It wasn't over yet.

* * *

Michael reached out for the doorknob of his apartment, then froze as some sixth sense warned him that he was not alone. He turned around slowly, his scanning the darkness of the hallway for whoever might be standing there. He saw nothing at first, but then a figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

He was average height and nondescript. Brown hair, neither light nor dark, and trimmed neatly. Brown eyes, a little cold and perhaps a little dark, peered out of slightly tan skin. He was caring a suitcase and dressed in a simple black suit.

But Michael felt a familiar presence, a pull of something not-so-foreign, and said questioningly, "Nasedo?"

"You recognize me through my disguise. You are improving. I am impressed," the shape-shifter answered calmly.

Michael made no expression, but stared at Nasedo with concealed curiosity. He remembered what Isabel and Maria had both said about Nasedo, remembered that they knew he wasn't trustworthy. But that they had agreed not to reveal any of that to him, not until he was no longer useful.

"So I take it our problems in Washington D.C. have been solved?" Michael asked as he pushed open the door to his apartment and allowed Nasedo to enter.

"Yes," Nasedo replied as he followed Michael into the apartment. "The FBI won't be bothering you now."

"Okay," Michael said. "Well, that's good."

"What happened here?" Nasedo asked, scrutinizing Michael's expression and finding himself concerned by something reflected in the taciturn hybrid's eyes. "Besides finding the body in the desert, that is."

"Did you know Senator Whitaker was an alien?"

Nasedo frowned, weighing the sentence carefully. Finally, instead of answering, he asked a question of his own. "Was?"

Past tense.

Michael nodded grimly. "She kidnapped Tess. Apparently, she'd been after Isabel, thought Tess was Isabel… got the wrong hybrid. Isabel… Isabel killed her." He sat down next on the sofa, still watching Nasedo with hidden suspicion.

"Is Tess alright?"

Michael snorted, but nodded slowly. "Yeah, she's fine now. She recovered."

"So Whitaker was a skin," Nasedo mused thoughtfully as he too sat down. He'd known that, of course, had been able to sense it when they stood in the same room during the Senate hearing. Still, it was interesting that she'd already made a move on the Royal Four… and disturbing that Isabel, or Vilandra, had been her intended target.

"Skin?"

"The enemy aliens," Nasedo replied. "They came to Earth but were unable to live here, so they had to create husks, skin cocoons, to protect them from the atmosphere. Riverdog called them skins, so I do too." He paused, then asked, "Did she say why she was after Isabel?"

"No," Michael answered, and Nasedo could hear the truth in that one word. It made him feel slightly better to know that they still didn't know that bit of information.

"That's concerning, then. Isabel may still be in danger," Nasedo said.

"Do you know why they are after Isabel?" Michael demanded suspiciously.

Nasedo shook his head, knowing better than to reveal the truth. "Perhaps they think she is the weakest, and therefore would be the easiest to kill. Or maybe they think she is the strongest and therefore it is necessary to get her out of the way." He paused, then added, "Personally, had it been me, I would have targeted Max."

"What do you know about these aliens? These, uh, skins?"

"They're lead by Khivar, who rules Antar as king now that he has overthrown the king… Max. They followed you to Earth. They want you dead," Nasedo answered simply.

"Why?"

"Because you are a threat to them," Nasedo explained. "Michael, together the four of you are incredibly powerful. Almost unstoppable. They fear that, so they fear you."

Michael rolled his eyes a little impatiently. "You can't tell us anything else?"

"I don't know what else you want me to tell you," Nasedo answered honestly. "I can't tell you how to defeat them. I can't tell you how to become who you were in the past."

"We think the Mayor is a skin, and Whitaker's campaign manager, Nicolas Crawford…"

"_What_?"

Nasedo's sharp rejoinder caught Michael off-guard, and he paused mid-sentence, staring at the shape-shifter in confusion. The other alien had risen to his feet and was pacing suddenly, agitated.

"Nicolas is here? In Roswell?"

"Do you know him?"

Nasedo let out a sharp breath and nodded slowly. "He's Khivar's younger brother."

Michael absorbed this silently. Nasedo certainly didn't appear to be working for the skins, he was so thrown by the fact that Nicolas was here, on Earth. The shape-shifter still couldn't be trusted, but they appeared to at least have a common enemy.

"Is he powerful?"

"More than you could possibly imagine," Nasedo answered, taking his seat again. "If he's on Earth, Michael, this battle is far from over."

* * *

Diane Evans opened the door and looked surprised to see Liz standing there, holding a sheath of papers under her arm, and looking nervous.

"Hello, Mrs. Evans," Liz said in a voice of forced cheerfulness. "Is Max here?"

"He's upstairs, working on homework," Mrs. Evans said, opening the door a little wider and letting Liz enter the house. "You can go on up."

Liz smiled again and slid by the other woman. "Thank you, Mrs. Evans," she said politely. She hurried up the stairs, pausing outside of Max's room. The door was partially shut, and she could see him hunched over the desk, flipping through the pages of a textbook. She stepped inside and shut the door behind her, and the sound of it snapping closed caught Max's attention.

He looked up, eyes widening in shock and then concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "Did something happen?"

Liz shook her head. "No, nothing happened, Max. I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you."

Max frowned apprehensively. "Liz, if this is about anything related to Whitaker, I think it is best if you let us handle it from now on. I mean… you'll have to keep the job until Mr. Crawford lets you go, of course. We can't draw attention to you. But I don't think you should be investigating anything."

Liz waited for him to finish talking, then took a seat across from him on the edge of the bed. The room, neat and organized and very… green… seemed remarkably less friendly now that she was no longer his girlfriend. Last year she'd spent time here, talking with him while she sprawled across his green comforter or wrapped herself in his green sheets. Now, she felt like an intruder, unwanted and unwelcome.

That would change, she silently vowed.

"I'm not here to talk about that," Liz answered. "I agree that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to draw any attention to myself right now. We should wait until we have a little bit better of an idea of what's going on."

Max shook his head. "There's no _we_, Liz. It isn't the seven of us anymore."

Liz shrugged. "You know, Max, that's not really your call. It is my decision if I'm in this or not, and I'm not about to just leave."

"Liz…"

"Max, listen to me. I wish I could say I know what this is like for you. But I don't know. I _can't_ know. And maybe it isn't something you'll ever be able to adequately explain to me. Maybe it isn't something that you can really share with me so much. Maybe it is something that you need to talk to Michael, Isabel, and Tess about. But I'm not going to leave just because this is difficult."

"Liz…"

"I brought you these," Liz said, holding up a stack of papers. "It's some information I got from medical journals of pediatric onset leukemia. I don't know what kind Sydney has, so I had to get information on several varieties." She placed them on the desk next to them. "I don't know if anything in there could explain why you can't heal her. But I thought… well, maybe it would be worth it to look."

Max sifted through the papers as Liz got to her feet and walked to the door. She knew better than to stay and impress her point upon him. She wasn't going to go anywhere, and she wasn't going to give up, but he also needed to come around to her way of thinking on his own and in his own time.

With her pushing him along subtly, of course.

Max glanced up from the papers as Liz reached the door. "Liz, I don't even understand half these articles. T-cells? Lymphocytes? I'm not a scientist."

Liz glanced at him, a smile playing around the corners of her lips. "Well, then I suppose you'd need to get help from someone who does understand science. Hmm… too bad you're not still dating that brunette aspiring molecular biologist."

Max didn't say anything else, and she walked out of the room. It hadn't been a great conversation, he hadn't confessed his love and admitted to being an idiot. They weren't back together. But it was a start, a step in the right direction. And it was a sign…

This relationship definitely wasn't over.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Circle Game

Due: Sun 4/13


	14. The Circle Game

Title: The Circle Game

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: The title of the chapter is taken from Joni Mitchell's song _The Circle Game_. So I don't own the title of the chapter either.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Circle Game

_We can't go back, _

_We can only look behind_

_From where we came_

_And go round and round and round_

_In the circle game_

"Nicolas is Khivar's _brother_?"

"You know," Tess said dryly, glancing over at Isabel, "no matter how many times you ask that question, the answer is going to be the same."

"The information came from Nasedo. We can't be sure it is true," Isabel countered.

"Yes, but what could he possibly gain from lying about this?" Tess countered.

"Oh, I don't know," Isabel answered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "How about instilling incredible amounts of fear in all of us?"

Michael and Max glanced between the two arguing girls. The four of them were standing near the base of the cliffs where they had met so many times before. Michael had called the meeting, filled with news about Nasedo's return.

Max kicked at one of the loose rocks, watching as it bounced down the sloped incline towards the road below. "I agree with Tess. I doubt Nasedo would have lied about this. Either way, we need to be careful."

"Liz mentioned to me that Whitaker had family in Copper Summit in Arizona," Tess said thoughtfully. "They're probably somehow related to this."

Max blinked in surprise. "Liz didn't tell me that when she came over yesterday."

"Liz came over yesterday?" Isabel asked, surprised. Michael seemed incredibly uninterested in Max's estranged relationship with his ex-girlfriend, and Tess was too busy ignoring Max to really pay attention to what he was saying.

"Yeah… just to talk," Max answered, his face flushing slightly at Isabel's searching gaze.

"Anyway," Michael said, interrupting before the conversation could progress any further, "What do we do now?"

Max shook his head. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Michael echoed. "How can we do nothing?"

"We don't know enough, and if Nicolas is really as dangerous as Nasedo said, the last thing we want to do is put ourselves in more danger," Max argued.

Michael folded his arms over his chest, glaring. "We're already in danger, Max. That's not going to change."

"So why go out of our way to find danger when it is going to find us?" Max replied logically.

"Because if we're going to war, why should we wait and let them attack us? We take the fight to them, strike before they can hurt us!"

"We're not at war," Isabel interjected. "It's not like we've got an army behind us, preparing to fight. It's just the four of us."

"Seven."

"What?" Max and Isabel both looked over at Tess.

She shrugged. "It's the seven of us. You're forgetting Alex, Maria, and Liz." She could tell that the other three hybrids were more than a little surprised that she was the one including the three humans in this, but she continued, "Look, I don't think we should include them in all our conversations. And certainly not in our plans to fight. They don't have powers…" she glanced at Isabel and corrected herself, "I mean, they don't have _gifts_, and are going to be a liability more than an asset. But they are involved in this, and we can't really ignore that, can we? Who's to say that Nicolas and the other enemy aliens… uh, skins… aren't going to target one of them?"

"It still doesn't change anything," Isabel protested. "This isn't a war."

"Then what do you call it?" Michael demanded heatedly. "Because from everything I've learned over the past few months, I'd say this is _exactly_ a war!"

"We're just… us. Teenagers."

"Except that Nicolas, Khivar, and the others don't view us as teenagers. They still think of us as this legendary group of royals," Tess retorted. "And as long as they think that, we don't have any other choice than to live up to their expectations."

"It's us or them," Michael agreed firmly, staring hard at Max. "And I don't want us to be the ones who die."

Max ran a hand through his hair. "I get what you're saying, Michael. But what exactly are we supposed to do? We don't know enough to fight back right now."

"We could go to Copper Summit," Michael suggested.

"And what? Knock on the doors and ask if the people there are skins?" Max replied sarcastically. "We have no idea what we could be walking into, and I…"

"I'm not just going to wait for one of us to get killed!" Michael exploded. "That's already almost happened to Tess… _twice_."

"We have to proceed with caution," Max said again. "I'm not… I'm not going to condone rushing off into some crazy goose-chase that could get us all killed."

"Yeah, and I'm sure your wait and see method is going to go so well," Michael snapped irritably. He turned away from the others, knowing that the conversation would get them nowhere. Max wasn't going to bend on this one, and Isabel was too afraid to want to fight back right now. That left Tess, and while there was a chance that she would be on his side, he could also tell from her current silence that she had no intention of intervening in this argument.

"Better than walking into danger," Max murmured.

"Fine," Michael hissed. "Then what do we do the next time one of us gets kidnapped, Max? And the time after that? Does one of us need to die for you to realize that waiting isn't going to help us?"

"Your plan puts us in even more danger," Max replied levelly. "Open your eyes, Michael. We're not equipped to fight these people, not right now. We need time to plan… we need more information."

Michael shook his head angrily, and Isabel bit her lip in worried apprehension. Max looked away from the others, refusing to meet Michael's furious gaze. And Tess silently watched the other three, her eyes narrowed, her face blank.

As they all walked away moments later, Max caught Tess' arm and said, "Eight."

"What?"

"It's eight. Not seven. You were forgetting Sheriff Valenti."

* * *

"So… we still have this project to work on," Maria said as she took a seat next to Max. Their history class was slowly filling up, students drifting in from the hallway moments before the bell was due to ring.

Max glanced at her and gave a gloomy nod, not looking forward to the project. The two of them had been matched with Kyle, and the last time they tried to pick a topic the jock had gone out of his way to be rude to Max. Whatever baggage he was carrying, it was going to make this entire process incredibly unpleasant.

"Yeah," Max muttered, looking down at his desk.

Maria frowned and slanted a look over at Kyle, who was animatedly talking with Isabel. She knew Tess had altered any of Kyle's memories that pertained to aliens, and so she couldn't understand what grudges he would still be holding onto. He shouldn't really remember most of what he would have been upset about.

So why was he being such a jerk?

Max, however, was too preoccupied with other thoughts to worry as much about Kyle. He was thinking instead of Liz, of the way she'd walked into his room as though she belonged there and demanded to be in his life once again.

He loved her.

Maria gave Max another look, then realized he wasn't paying any attention to her. He was obviously off in his own thoughts, and was not going to be any help. With a sigh of frustration, she walked over to Kyle by herself.

Both he and Isabel stopped talking the moment Maria approached. When it became clear that Maria wanted to talk with Kyle, Isabel discreetly slipped away, leaving the two alone.

"So, we have to work on this project," Maria said.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Can you stop by the Crashdown after school today? I'm working until 5pm, and then we could meet after that," Maria offered.

Kyle shrugged, unconcerned. "Yeah, sure. Sounds good." He glanced over at Max. "Is Evans coming also?"

"Of course," Maria stressed. "It is a _group_ project."

"Yeah, fine. Okay." He pushed past Maria and slid into a seat, slumping forward and resting his elbows on the desk.

Maria huffed, but decided not to press the issue. She had not idea what the problem was, and certainly wasn't sure how to fix it.

She turned, about to leave, but Isabel caught her by the arm. "You can't fix every relationship," she murmured under her breath, glancing over at Kyle with a slight nod. "Just let it go. He's never going to like Max."

"Why?" Maria hissed, annoyed.

Isabel shrugged. "Ask Tess. She's the one who knows him best. But he's been like this for a while now. Ever since the beginning of the summer."

"Since the stuff with the FBI?" Maria asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Isabel nodded. "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

It wasn't difficult to track down Tess during lunch. As usual, she was sitting in the center of the quad, surrounded by her group of popular friends, leaning against her boyfriend. Chris had his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

What was difficult was getting a chance to talk to her in private.

Maria marched up to the table and stared at Tess. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked.

"Go ahead," Tess answered, raising one eyebrow curiously. Next to her, Sara stifled a giggle. Cliff, sitting across from them, looked up at Maria, his eyes filled with mocking laughter.

"Not here," Maria said, ignoring the others. "I… uh, it's personal."

"Personal?" Sara demanded, grinning. "What could you possibly have to say that would actually interest Tess?"

"Maybe she's asking for advice on something?" Cliff suggested. "You know… like how not to be a freak?"

But Tess gave Maria a searching look, then said, "Drop it, guys." She rose to her feet. "I'll be right back." And she gestured for Maria to follow her away from the table.

"You have such charming friends," Maria said sarcastically.

Tess didn't answer the comment. Instead, she asked, "Did something happen? Is Michael alright?"

"He's fine," Maria said dismissively, but inwardly she was smiling. The fact that Tess automatically assumed that if Maria wanted to talk to her, it had to be about Michael, simply meant that Tess still thought of the two of them as a couple. And that made Maria particularly happy.

"Then what is it?"

"Um… actually, it's Kyle."

The reaction on Tess was alarming. She seemed to freeze, her eyes widening slightly. In a split-second, true fear appeared on her face. It was gone a moment later, and she was asking in a calm voice, "What about him?"

But Maria had seen that flash of terror, and she realized that not only did Tess care incredibly deeply for her brother, but she was also worried about him.

"He's been… different," Maria said.

Tess reached out, catching Maria's arm in a vise-like grip. "Different? What do you mean?"

"Um… just that… well, he's being really mean to Max. And I thought… well, shouldn't he not really remembering any of… of what happened before?"

Tess let go of Maria's arm, relaxing. "Oh. Okay."

"What did you think I meant?" Maria demanded skeptically.

Tess didn't answer. She didn't want to explain any of it to Maria, didn't want to explain her fears to anyone. But she knew, better than most, the fragility of the brain, and the amount of damage extensive use of her gifts could cause. What she'd done to Kyle was big, bigger than almost anything else she'd ever done. And although she had assured everyone that it would have no unfortunate side-effects… well, she was still worried. And she'd still kept an eye on Kyle, watching him closely when he wasn't looking, searching for any signs that something might be going wrong.

"Tess?"

The blonde hybrid shook her head, ringlets bouncing slightly. "You dragged me away from my friends, away from lunch, to tell me that you don't like the way Kyle and Max are playing together?" she asked, her voice sardonic.

"Tess," Maria snapped, "I'm just trying to figure out what is going on. Shouldn't your mind-warp have fixed the problem?"

"Keep your voice down!" Tess hissed in response, glancing around the quad. They were standing far enough away from the others to talk without any danger of being overheard, but still… no reason to take chances.

"Sorry," Maria apologized sheepishly.

Tess sighed. "Look, Maria… I erased Kyle's memories of those few days. So that he didn't remember Jim and I disappearing for so long, or the FBI showing up at his house, or anything I told him about aliens. But anything that happened before that, he's still going to remember." She paused, thinking, then added, "You know, it's also possible that he still remembers a lot of the emotions he felt from them. And just not why he felt that way."

"But why would he hate Max that much?" Maria asked.

"Does it matter?" Tess replied. "He does, and that's pretty much all there is to it."

* * *

Max sifted through the papers spread out in front of him. One was a map, the small dot representing Copper Summit circled in red. Another was a newspaper article printed from the internet that talked about Whitaker's initial election to the Senate. The third was a birth certificate, found by Alex, stating that the senator was born to Ida and Walt Crawford.

"Crawford," he said thoughtfully. "As in Nicolas Crawford?"

Could it be possible that Nicolas Crawford was somehow related to the senator? Nasedo had told Michael that Nicolas was Khivar's brother, and that he was quite possibly the most dangerous person they would ever come across.

The sound of footsteps on the floor outside his room caused him to quickly shove the papers into a stack and place them in the bottom drawer of his desk. As the resounding thud of knuckles rapping against the door echoed in the room, he shoved the drawer shut and turned around. "Come in."

Mrs. Evans stepped into the room. She was holding a pile of clothing in her arms, shirts of his that she had washed during the day.

"Oh, thanks," Max said, taking the clothing from his mother and dropping it onto the end of his bed. "You know, I could have done my own laundry."

"I know," Mrs. Evans answered, "but I didn't mind." She sat down on the end of the bed. "I don't see you any more, Max. You're always rushing off to some activity or another."

Max shifted his weight awkwardly, unsure how to respond. "I guess I'm just really busy, you know?"

"Right. Well, I was wondering if you were thinking at all about college," Mrs. Evans asked.

"I just started my junior year of high school," Max answered. "Don't you think it is a little early?"

"Well, is Liz looking into it?" Mrs. Evans countered.

Max flushed. "I… I don't know."

Mrs. Evans, sensing that she was on shaky ground, said quickly, "You know, Isabel's already started to look into a few different schools."

Isabel, Max knew, always looked at things in advance. Always planned every single detail for several possible scenarios, just in case. His sisters neurotic tendencies, while they certainly had some benefits, also had drawbacks, and Max had no intention of following her example.

"You know, a lot of people don't really start thinking about this until the spring."

"I know," Mrs. Evans agreed. She hesitated, then added, "You know, your father and I would be happy to take you to look at different schools if you want. California has some really good schools, or you could look on the East Coast."

"Um… okay. Well… I guess let me think about it."

Mrs. Evans nodded, her smile forced, and rose to her feet. "Well, I'll leave you to your homework," she said, before exiting the room. At the door, she stopped and looked back, as though there was something else she wanted to say. But she remained silent, and a moment later she disappeared into the hallway.

Max let out a shaky breath, one he didn't even realize he'd been holding, and put his head down on the desk. He knew his mother was worried about him, knew the strained relationship that existed between the two of them was only going to get worse as the year progressed. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion, and knowing there was nothing he could do to stop it.

The conversation about colleges had obviously been an attempt to insert some normality into their lives, to somehow pretend that they were still just an ordinary mother and son.

As he thought of his mother, of Liz, of Copper Summit and Nicolas, and he felt the same stirrings of self-doubt. When he'd seen Tess' bruised body as she stumbled from the abandoned factory, when Isabel had told him that the Whitaker had said they were actually after her, he'd felt something… a rush of… well, he couldn't quite explain it. But it was as though the true king inside him had pushed its way to the surface. For one moment, he was giving orders, and it felt… _right_.

But that was gone now.

Now, he was back where he started, doubting every single decision he made.

* * *

"Kyle?" Tess walked into the doorway of his room, leaning against the frame.

"Hey," he said, surprised. They didn't often go into each other's rooms, and usually only when it was important. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, taking a few more steps into the room. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

She drew a breath, then asked in a rush, "Why do you hate Max Evans so much?"

Kyle stared at her for a moment, his eyes widening with shock at the question. After the silence had stretched on for a few minutes, he asked, "Why do you care?"

Tess shrugged. "I… There are a lot of reasons that you might hate him, and almost all of those effect my friends. I'm just… concerned."

"You think I'm still upset about the whole thing with Liz and am going to screw up my relationship with Trudy," Kyle said bluntly.

"Any reason why I shouldn't think that?" she questioned, taking a seat on the edge of his bed.

He shook his head. "It's not about Liz. Not completely, anyway."

"Then what is it about?" Tess asked gently.

"Well… it is… a little bit… about Liz. But even more than that… Do you have any idea how many times Dad has had to run off to something related to Guerin or Evans? I mean, at first it was the whole thing with Hank Guerin, and I was fine with that. But then… I don't know, it is more than that now. Evans got caught up in something, and Dad's… I don't know what Dad is doing, but it feels like… he was doing stuff for Evans."

"He's the Sheriff," Tess pointed out. "It's his job."

"Yeah, well…" Kyle shook his head. "It's… it's more than that." He paused. "Why do you even care about this anyway? I promise I won't let it affect Trudy."

"And Isabel? Will you let it affect her?" Tess asked.

Kyle gave Tess a searching stare. "And then there's you. Do you really think I don't notice that you spend time actually talking to Evans, Guerin, and their friends?"

"Well, yeah, because Isabel is friends…"

"It was before you started hanging out with Isabel," Kyle interrupted. "It started earlier last year, before… before all this stuff with Isabel."

"So you're upset that I'm talking to people?" Tess asked skeptically. "But why are you only angry at Max? Why aren't you angry at me?"

Kyle shrugged. "You're my sister."

Tess nodded slowly, and a few minutes later left the room. She knew things with Kyle were more complicated than he was letting on, and she wondered how long it would be before it all came bursting forth.

* * *

Next Chapter: Breakaway

Due: Tues 4/22


	15. Breakaway

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Breakaway

As usual, the diner was crowded from the after-school rush, students who didn't want to venture home quite yet, and a few older patrons with nothing to do during the long afternoon hours. It was particularly hot, and even though it wasn't yet winter, the weather was strange for the season.

Courtney struggled to keep up with the fast-paced movement all around her. Maria was rapidly taking order and passing them along to Michael and José, the other cook who had come in to help with the crowd. Another waitress, some college student she didn't recognize, was bustling back and forth between the tables, picking up left-over dishes and refilling water glasses.

"Not quite used to this, are you?" a voice said, and she spun around, almost dropping the three bottles of ketchup in her hands. She shifted awkwardly, trying to smile, and said, "I'll get used to it soon, Mr. Parker. I'm a fast learner."

"I'm sure you are, Courtney," Mr. Parker said with a broad grin. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on firing you for a little clumsiness." He nodded to her uniform and said, "But you have spilled ketchup on yourself."

"Oh…" Courtney sighed. "One of the bottles must be open."

"There's some club soda in the back," Mr. Parker said, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "My Lizzie says it will remove just about anything."

"Right… thanks," Courtney replied, blushing crimson.

Mr. Parker watched her go. She was a sweet enough girl, even if she was a little bit spacey. She'd been known to zone out during shifts before, caught up in some other world trapped in her head. He'd only hired her a little while ago, and already she'd broken a few plates. But he couldn't deny how helpful it had been to have someone pick up the slack when Liz had been working for that unfortunate Senator.

Of course, now that the senator had passed away, Liz would probably want her job back, and that could present a problem for Courtney.

The door jangled, the bell moving back and forth as the glass opened and Liz stepped inside. She was frowning, but the expression changed almost automatically when she caught sight of her father.

"Hey, Dad."

"Lizzie, I was wondering when you would get back."

"I stopped by the senator's office after school," Liz explained as she picked her way in between the tables. "Mr. Crawford asked me to finish tying up some loose ends. It's all done now… everything's been taken care of…" She looked away, averting her eyes. "I feel really bad for her."

"I know," Mr. Parker agreed, "I do, too."

There was an awkward silence, then Liz asked, "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Um… yes. Lizzie, I just thought… well, maybe we should talk this evening. You know, just get caught up on everything. You haven't been around much lately, you know, and your mother and I just want to… talk."

"Alright… that sounds… nice," Liz said nervously, shrugging. Her father didn't usually suggest this sort of thing unless he had something specific in mind. Last time they'd had a heart-to-heart, it had been around the camping trip last year, and her father had wanted to ask her all about Max. So what could it be this time?

Before she could ask, however, Mr. Parker had already turned and headed back towards the kitchen. She watched him go for a moment, wishing things didn't have to be so difficult. Her relationship with her parents had always been strong. Not the same as Maria and her mother's; it wasn't like she shared her secrets with them. But even since the aliens had entered her life… well, things just seemed to get more complicated.

Speaking of which…

"Liz, good, you're here," Maria said, approaching her friend with a distressed expression. "Courtney's stripping in front of Michael and José."

"_What_?"

"She spilled ketchup on her uniform and took it off and put club soda on it…"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Liz said, holding out a hand to stop Maria's tirade. "So… Courtney isn't actually stripping. She's just cleaning stains out of her clothing."

"In the back room! In front of Michael," Maria hissed, shaking her head in annoyance at Liz's naiveté at the situation.

"Well, where else would she do it?" Liz countered reasonably. "It's not like she can do it out here."

"Yes, but she's flirting with Michael."

"Really?" Liz asked skeptically. They didn't know Courtney that well, but she certainly wasn't the type to steal someone else's boyfriend, especially not the boyfriend of someone who could be perceived as a friend. At least… that's what Liz assumed.

"Well, not so much flirting. More like… talking."

"Talking?" Liz asked, barely able to restrain the smile spreading across her face. She forced herself to remain serious, knowing that the last thing Maria would want right now was to have her best friend laughing at her.

Maria let out a slow breath. "Yes. She's initiating the conversations with him."

"What do they talk about?"

"I don't know," Maria answered, throwing her hands in the air. "Hamburgers? Milkshakes? United States history? The weather? What does it matter?"

"Maria," Liz asked cautiously, "don't you think you might be overreacting a little? I mean… have they actually done anything to indicate that they are flirting or… or doing anything other than being polite to each other? They both go to the same school, both work in the same diner…"

Maria flopped onto the empty chair behind her, resting her elbows on the table. "You think I'm jealous and crazy?"

"Do you think you're being jealous and crazy?" Liz replied, giving Maria a searching stare.

"What are you, a psychiatrist?" Maria snapped. Liz raised an eyebrow, and Maria dropped her head into her hands and said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry, Liz."

"It's okay," Liz replied dismissively. She pulled out the seat across from Maria and sank into the chair. "Alright, obviously you're upset about this. But why? Isabel hangs out with Michael all the time, and that doesn't bother you."

"They're practically siblings," Maria answered, lifting her chin slightly to look up at Liz.

"Not according to…" she lowered her voice, "_destiny_."

Maria blinked, remembering the anger and betrayal she felt when Michael had informed her that he was betrothed to Isabel in a past life. She'd overreacted them as well, letting her feelings cloud her judgment, and her harsh and hasty words had almost ruined her relationship with Michael.

"I don't know, Liz," Maria said finally. "It's just this suspicion. I can't help it. I like Courtney, I really do. But every time she gets near Michael… it just feels… dangerous."

"I think you might just be letting your frustrations about the situation play out in such a way that you can blame someone concrete for it. Before Courtney, there wasn't really any one person responsible for the mess that has become our social lives. Now that she's here, you can target her as the source of all problems."

Maria snorted. "That's what Alex said."

"You talked to Alex about this?"

"Mm… I ran into him on the way over here. He was walking to Isabel's… and I was telling him about how Courtney and Michael had been talking in the hallway before class…" She paused thoughtfully. "I'm overreacting."

"Maybe just a little," Liz agreed with a slight smile.

Maria sighed. "Yeah… I guess you're probably right."

"Maria," Michael called, poking his head around the door of the backroom. "I've got three orders ready to go back here, and last time I checked, Mr. Parker was paying you to actually work. Not sit around and talk to Liz."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Maria muttered, clambering back to her feet. "This is going to be a fun day."

Liz watched her friend walk away, then glanced around the room and frowned in some surprise as she noticed Max, sitting alone in a booth. He hadn't been there when she'd entered, but the conversation with Maria had drawn enough of her attention that she probably just hadn't noticed him come in.

"Hey, Max," she said, crossing over to his booth. He was alone, which was odd. "Where's Isabel?"

"Doing something with Alex and some of Tess' friends," Max replied. He glanced up at the clock. "I'm meeting with Valenti and Maria soon to work on the history project."

"Oh." Liz hesitated, unsure if she should sit down. Before she could think about this any longer, however, Max continued speaking.

"If you don't have anything to do, you could sit down. I don't think Valenti is going to be here for ten or fifteen minutes."

"Alright," Liz agreed, inwardly pleased that he hadn't shut her out. She slid into the booth across from him. Deciding it was best to stay on a neutral subject, she continued with the topic he had already broached. "What are you writing your project on?"

"No idea," Max answered with a yawn. "Part of the problem we're going to be solving at this meeting, I guess."

"Maria told me that you and Kyle were having problems," Liz said quietly. "Is that still true?"

Max shrugged. "I'm having a lot of problems with a lot of people. Valenti's human, which makes him the least of my concerns."

"If you want to talk about it…" Liz offered lightly.

Max looked up at her. "Yeah, I know," he answered. "If I do want to talk about it… you'll be the first person I call."

Liz froze, her heart beating rapidly in her chest, praying she'd heard correctly. Had he actually just promised to talk to her before talking to anyone else? Was he really, truly, honestly making an attempt to restore their strained relationship.

"I'd like that," Liz managed to say, her voice shaky.

* * *

To say that the meeting with Kyle and Max had gone poorly would be an understatement. It was a complete disaster, and Maria walked away from it with the thought that she hated all men. Or, at least, all men in Roswell.

On second thought, she decided that Alex was alright. It was just the others.

She pushed open the door to her house and stopped in the hallway, her eyes fixed on the two figures on the sofa. She could see them through the doorway leading into the living room. It was her mother and Jim Valenti… making-out.

"Maria!" Amy said, jumping slightly as she caught sight of her daughter. "I didn't realize you were going to be home now…"

"Obviously," Maria replied, shutting the door behind her. Add the senior Valenti to the list of men she hated. "I'm just going to go up to my room now. You can carry-on with whatever you're doing, and I'm just going to pretend I didn't see anything… any maybe gauge my own eyes out."

As Maria walked towards her own room, Amy jumped to her feet and whispered a hurried apology to Jim. She then followed her daughter, catching up with her as they both stepped through the doorway and into Maria's bedroom.

"Does this bother you?"

Maria turned around. "You and Jim Valenti? Uh, not really. I mean, you can date whoever you want."

"I meant Jim and I being… um, physical. In the house," Amy clarified.

Maria wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Okay, Mom, not anything I need to think about. You and the Sheriff can do whatever you want, just don't share the details with me."

"You know, Maria, if it bothers you, just say so. I can tell Jim that we have to meet at his house."

"Oh, yeah, Kyle and Tess would be thrilled about that," Maria remarked, shaking her head. Then, she considered the idea a moment more, and continued, "On second thought, you should do that. Go make-out on the sofa in the living room of his house."

"Maria, I'm serious," Amy reprimanded. "Jim and I are attempting to pursue an adult relationship, but I need to know if this bothers you. If it does, I can change it. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in your own home."

Maria let out a breath and thought of her biological father, the creep who had inflicted such horror on her mother and then disappeared. She thought of Sean, dead now, and Nasedo impersonating Sean, who had disappeared into the wind the moment his cover was compromised, and left Amy with confused questions that would never get satisfactory answers.

"Do you like Jim?" Maria asked, forcing herself to use the Sheriff's first name, to refer to him as something more than an impersonal last name or occupation title.

"Yes," Amy said, a gentle smile lighting up her eyes. "A lot. It's quite complicated, you know, but we're trying to get past everything that happened last year. I do really like him, and he likes me. So… we'll make it, you know. We're going to figure it out." She paused, then added, "Like you and Michael will."

Maria's mouth fell open in surprise.

"You think I don't know about all the trouble you two have been having? Or that you still care deeply for him?" Amy laughed a little at the shocked look on her daughter's face. "I'm still your mother, you know."

"Yeah, I know."

"And if you and Michael really should be together… well, you will figure it out. You'll get past this rough patch." She paused, then said, "I suppose I'm not the best person to give you relationship advice, given that Sean and I weren't ever able to work past… well, you know."

"Yeah."

"Anyway," Amy said, changing back to the previous subject, "if you want me to not meet Jim here… or to take things slower with him…"

"No," Maria said quietly. "Whatever makes you happy, Mom. That's what I want."

* * *

"Tess? What are you doing here?" Michael asked as he pulled open the door to his apartment and allowed her to enter. She had showed up spontaneously, and without any warning, and the only times she did anything like that was when someone was in danger. He was already running through several possible problems in his mind when she asked a question that caught him completely off guard.

"If you had to choose between saving Max and Isabel and saving Maria, who would you pick?"

"What?" Michael asked, thinking he must have heard her wrong.

"If you had to choose between saving Max and Isabel and saving Maria, who would you pick?" Tess repeated, slumping over onto his sofa.

"Tess? What's going on? Did something happen?"

"No," she answered impatiently. "It's just a hypothetical, Michael."

"It's a stupid hypothetical," Michael argued. "How can you ask something like that?"

"You think you're never going to be faced with a decision like that?" Tess demanded. "Did you forget we're at war, Michael? It's possible that…"

"No," Michael interrupted. "It's not going to happen like that, okay? I'm not going to sacrifice any of you to save the other. It doesn't work like that."

"What about Hank?" Tess pressed. "I mean… if you could go back in time… to when he was actually alive… would you sacrifice one of us to save him?"

"No. Of course not!" Michael answered hotly, unsure where these questions were coming from. "Tess, what is going on?"

"What about Mr. and Mrs. Evans? Would you sacrifice them to save us? Or Jim and Kyle? Or Ms. DeLuca, or Mr. and Mrs. Parker? Would you pick between them and us?"

"Tess!" Michael said in exasperation. "Would you just tell me what is going on?"

"Nothing is going on, Michael," she snapped irritably. "It's just a hypothetical. I'm just asking questions. But you haven't answered them. If the skins were going to kill either Max or Mrs. Evans, which of them would you save?"

"Max," Michael said simply. He had no idea where these questions were coming from, but he also knew that Tess was upset about something, and she was looking for an honest answer. He'd have to give her one, because she certainly wouldn't accept a lie.

"And what about Max and Maria?" she asked. "Which one?"

"I… I don't know," Michael stuttered. "I couldn't… I couldn't choose…"

She nodded and looked away. "Yeah…"

Michael crossed his arms over his chest. "Tess? Explain where this is coming from."

She shook her head. "It's not… it's complicated."

He glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's eight in the evening and you randomly showed up at my house to ask a whole bunch of strange questions. You could have just asked them over the phone, but you came here… So explain."

She licked her suddenly dry lips. "Kyle's angry with Max."

"Hasn't Valenti pretty much always hated Max?" Michael asked, unsure why this would upset Tess so much. She'd never made any attempt to hide her contempt for Max when they were at school, so why would Kyle's feelings bother her.

"I modified his memory," Tess said, ignoring Michael's question. "I played with his mind. Not even a little bit, not just a few small changes… what I did was huge."

"I know," Michael answered. It was almost four months since that had happened. It wasn't the best time to be worried about the consequences, it wasn't like she could go back and change what she had done.

"At the time, I convinced myself that it was for the best. It would keep Kyle safe, keep him from knowing what was happening, what I really was…" She ran a hand through her hair, the curls getting caught in her fingers. She pulled her hand out with a firm yank and leaned back against the sofa. "But it wasn't about Kyle. It was about all of us. I had to choose between the three of you and Kyle… and I chose you."

"Tess, you spent almost an entire nine months working against the Sheriff, blocking his investigations, leading him in the wrong direction," Michael pointed out. "You had to choose between the Sheriff and us then… and you chose us."

Tess nodded glumly. "I know. But… what I did to him… it was underhanded and… well, basically a betrayal, but… it didn't put his life in danger. I didn't screw up his mind, I didn't run the risk of killing him."

"You wouldn't have mind-warped Kyle if you thought it would kill him," Michael countered. Tess knew the limitations of her gifts, and she was not one to take needless risks with other people's lives, especially if they were people she loved.

Tess nodded again. "I know, I just…" She glanced up at Michael, her blue eyes holding some emotion he couldn't identify. "Kyle hates Max."

"Yeah… you said that already."

"Once, last year, Kyle figured out that Jim was investigating something related to the three of you… and he had a guess that I was somehow involved in it. He confronted me about it."

"I didn't know that," Michael said, confused. If Kyle had come close to finding out the truth, why hadn't Tess informed any of them?

"He didn't ask me about it," Tess said. She looked back down at the floor. "Not any of the details. He didn't want to know about Jim's case, he didn't want to know how I was involved. He only asked my one question." She looked up at Michael again. "He asked me if I was working for Jim, or against him."

And quite abruptly, Michael understood exactly what was happening and why Tess had come over here. Kyle's anger towards Max wasn't the cause of her worries, but it was the catalyst for something that had been bothering her for so long.

"When you were all… moody and… well, being a brat… during the summer," Michael said thoughtfully, giving Tess a searching stare, "we all thought it had something to do with the white room, with what happened to you there. And that was part of it. But also… you were upset because of what you'd done to Kyle."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded wordlessly, confirming his words.

"Why are you talking to me about this? Isn't Isabel your confidant for this sort of thing?" Michael asked. Ever since the two of them had become closer friends, Tess had gone to the hybrid princess for any sort of emotion problem. Even Max was a more likely choice over Michael.

"She wouldn't… she couldn't help…"

"Why not?" Michael pressed. "Isabel and Max deal with this sort of problem all the time. Choosing between keeping us safe and lying to their parents or revealing the truth and risking danger. They'd understand."

"They've lied, but they've never had to use their gifts on their parents," Tess countered. "They've never actively tried to ruin a case. It's different for them. What they do is easier, more manageable. They can live with it."

"They still regret it, though," Michael said pointedly. "I mean, I don't have any experience with this at all. All I ever had was Hank, and it isn't like I loved him the way you love your family or Max and Isabel love their parents."

Tess bit her lip. "Max and Isabel know, deep down, what side they'd choose. I know it's hard for them, I know when Isabel thinks about it, it tears her apart inside. But if they had to… they'd choose us. And they know that, even if they won't admit it aloud." She twisted her hands in her lap, a sign of nervousness that betrayed the conflicted emotions that didn't quite show on her face.

And Michael, with a shrewd suspicion and a sinking realization, said quietly, "Tess? Right here, right now, if you had to pick between Max, Isabel, and I, or Kyle and Jim… who would you pick?"

She didn't answer, didn't even look at him. She didn't need to reply, though. The truth hung between them, unyielding, casting a heavy silence over the pair.

"You'd pick them," Michael said.

Again, it wasn't a question.

And Tess, without giving any reply, without even indicating that she'd heard him, rose to her feet and walked out of the apartment.

* * *

When Michael appeared at her window, Maria was both surprised and worried. Ever since their break, he had made a point of not coming to visit her at night. But before she could think of what she was doing, she had moved automatically across the room and pulled open the pane.

"Is everything alright?"

He shook his head. "I don't know anymore."

"What's going on?" she asked, gesturing for him to take a seat on the chair by her desk. He did, and she leaned against her bed, waiting for an answer.

"Max isn't leading. I thought he might, the way he acted right after Tess was kidnapped by Whitaker. But then he stopped. And I just talked to Tess and she…" He trailed off. He wasn't sure if it was betrayal he was feeling at her revelation, or just a strange sort of resignation. Could he really blame her for what she felt? At of all four of them, she was the one who most often had to make that difficult decision between her alien family and her human family, and none of them had ever truly understood how difficult it was for her. Or maybe they just hadn't wanted to know.

"What did she say?" Maria prompted.

He shook his head. "It's complicated." He wasn't about to reveal Tess' words to anyone else. Whatever problems that truth would cause… well, he didn't want to be the one to make this any worse, make the tension rise again.

"Oh?"

"She just has a lot to deal with and I guess we never really got how hard it was." Although he would never admit it out loud, he was also starting to think that about Max. The alien king was making a lousy leader, but having the weight of a distant planet resting on his shoulder couldn't be easy. And being a healer who couldn't heal, a healer who killed, would go against everything Max ever believed in. Just like the three of them would never fully be able to comprehend what it was like living with Hank, how those scars never truly faded, how sometimes he'd hear footsteps in the hallway outside his door and for a second think that it was Hank, coming back, drunk yet again.

Maybe they could never really understand what the others dealt with every day. They were a family, that much was true, but in some ways, they were also completely on their own.

"Liz told me about Copper Summit," Maria said, deciding it was best to switch to a different subject when it became clear that Michael did not want to elaborate on his concerns.

"Yeah. Max doesn't want to investigate it."

"But you do."

"I want to do something," he said wearily. "I don't want to just wait for another one of us to get hurt." He looked up at Maria and asked suddenly, "Have you noticed that Isabel has been acting strangely lately? Withdrawn? Like something is bothering her, but she doesn't want to talk about it?"

Maria nodded slowly. "I guess. I hadn't really noticed."

"Maybe I'm making it up. Maybe I'm overreacting."

Maria grinned. "A lot of that going around lately," she murmured, thinking of her earlier conversation with Liz.

He blinked, but didn't press the topic. "I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix this," he admitted, reluctant to confess this. He wouldn't tell it to anyone else, but Maria would understand.

She always did.

Even if she completely overreacted to almost everything and started arguments with him for no particular reason.

"What do you want to do?" Maria asked.

"I want to go to Copper Summit," Michael replied. "But Max doesn't."

"Does Isabel? Tess?"

"I don't know." He sighed heavily. "I don't know a lot of things right now." He suddenly snapped his gaze to her face. "Come with me to Copper Summit."

"_What_?"

"Come with me to Copper Summit." He paused, then added, "We won't tell anyone who we are. We'll be in and out before anyone notices anything."

"It's a long drive from here."

"You have a car."

"My Mom will notice if I'm gone."

Michael swallowed. "Please," he said, his pride overcome by his incredible desire to do something, anything at all, that would help the others, that would ease the pain they all felt. "I have to do this, and I… I can't do it without you."

Maria stared at him, debating her choices. But she'd known all along what her reply would be to any of his request, had known from the moment she answered the knock at the window. For good or ill, if Michael asked her to, she'd follow him to the ends of the earth.

"Alright," she agreed, "but we're going to have to come up with something to tell my Mom."

* * *

Next Chapter: Copper Summit

Due: Sun 4/27


	16. Copper Summit

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Sorry for the delay. Once again, real life got in the way of writing. This is very much M/M centered, and you don't actually see much of the other characters. But they're coming eventually.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Copper Summit

"So, what exactly did you tell your mother?" Michael asked as he slid into the driver's seat, Maria's car keys held tightly in his hand.

"That I needed to talk to you," Maria answered, "and that I was going over to Liz's to talk to her about talking to you." Her hands on her hips, she demanded, "What makes you think you're driving?"

Michael glanced down at his hand and said dryly, "Because I've got the keys?" He jangled them in front of her, and her glare increased. Changing the subject, he asked, "Why would you need to talk to Liz about talking to me? Why would your mother agree to letting you leave at night to talk to someone about talking to me?"

Instead of answering, Maria walked around to the other side of the car and scooted reluctantly into the passenger seat. She wasn't about to tell Michael about her conversation with her mother earlier that day. She didn't exactly think revealing that her mother had told her she and Michael were meant to be together would go over to well with the taciturn and stoic alien.

Michael dropped the subject. "What is she going to say when you don't show up in the morning? This is going to be a long drive."

"We can call Valenti… Jim… from the road, tell him to cover for me. She'll trust him if he says he saw me in the morning. Maybe I stopped by or something, you know?"

Michael frowned and slanted a look at Maria. "You're calling the Sheriff by his first name?"

She swallowed and nodded slowly. "My Mom really likes him."

Michael lapsed into silence, carefully guiding the car into the street. After a moment, he said, "We're going to need to stop by the Crashdown to pick up some information. Do you still have the spare key Mr. Parker gave you for when you need to open in the mornings?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why don't you just use your gifts?" Michael shrugged, and she continued, "What sort of information."

"I… I have some of the information on Copper Summit there," Michael explained sheepishly. He'd hidden it in the lockers where the waitresses kept their uniforms. "Maps, and that sort of thing." A moment later they pulled up in front of the diner, and he parked the car and got out, Maria following closely behind.

Surprisingly, the light of the diner was on, and when Maria peered in through the glass window of the door, she saw Courtney sitting at one of the booths, hunched over something, reading.

"What is she still doing here? The diner's closed," Maria asked suspiciously. A thousand different possibilities ran through her mind, all of which involved something underhanded or sneaky. But then she remembered her earlier conversations with both Liz and Alex, and they had warned her about letting her jealousy convince her to see things that weren't actually there.

Inside, Courtney seemed to sense another presence, and she looked up suddenly, turning in her seat. Catching sight of Maria and Michael, she frowned, but then quickly crossed to the door and unlocked it, letting them enter.

"Hey. What are you guys doing here?"

"Funny, I was about to ask you the same thing," Maria retorted.

Courtney, ignoring the other girl's antagonizing tone, explained, "My mother is having one of her high-society gatherings, and they generally consist of a whole bunch of people who think I'm a pathetic excuse for a human being." She rolled her eyes. "I didn't want to go home yet."

"You don't get along with your mother's friends?" Michael asked sympathetically.

Courtney shook her head. "No, not really. They're not… they're not great people, you know?"

"How does your mother even have friends here?" Maria asked skeptically. "You only moved here a little while ago."

Again, Courtney purposefully ignored the angry tone and replied, "When you have enough money, it isn't difficult to find vain and shallow people willing to be friends with you." She shrugged, doing her best to appear nonchalant, but letting her eyes glitter a little with unshed tears.

Fake, unshed tears.

But having survived as a rebel skin among those who supported Khivar for all these years necessarily meant that she was an incredibly good actress… and her efforts were rewarded by a look of compassion in Michael's expression.

"Uh… give us a second," Maria said, grabbing Michael by the arm and dragging him away from Courtney. Once they were out of earshot, she hissed in a low voice, "Tell me you are not falling for this."

"For what?"

"Her sob story," Maria said, gesturing towards Courtney with an annoyed air. "She's…"

"What?" Michael asked pointedly, his tone becoming cold. "What are you going to accuse her of, Maria? Lying? Is it that inconceivable to you that people might not be as close with their parents as you are with your mother?" His eyes sparkled icily, thoughts of Hank on his mind. How many times had he stayed over with Max and Isabel just to avoid returning to his foster father and the man's drunk and cruel friends?

Maria took a moment to calm down before answering, "Michael, I didn't mean it like that."

"What _did_ you mean?"

"When did you start defending her? I didn't think you two were even friends."

Michael folded his arms over his chest and answered, "She's an acquaintance. We work together, remember?"

Maria turned away and walked back over to the other girl. She knew this wasn't an argument she was going to win, and although that usually was not enough of a reason for her to stop fighting, but she was suddenly to tired and confused to know how to respond. Michael had come to her for help, telling her that he couldn't do this without her. Now they were arguing… over Courtney.

"I'm going to get that stuff," Michael said, giving Maria an unreadable look. "I'll be right back."

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Courtney asked, "What are you guys up to tonight?"

"Oh we're driving to Copper Summit," Maria answered blithely. "A little romantic getaway." She gave Courtney a hard look and said, "He is _my_ boyfriend, you know."

Courtney looked back blankly. "Of course he is," she replied casually, as though it didn't matter to her. Inside, however, her heart was beating frantically at the words Copper Summit. They must have learned that it was a town full of skins and were going to investigate. Didn't they realize they'd be incredibly outnumbered there?

Before she could think of anything to say, however, Michael reappeared, holding a stack of papers under his arm. "Come on, let's go," he said, barely sparing either of them a glance.

And Courtney watched in dismay as the other two walked out of the diner, the door closing behind them with a resounding thud. After a moment of sampling standing there, unsure what to do, she made a quick decision. Fishing her cell phone out of her bag, she dialed a number and waited until a voice answered at the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Trevor, it's Courtney."

The voice sounded distinctly irritated. "I've told you multiple times not to call me, Courtney. You put us both at risk when you do."

Courtney nodded even though she knew the other man couldn't see her. "It's an emergency, Trevor. Michael… Rath… and his human girlfriend have gone to Copper Summit."

There was a pause, then finally, "Why?"

"I don't know," she snapped in exasperation. "It wasn't like I could demand an explanation. Maria… that's Rath's girlfriend… said they were going for a romantic getaway or something like that."

"Hmm… looks like you have more competition than just Vilandra."

"Not the point, Trevor."

Again, another pause, contemplative this time. "What do you want me to do? If Khivar wants to kill all the Royals, I say more power to him. We're not on the same side of this, Courtney, and you know that."

"All the Royals?" Courtney countered. "Would you be alright with all four deaths?" When the other man did not respond, Courtney pressed, "Come on, Trev. You know you don't want it to end this way."

"I'll see what I can do," Trevor finally promised, and then the line went dead.

Courtney stared at the phone for a moment, wondering if Trevor would actually come through for her. He supported Khivar, supported him whole-heartedly and in every way, and that put him and Courtney on opposite sides of the battle.

But their mutual feelings about Rath… Courtney knew that was the only reason he had outed her as a traitor yet.

She hoped that would be enough.

* * *

A few hours later, while Maria dozed with her head against the window, Michael brought the car over the state line and into Arizona. He glanced at the map spread across the dashboard, eyes running over the tiny lines that indicated roads. How much longer would he be forced to drive in this tense silence? Even when she was awake, Maria wasn't speaking to him.

All because of Courtney.

Maria opened his eyes slightly, blinking to clear her blurry vision. She yawned, and Michael glanced over at her.

"Are we almost there?"

Michael shook his head. "A few more hours." Eyes fixed to the road, he added, "We didn't tell Valenti anything yet. Your Mom is going to freak out tomorrow unless we do something."

"Well, it's the middle of the night," Maria countered, "we can't call Jim now." Again, the first name sounded forced on her lips, but she said it anyway, pushing aside her discomfort.

Michael didn't say anything for a moment. "Fine, but we need to call first thing in the morning."

"Why don't you call Courtney?" Maria suggested snidely. "Maybe she can take care of it for us."

"What is it with you and Courtney?" Michael demanded angrily. "She's your friend, you're the one who wanted me to be nice to her in the first place."

"You don't do friendly, Michael," Maria retorted. "Certainly not to other girls, unless they're Isabel or Tess. Half the time you aren't even nice to Liz, and you want me to think that this whole new friendship-thing with Courtney isn't something to be suspicious of?"

"Listen…"

"No, you listen," Maria interrupted heatedly. "She's a pretty blonde who is showing some interest in you and you are either too oblivious or too flattered to tell her to stop it."

"We're just talking," Michael snapped, growing tired of this endless argument. It seemed like they could never have even a remotely civil conversation anymore, but he had absolutely no idea how Courtney had managed to get herself tangled in this complicated web.

"Courtney doesn't just talk to boys," Maria replied pointedly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Michael, the only two boys she's ever talked to are you and Alex. And she only talks to Alex because he's generally there when she's talking to me or Liz."

"You're being ridiculous," Michael said quietly.

"Don't patronize me."

"Then stop acting like a child!"

"Fine," Maria huffed, insulted by his callous words. "Fine. Do whatever you want. Go screw Courtney, I don't care."

Michael barley resisted the urge to slam his hands down onto the steering wheel or put his fist through the window. "I'm not going to screw Courtney. I'm not interested in her."

"Sure," Maria answered, rolling her eyes.

"You know what? Go ahead and believe whatever you want. I'm done with this conversation. If you can't trust me, fine. But I don't have to answer to you, and I certainly don't need your permission to talk to people."

And the tense silence returned to the car.

* * *

A few hours later, as the sun crept over the horizon, Michael reached over and roughly shook Maria awake. "We're here," he announced.

Maria sat up and looked out the window. "This is Copper Summit? There's nothing here. It's practically a ghost town."

And it was. The main street wasn't even paved, but rather covered in dust and dirt. The houses were roughly-hewn wood and brick, smudged windows and faded curtains, the grass trampled, dry and brown. Everything was washed in orange and yellow from the rising sun.

On the right, there were two men standing on the porch of the Stagecoach Museum, a rustic-looking establishment that advertised itself as the most interesting building in town. Michael parked the car, and he and Maria stepped out into the cool morning air and crossed to the museum.

"Hey," Maria called out to the two men.

"Can I help you, little lady?" one of the men asked with a leering smile, climbing down the stairs to greet her.

"Is this Copper Summit?" she asked.

"Sure is, sweetheart," the other man said, leaning over the railing and running his eyes up and down her body. "What brings you here?"

Maria glanced around. "There's not so much here, is there?'" she commented dryly.

The first man laughed. "Place is dead as doornail most of the time. You guys here for anything in particular? Not much around here this time of year."

"Um, actually," Michael interrupted, not liking the way the two men were looking at Maria, "we're looking for the Crawfords."

"Oh, Ida and Walt?" The second man gestured with one hand down the road. "Two blocks down, turn left, red mailbox. Is this about Senator Whitaker?"

"Um… yes," Michael said quickly. "We knew her. We're from New Mexico. We just wanted to pay our respects to her family. It was a tragedy, the way she just…"

"Heart attacks strike randomly sometimes, and you never see it coming," the second man agreed. He turned to his companion and asked, "Did Nicolas get back yet?"

"Yeah, Greer said he made it in yesterday."

"Nicolas?" Michael asked. "Nicolas Crawford?"

"Oh, did you know him too?" The first man shoved his hands into his pockets. "He's settling some matters here. You'll probably see him."

"Right." Michael hesitated, as though wanting to say something else, but finally just shook his head. "Thanks." Hand wrapped tightly around Maria's wrist, he pulled her back to the car, worry suddenly appearing in the lines of his face.

"Michael? What is it?" Maria hissed, concerned about the fear she was seeing in his eyes.

Michael shook his head and let out a breath. "Call Valenti. Tell him something, anything" he said shortly. He hadn't counted on Nicolas being here, although he supposed he should have expected it as a possibility. But Nasedo's warnings still rung in his ears, and he was starting to wonder if they weren't in this over their head. How could he have dragged Maria into a town that was currently housing the brother of their worst enemy?

Maria stopped in front of the car. "No. Tell me what's wrong first."

"We don't have time for this, Maria," Michael argued. "Just call him."

"No," she said again, this time her words more forceful. "Not until you tell me what's going on."

"Nicolas is here," Michael said with a sigh, yanking open the door of the car and slipping back into the seat. "I want you to stay in the car when I go to talk to the Crawfords."

"And let you walk into danger by yourself? I don't think so," Maria retorted.

"Look, Nicolas is dangerous…"

"They're all dangerous," Maria interrupted, "but we're in this together. You're the one who wanted that, Michael. You came to me for help, remember? You came and told me that you couldn't do this without me."

"Yeah, well, that was before I discovered that the brother of the king of all these enemies was here."

"Nicolas is _what_?"

Michael exhaled slowly. "Nasedo told me that Nicolas is Khivar's brother."

"You saw Nasedo?" Maria asked as Michael started the car, turning the keys in the ignition and shifting into drive. They pulled out into the street, and the blonde human continued, "We can't trust him. He's dangerous."

"I don't trust him. But I don't think he would lie about this either."

Maria didn't say anything for a moment, then she murmured, "I'm not going to let you walk into that house by yourself." She paused, then said reluctantly, "Maybe we should call Max and have the others meet us here?"

"No," Michael said sharply. Her words nagged at him, like little pins and needles in his pride. He knew Max's reaction to this little getaway would be fury and resigned disappointment, and Isabel would probably just be full of fear. He needed to do this on his own, he couldn't face any of them without something to show for his reckless efforts.

"Alright, fine. But we're still going into this together."

Michael didn't answer, just said, "Can you call Valenti now?"

"Oh… sure." Maria fished out her cell phone, then stopped with a frown. "I'm not sure I have it memorized and it isn't programmed into my phone."

Without looking at her, Michael recited, "555-6743."

She typed the numbers into the keypad and gave him a suspicious look. "Why do you know that?"

"In case I need to reach Tess and her cell phone isn't working," Michael answered simply. He knew the numbers of the other three aliens, both cell and home phones, just to be safe.

Maria shrugged, accepting the explanation, then waited for Valenti to answer. On the third ring, he picked up. "Hello?"

"Sheriff? It's Maria. I need a favor."

"Is everything alright?" Valenti asked, sounding worried.

"No, it's fine. Look, Michael and I are investigating something… uh… you know. Um… anyway, can you cover for us? Tell my Mom that I saw you this morning? Otherwise she'll freak out."

"You want me to lie to your mother for you?"

"Well, I'd prefer not to expose our big secret to the FBI," Maria said dryly. "We'll be back soon."

After she hung up, Michael gave her a quick look and said, "We probably won't be back soon."

"Yeah, I know. We'll cross that bridge when we get there." She licked her dry lips and blinked a couple times. "Michael…"

"It's too dangerous for you to come in, Maria. You can't protect yourself. You're not going to be an asset if we get into trouble."

"We shouldn't be getting into trouble," Maria hissed. "I thought this was just a reconnaissance mission."

"It is," Michael agreed. "But with Nicolas here, things just got a little bit more complicated."

"If we pretend that we're just people passing through on our way somewhere else and we wanted to pay our respects…"

"But we don't know how much Nicolas knows about us," Michael countered. "He might already know who I am." He scanned the street, finding a red mailbox, and parked the car. "Look, stay here. I want to talk to the Crawfords myself. Anyway, you should keep watch."

"For what?" Maria protested. When Michael didn't answer, she snapped, "Well, if you didn't want me to come in, why'd you ask for my help?"

"You have a car," Michael deadpanned.

Maria huffed, face turning red with anger, and shoved open the door. Stepping out into the street, she slammed the door closed behind her and marched up the steps towards the house. Michael jumped out of the car and raced up behind her, reaching out to snatch her arm before she could knock on the door.

"What are you doing?" he snarled.

"Getting answers," Maria replied coldly. "That's why we came, isn't it?"

Unfortunately for Michael, the door suddenly swung open and a woman stepped out onto the porch, smiling with a little confusion in her eyes. "Hello, dears. Can I help you?" She looked to be in her late sixties, with deep lines etched into her tan skin and white-gray hair. Her eyes, a blue-gray that should have been gentle, sent shivers down Michael's spine.

"Mrs. Crawford?" Maria ventured.

"Yes, that's me," the woman answered, glancing from Michael to Maria. "And you are?"

"I'm Maria DeLuca," Maria answered casually. She nodded to Michael and said, "And this is… Kyle Valenti." Michael gave her a sharp look, filled with both surprise and disgust, but knew better than to question her in front of this woman. "We're actually driving through on our way to California, but we wanted to stop by and pay our respects first. We're from Roswell, you see, and Senator Whitaker's death was so very…" She trailed off, suddenly having no idea how to finish the sentence.

Fortunately, Michael jumped in for her and said, "We just wanted to express our condolences."

Mrs. Crawford nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. "Oh, thank you so much, dears. It was so wonderful of you to stop by. Would you like to come in?" She opened the door and gestured for them to enter.

Michael lead the way, Maria close at his heels. "Thank you."

"Let me get Walt," Mrs. Crawford said as she lead them into a sitting room. "Take a seat, and I'll be back in a moment." She bustled out of the room, and Michael and Maria sank into the sofa near the window.

"Kyle Valenti?" Michael asked, his tone clearly indicating his displeasure.

"You're the one who said that Nicolas might know who you are," Maria countered logically. "So I gave you a different name. It's not like they're going to know who Kyle is. And even if they do, they'd know he's the son of the Sheriff, and they're not going to suspect him of being an alien."

"Tess is," Michael countered.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Anyone who has done enough research to determine which of you are aliens probably also knows that Tess is adopted. Kyle's not. Come on, you know it is a good cover. Plus, it's less likely they'd want to blow their cover by attacking the son of a Sheriff. People would notice if you didn't return to Roswell."

Michael nodded reluctantly, recognizing the truth of her words. "Still," he protested, "Valenti? I would have rather been Alex."

"Why?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "Because Alex isn't an egotistical jerk," he offered. Plus, he thought to himself, Tess didn't care about Alex more than anyone else. Tess hadn't admitted to wanting to choose Alex over her real family. And yet she'd said that about Kyle, and that made Michael… angry? Betrayed? Jealous? He wasn't sure which emotion was right, but either way he had decided after that conversation with Tess that he despised Kyle Valenti for the fact that he'd managed to so completely entrench himself in Tess' heart.

"Here we are," Mrs. Crawford said, stepping into the room, leading to men behind her. The older, perhaps in his seventies, had peppered gray hair and a winkled face. He was leaning on a cane. "This is my husband, Walt," Mrs. Crawford announced, "and our son," she gestured to the other man, "Nicolas."

Michael rose and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you," he said, shaking first Walt's hand and then Nicolas'. As his fingers touched Nicolas' skin, he felt something shifting in his stomach, and then a flash played out before his eyes.

"_Well, well, well… if it isn't the dimwitted General," Nicolas said cruelly. "Looks like you just keep getting betrayed by the women in your life, don't you?" He was holding a strange weapon in his hands, and his eyes were glowing with malicious enjoyment._

_Michael swallowed nervously, realizing he was unarmed and unprotected. There was no way to get out of this alive._

"_Goodbye, Rath," Nicolas said, raising the weapon. "It's been a pleasure knowing you… and even more of a pleasure killing you."_

"Nice to meet you as well," Nicolas said, his voice cool and slightly suspicious. "My mother says you are here to pay your respects, Mr. Valenti."

"I am," Michael replied. He looked at Maria, wondering what he had just managed to get them into, and perhaps they were in way too deep over their heads. "We are very sorry for your loss."

* * *

"Tess?" Jim asked as he knocked on her door, pushing it open and sticking his head into the room.

The blonde looked over at him in surprise. She was stuffing the last of her textbooks into her backpack, but she stopped when her adopted father stepped into the room. "What's wrong?" she asked instantly, able to sense the concern rolling off of him in great waves. "Did something happen?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Jim answered. "I just got a call from Maria. She and Michael are going to be gone for the rest of the day. She said she was taking care of some alien business, and she wanted me to cover for her with Amy."

"Alien business?" Tess asked, concern marring her features. "I don't know anything about that."

"Can you find out?" Jim asked. "I'm worried."

Tess nodded. "I'll ask Max and Isabel. If Michael told anyone what he's up to, it would be one of them." She hesitated, then added, "Have you spoken to Ms. DeLuca?"

"Not yet," Jim admitted awkwardly. He shoved his hands into his pockets, now looking decidedly uncomfortable. "I'm not really sure what to say."

Tess didn't say anything, and a moment later Jim walked back out of the room. As she continued getting ready for school, the blonde wondered idly how Jim was going to cope with having to lie to his girlfriend. She knew that lying to someone you cared deeply about was incredibly difficult and tended to leave someone wracked with guilt.

And she felt a bubbling annoyance that Michael and Maria would have put Jim in that position without informing everyone else in the group about their little excursion. In fact, she was so annoyed by the memory of the uncomfortable expression on Jim's face when he mentioned having to lie to Ms. DeLuca that, by the time she arrived at school, she was practically fuming.

Which was why she marched directly over to Max, who was talking to Liz and Alex, and demanded hotly, "Did you know Michael was going to go on a little trip?"

"What?" Max asked, mouth falling open. "What are you talking about?"

"Apparently Michael and Maria decided to take off on some Czechoslovakian expedition, and left Jim to do their dirty work. He told me this morning that Maria asked him to lie to her mother about where she was."

"Where is she?" Liz asked in growing concern.

"I don't know," Tess snapped. "Jim didn't know."

At that moment, Courtney appeared behind Liz and Alex, smiling brightly at the group. "Hey Liz, Alex."

Liz gave Courtney a distracted glance. "Oh, hey Courtney," she muttered, still staring hard at Tess, trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

"Am I interrupting?" Courtney asked innocently, eyes traveling from face to face. "I'm sorry, I can come back later. I was just going to ask about Maria."

That caught the attention of the other four, and Max asked in a tone of attempted nonchalance, "What about her?"

"Oh, well I ran into her and Michael last night." Courtney shrugged carelessly, as though it didn't really matter to her. "She told me that the two of them were going on a romantic getaway to some place…" She frowned, as though trying to remember the name of the town. "Copper something? Copper… Summit, maybe? Whatever it was, I'd never heard of the place."

"Copper Summit?" Liz murmured faintly.

"Yeah, well, anyway," Courtney continued, pretending to ignore the significant looks that were passing between Tess and Max, "I figured you'd probably spoken to her, and just thought I'd see how she was doing. I can't help but feel that some of the tension between her and Michael is my fault. I don't know why, but she seems to think that I'm interested in him. And, I mean, he is cute, but really? I would never go after the guy one of my friends is dating, especially since she's one of the few who had been so nice to me when I first got here, you know? And it is hard being the new girl all the time…" She paused, realizing that all four were staring at her with blank expressions. Blushing, she said in embarrassment, "And now I'm rambling."

"Just a little," Alex said, his good nature preventing him from being able to stand there and watch her act so awkwardly. "Don't worry about it. Happens to all of us on occasion."

"Right." Courtney sighed. "Look, all I was going to say is that I hope they work things out on this little getaway. And I was hoping that maybe you'd heard from them and Maria had said it was going well or something like that…?"

"Don't worry about it," Liz said. "We haven't heard from Maria yet, but I'm sure their problems aren't really your fault. They'll work it all out."

Courtney nodded. "Thanks," she said. Hoping that she'd given them enough clues to send them rushing to Michael's aid at Copper Summit, she turned and walked away.

The moment she was gone, Max said angrily, "Copper Summit? Oh, you have got to be kidding me…"

"So, what now?" Liz asked quietly.

Max gave her a look. "Do we have much of a choice? Someone has to go bail Michael out of trouble… again."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Rebel

Due: Sun 5/11


	17. The Rebel

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: The Rebel

"Max, if we go to Copper Summit, someone is going to notice. It is the middle of the day," Liz said as she took a seat next to Alex in the empty classroom. It was currently second period, and all of them were ditching it to meet in the unused room and deal with the problem at hand.

"Liz has a point," Isabel conceded reluctantly. "You know Mom and Dad barely trust us as it is. If we abruptly disappear for a day or two…" She shook her head, worried. "I don't know. It just doesn't seem like a good idea."

"Yes, but neither is leaving Michael in the clutches of our enemies," Max countered.

"We don't know for certain he is in danger," Alex said, looking over at Max.

"Yeah, but are you really willing to bet his life… and Maria's… on that?"

"Isabel and I can get away," Tess said suddenly. "Jim can cover. He can tell your parents that she's spending the night at my house."

"Alright, but that still leaves the four of us behind," Max pointed out. "I don't want to send the two of you into unknown danger." He gave Tess a searching stare, but she shrugged. There wasn't much else she could suggest to get the other four away without arousing suspicion. Max sighed. "I suppose we could just take our chances."

"Yeah, and we both know how that would turn out," Isabel said, rolling her eyes. "I'd rather not shatter what slim amount of trust Mom and Dad actually have left in us."

"So then we are back to square one," Liz said, leaning her chin on the palm of her hand. "Sending Tess and Isabel might be our only option."

"Alright, but we already know that the skins are after Isabel," Alex countered softly, worry obvious in his eyes. "I'm not so sure sending her to these people is the right move."

Isabel rested her hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "I appreciate the concern, Alex," she said, "but I don't see what other choice we have. I'm not willing to leave Michael in trouble. Besides," she added with a reluctant sigh, "I can take care of myself."

"Then what do the rest of us do?" Liz demanded. "Sit here and wait? Maria's in danger, I'm not going to do nothing."

"Well, unless you can come up with a way to avoid your parents questions, Liz, I don't know what choice you have," came Tess' calm reply. Both Liz and Alex opened their mouths to retort, but she pushed on, ignoring their affronted looks. "Come on, guys. We already know what the decision is going to be. You don't have to like it, but Isabel and I are the only ones who can get away without creating more suspicion. The longer we sit here and complain about that inevitable truth, the longer it will take us to get to Michael and Maria."

"I agree," Max muttered, clearly annoyed but accepting of the truth.

"Why don't you just tell your parents you're spending the night at Michael's apartment?" Liz asked. "When you meet up with Michael, you can tell him that and he can back up your story when you guys return."

"Last time you dragged Michael into an excuse for your absence, he ended up in the hospital," Isabel said pointedly. Max gave her a sharp look, remembering all too well what she was referring to. The year before, when Michael and Maria had taken off to Texas, to Atherton's house, Max had told his parents that he would be spending the evening with Michael. That lie had spiraled out of control until a social worker was called in and Hank, in a fit of inebriated fury, had beaten Michael into a bloody mess.

"Won't happen again," Tess said quietly, firmly. "Hank is gone."

Dead would have been the more appropriate word, but she refused to say it. She wouldn't shed any tears over his passing, but she also didn't want to dwell on the fact that Nasedo, the man they had trusted with their lives, also happened to be a soulless killer.

"Alright," Max conceded with a nod. "So the three of us can go. And that leaves Alex and Liz here to cover for us and keep an eye on things."

"Yeah… so that brings me to my other question," Isabel said, turning to Liz and Alex. "Why did Maria tell Courtney she was going to Copper Summit?"

Liz shrugged. "Knowing Maria, she was just jealous of Courtney and wanted to stress that she and Michael were doing something romantic."

"She could have done that without mentioning the name," Isabel huffed. "I mean, Maria's reckless, but she's not that stupid. She should have known better than to reveal something that secret to someone we know nothing about."

"Well, you can reprimand her for that after we make sure she doesn't get killed by skins," Tess interrupted before either Alex or Liz could respond in a defense of Maria's actions. "Right now, we need to put the personal issues aside and focus on the task at hand."

"So… the three of us are going to Copper Summit," Max announced.

* * *

"How well did you know our daughter, Kyle?" Mrs. Crawford asked as she took a seat across from Michael and Maria, placing a tray of teacups and pastries on the coffee table between them.

Michael started, still surprised to hear himself referred to as Kyle. "Well, a friend of mine worked for her campaign," Michael said. "I… I didn't know her personally, but I was a big supporter of her work. She did a lot for our state."

"Yes, she did," Nicolas agreed in a cold time, giving Michael a hard look.

"Nicolas, be nicer," Mr. Crawford said quickly, giving his 'son' a stern glare. Turning to Michael and Maria, he said apologetically, "I am sorry if we are not graceful hosts to you. It is just… well, it difficult. This is really such a shock, you know."

"I understand," Maria said politely, reaching across the table and laying her fingers over Mrs. Crawford's fragile hand. "We are so sorry."

"Thank you, my dear," Mrs. Crawford murmured.

"I didn't realize you and the Senator were related," Michael said, glancing over at Nicolas. "She was your sister?"

"Yes," Nicolas said. "I supported her work, supported everything she believed in. That's why I agreed to manage her campaign for her." His eyes wandered over to Mr. Crawford, and some silent communication seemed to pass between them. "It was tragic, the way her husband was so brutally murdered years ago. She needed the support of family to get through those trying times."

"Oh, I hadn't realized her husband had died," Maria commented, pressing for more details with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, John Whitaker. Great man. A lot like my daughter," Mr. Crawford said.

"You must have been so proud of her," Michael said, looking over at Nicolas again. "You know, we don't really want to impose on you, and you must have so many other things you are doing…"

"Oh, don't be silly, Kyle," Mrs. Crawford rushed to assure them. "We always have time for young folks who have been influenced by our daughter. Would you like to stay for lunch?"

"I have an idea," Mr. Crawford said, clapping his hands together in excitement. "You know, we do have a pretty nifty museum here. The Stagecoach Museum. Why don't you two run along and look at it, and then come back for lunch? That way you can really see the highlights of our little town."

Nicolas laughed outright at that. "I hardly think you can call it a highlight," he said. "But I suppose there isn't much else to do around here. This town is still dead as a doornail."

"We'd love to look at the museum," Maria said quickly. "But you really don't need to give us lunch."

"Oh, nonsense," Mrs. Crawford said, shaking her head. "Come back around one o'clock, dears." And she ushered them from the house.

Standing on the sidewalk next to the red mailbox, Maria said dryly, "Is it just me, or did she abruptly really want to get rid of us?"

Michael blinked, trying to clear the troubled thoughts from his head. "Nicolas… Nicolas killed me," he said slowly. "In my past life." At Maria's incredulous expression, he continued, "We have to be careful. This could be a setup for a trap."

"Hello, folks," a voice called cheerfully, and a young man in his early twenties approached them. "You must be visitors. Haven't seen you in these parts before." His appearance was scruffy, with the look of someone who would have been handsome had he combed his hair and shaved his stubbly beard. He was tan and his broad smile revealed perfectly white teeth.

"Um… yeah. We're just visiting," Michael said vaguely. A strange feeling of uneasiness, as though he should have known this person, was creeping through his stomach.

"Oh, visiting Ida and Walt?" the man asked. "It really is a shame about their daughter, isn't it?" He stuck out his hand. "I'm Trevor, by the way."

"I'm Kyle Valenti," Michael replied, shaking Trevor's hand. Gesturing to Maria, he added, "This is Maria DeLuca."

"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you both," Trevor said. "You stickin' around for a while?"

"We were just going to the Stagecoach Museum," Maria replied. "And then we were going to have lunch back here with the Crawfords."

"Ah. Ida and Walt are great hosts and always love the company," Trevor said. "I'm walking in the direction of the museum. How's about I accompany you?"

Michael nodded, knowing it would be impolite to refuse, and not wanting to antagonize anyone. Part of him just wanted to leave now, but with the revelation that Nicolas had murdered him in the past, he couldn't just walk away without answers.

"So, where are you folk from?" Trevor asked as they started down the dusty road.

"Roswell," Maria answered. "We knew Senator Whitaker. Not well, but… it was horrible, how suddenly she died." She trailed off with a sheepish grin that did little to hide the anxiety in her eyes. She had yet to get any details from Michael, and the fact that they were in the same town as someone who had killed the taciturn hybrid in his past life was leaving her fearful and unsure.

"Yes, it was," Trevor agreed solemnly.

"Do you know the Crawfords well?" Michael asked.

"Oh, yeah. We go way back. Nicolas was practically my brother, growing up. You know, the annoying older brother who plays practical jokes on you to get his friends to think he's cool." Trevor grinned, his eyes taking on a faraway look. "Those were the good old times. I still owe him payback for some of those pranks, though. You have brothers like that?"

Michael shook his head. "No," he said. "Maria and I are both only children."

Trevor gave him a funny look, but said nothing. Michael and Maria exchanged a worried glance behind his back. Unless Trevor knew of the Valentis, which seemed unlikely, it wasn't like he would know that Kyle had a sister. And bringing up Tess was dangerous, given they had no idea who this man really was. So why did he seem annoyed by Michael's answer?

"You're missing out," Trevor said finally. "Having siblings is pretty cool. Well, most of the time." He paused, looking around. They'd just turned out onto the main street, and the museum loomed ahead. "Place is still pretty dead at this hour. You'll probably be the only ones in the museum."

"That's fine," Maria replied.

Trevor looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "No, it isn't," he countered, his voice becoming unnaturally serious. "Listen to me. You need to turn around, head back to that car, and get out of here. Don't look back." He turned to look at Michael. "Trust me, Kyle. You don't want to be around here anymore."

Michael stepped discreetly in front of Maria, protecting her from the other man. "What do you mean?"

"You think using a fake name is going to protect you, _Michael_?" Trevor shook his head. "Go. Leave while you still have that chance. I can only give you this warning once."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Michael said, feigning innocence. "My name is Kyle."

"Sure it is," Trevor said, his voice almost reaching a sneer. "And you're just two kids happening to pass by. Spare me the lies, _Rath_, I can see right through you. You don't want to be here. Not ever, but especially not now. Not while Nicolas is here."

"Michael," Maria whispered, "I think we should listen to him and leave."

"What's so special about Nicolas?" Michael asked cautiously.

"Let's just say, he's not someone you ever want to cross." Trevor folded his arms and asked crossly, "So? Are you going to listen to your girl and get out of here?"

"Not without answers," Michael replied. "Like why don't you tell me who you are and why we should trust you?"

"I told you. My name is Trevor. And you should trust me because going back into the house is going to kill you. So unless you want to die…"

"We're not going to trust you just because you say we can," Michael argued.

"Look, I'm putting my own life on the line trying to warn you," Trevor snapped, growing annoyed. "You want to play dumb and walk to your death, fine. Just don't expect me to show up to your funeral."

"What do you mean, putting your life on the line?" Michael asked quietly.

"And you are still every bit as thick as you were in the past, Rath," Trevor mocked dryly. "Do you really think my fellow skins have any idea that I'm having this conversation with you? If they find out, I'm dead. And I'd rather not have that happen. So please, just go. Now."

"So you're what? Like a spy?" Maria asked, eyebrows raised. "Trying to destroy the enemies from the inside?"

"What makes you think they are my enemies?" Trevor responded coolly, giving Maria a icy look. "If you'd been anyone else, I'd have just let them kill you. This is a favor to you, Rath. Make the right decision."

Michael shook his head, too suspicious of this strange man to simply take his advice and leave. It didn't make sense that someone who supported their enemies, supported Khivar, would still risk everything to save him and Maria. Obviously, there was something else going on.

"I'm not leaving."

Trevor gave a frustrated sigh, clearly upset by that response. Then he froze, eyes widening as though sensing something. He glanced over his shoulder. "Damn it," he swore lightly. "Greer is coming. Look, just… play it cool. Got it?"

Before Michael or Maria could reply, another man had joined them. He was tall, with a distinguished face and dark black hair, streaked with gray. His brown eyes were not friendly, although they lacked the hostility that radiated from Nicolas'. "Hello, Trevor," the man said. "Who are your friends?"

"Oh, Kyle Valenti and Maria DeLuca," Trevor replied. "They're just passing through town. I was giving them the quick tour." He turned to Michael and Maria and continued, "This is Mr. Greer. He's a friend of mine."

"Please to meet you," Greer said, extending a hand.

"You, too," Michael said, gripping the other man's hand firmly. By his side, Maria shifted nervously, watching the two interact. The entire situation didn't feel right, and she couldn't help but wonder with a sinking feeling if perhaps they shouldn't have listened to Trevor and left while they still had the chance.

* * *

Greer hadn't left. Instead, he'd insisted on accompanying them to the museum, talking genially about how pleased he was the young folks were interested in his dusty little town. He was unpleasant, but there was something about him that set Michael on edge, and the hybrid did little to hide his displeasure at the other's presence. Greer seemed not to pick up on the hint, and talked blithely, but would occasionally exchange looks with Trevor as though asking silent questions.

Finally, Michael tried to shake both his unwelcome followers by mentioning his lunch plans with Ida and Walt Crawford, but somehow Greer and Trevor had taken this as an opportunity to invite themselves over for lunch as well, and they all ended up in the dining room, watching as Mrs. Crawford placed a plate of pasta on the table in front of Maria.

"Here you are, dear," Mrs. Crawford said with a smile. Turning to Trevor, she asked, "Do you want lemon with your pasta as usual, Trevor?"

"Yes, thank you," Trevor said politely, accepting a bottle of lemon juice from the older woman. He dumped most of the contents of the bottle onto his pasta, nearly drowning the noodles in the acidic liquid.

Greer took a bite of his pasta. "So, tell me, Kyle, what are you interested in doing when you grow up?"

Michael nearly choked on his pasta at the question. "Um… I don't know," he said. Maria gave him a pointed look, indicating that he needed to continue the conversation and act normal, and he found himself saying, "I like… uh… kids. Maybe I'll be a teacher."

Maria could barely restrain her laughter at that comment, and disguised the giggles that threatened to escape from her throat by coughing into her napkin.

"That's good," Mrs. Crawford said. "We need good teachers."

"Yes," Greer agreed. "The more teachers we have, the less fighting there will be."

Michael slanted a look at the other man, wondering if there was any hidden meaning in his words, but Greer ignored him and focused instead on his lunch.

"What was Senator Whitaker like as a teenager?" Maria asked quickly, deciding to draw attention away from Michael.

"Oh, very strong-minded," Mrs. Crawford said with a foggily reminiscent smile. "She knew what she wanted, and she went after it. She always wanted to make change, you know. Wanted to help people."

"She sounds like a remarkable woman," Maria murmured.

"Oh, she was," Mr. Crawford leapt into the conversation. "She truly was. She always cared about people, you know. Always remembered the little things." He gave Maria a gentle smile. "You remind me of her, actually."

"Do I?" Maria asked.

Trevor suddenly rose to his feet. "Excuse me. I'll be right back," he said, pushing his chair back and walking out of the room. He paused in the hallway, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, letting out a slow breath, he walked towards the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, he stared at his face, scrutinizing his skin. He looked just as tired as he felt.

He reached behind his ear for a moment, feeling a few loose bits of skin peeling off. He caught one, and pulled, literally lifting a skin layer of his entire face off of his body. He tossed the skin into the toilet and flushed it, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

"Problems?"

He didn't even bother looking at the doorway. "Felt like shedding, Greer," he said coolly.

"Getting cold feet?"

That did cause Trevor to look up with a sharp glare. "Of course not."

"I'd understand if you were," Greer said calmly. "So would Nicolas."

Trevor shook his head. "I'm not. I know what needs to be done. For the good of our planet. For Khivar." He glanced at the mirror again, running a hand absently through his hair. "But we need to proceed with caution."

"Caution?" Greer smirked. "And here I was planning on just having a bloodbath in the middle of lunch." Trevor didn't smile, and Greer continued, "We understand the need to proceed carefully."

"We can't just attack," Trevor continued. "We have to wait."

"Now, don't take this the wrong way, Trevor," Greer said casually, "but it sounds an awful lot like you don't want to go through with this."

"Think, Greer," Trevor hissed, face flushing at the implied accusation. "If Rath has come, Zan cannot be far behind. Wait until the king arrives before attacking. Let Zan walk right into our trap… and hopefully he'll bring Ava and Vilandra with him."

Greer studied Trevor for a moment, then shrugged. "You have a point. But are you sure it isn't also some of your own… emotions… clouding your judgment on this one? Do you really want to wait for Zan to arrive… or do you simply want to prevent Rath's death for as long as possible?"

Trevor pushed past Greer. "I know where my loyalties lie," he hissed, then slammed the door shut behind him, leaving Greer standing alone in the bathroom.

* * *

Max glanced in the rearview mirror, observing Tess. She was sitting in the back, staring out the window, clearly lost in her own thoughts. He almost opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, to question why her face was lined with worry and her expression marred with concern, but he thought better of it and looked back at the road.

Isabel closed her eyes and leaned back against the seat. "How are we even going to find Michael and Maria?" she asked tiredly. "We don't want to draw attention to ourselves."

"We just have to find the Crawfords," Max answered. "That shouldn't be too hard. I looked online, and Copper Summit is practically a ghost town."

"Yeah. A ghost town that is harboring enemy aliens," Isabel muttered. She glanced at Max, then sighed. There was another reason she was so apprehensive to enter this town, one that had little to do with any physical danger. She had yet to inform anyone of Whitaker's revelations about her past life, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. But what would happen if they found out?

She couldn't even stand thinking about the betrayal the others would feel.

"Are you alright?" Max asked, giving his sister a concerned look.

She smiled faintly. "I'm fine. I just want to find Michael and Maria and get this over with."

"It will be a few more hours before we get to Copper Summit," Max said, "but we'll get there in time. I promise."

She smiled at his attempts to be reassuring. "Thanks," she murmured.

* * *

"I don't like this," Liz announced as she dropped the damp rag onto the counter next to Alex and looked around the crowded diner. "I told Dad I am covering Maria's shift so she can spend time with Michael, and Jim is covering for Isabel and Tess. But still…" She rested her head on the palm of her hand. "They're driving right into danger."

"Yeah," Alex agreed, keeping his voice low. "But they don't really have much of a choice. I know you're upset about it, but you have to believe that they have the ability to take care of themselves."

Liz nodded reluctantly. Still, if anything happened to Maria or Max because of Michael's idiotic idea to recklessly rush off on his own, she was going to be a little more than just upset.

Switching subjects, Alex asked abruptly, "What do you think of Courtney?"

Liz raised an eyebrow and answered with a shrug. "She's nice. Maria and I have hung out with her a few times. She's pretty cool… just shy. I guess it comes from being the new girl all the time."

"It must have been hard, having her mother move all the time," Alex agreed, but something in the inflection of his voice caused Liz to give him a questioning look. He blushed slightly, then explained, "I just… does it seem strange to you that Michael is friendly with her?"

"They work together," Liz answered. Actually, the answer to that was an unequivocal yes. She thought it was incredibly strange that Michael would be even remotely civil to someone he barely even knew. He was generally one of the most suspicious of the group, so his tolerance for Courtney bordered on bizarre.

Alex gave her a knowing look. "That's not the whole issue though, is it?"

Liz expelled a breath in frustration. "Courtney hasn't really done anything to encourage Maria's jealousy," she said quietly. "I don't know why Michael is friends with her. I mean… I guess she does flirt with him sometimes, but it isn't like she's tried to make a move on him or anything."

"Yeah, but how would you respond if someone was flirting with Max?"

Liz smiled. "Fair point," she conceded. "However," she added, qualifying her previous statement, "I still think Maria is overreacting."

"You don't think she should feel threatened by Courtney?"

Liz shook her head. "I don't think she should worry about Michael cheating on her. He's not going to do that."

"You don't know that," Alex argued. "None of us know what he would or wouldn't do. He's Michael. He's unpredictable, and he doesn't always have the best… sense."

"And you don't want to see Maria get hurt?" Liz surmised.

"Pretty much," Alex agreed.

The brunette waitress considered this for a moment. She could see Alex's point of view. She could see Maria's as well. But she preferred to give Michael the benefit of the doubt, and while he could be thoughtless and irresponsible at times, he did care about Maria. He wouldn't do anything to hurt her that much… would he?

She let her thoughts wander to Courtney, her eyes automatically seeking out the other waitress. She was standing at one of the booths near the door, blonde hair flung over one shoulder, smiling suggestively as she wrote down the customer's order. Courtney was simply a natural flirt, and Liz had seen her turn on the charm with pretty much every male customer who walked in the door. Was Michael any different from all those men?

Well, he was. He was Maria's boyfriend… sort-of. That made him different, at least to Liz.

"I'll be back in a moment, I need to check on the orders," Liz said finally, giving Alex's arm a quick pat before wandering into the back room.

Mr. Evans was standing next to the cook, engaged in conversation. He was laughing at something, and grease from the French fries was splattered across the front of his apron.

"Hey, Lizzie," Mr. Evans said, as his daughter appeared.

"Hi, Dad."

"Can you do me a favor and get a spare apron?" he asked. "I was just trying to keep an eye on those fries, but apparently I'm not cut out to be a cook." He looked down at his messy apron. "I guess I'll stick to management."

"Sure, Dad," Liz agreed. "You should be careful, though. If the grease gets on your skin, it can burn pretty badly."

"My daughter, the scientist," Mr. Evans said proudly, grinning. "Always looking out for her father."

Liz walked over to the closet that held all the spare aprons and pulled it open. She reached for the nearest apron, grabbing the bright yellow cloth and pulling it out of the closet. She shook it out lightly, knocking loose any excess dust.

As she did so, a single piece of dried skin fluttered from the cloth, floating in mid air, before falling gracefully to the kitchen floor.

* * *

Next Chapter: Nicolas

Due: Sun 5/18


	18. Nicolas

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Sorry for the delay. I actually had this written on Sunday, and then didn't have access to internet until today. We're having some problems with the wireless in my apartment. Go figure.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Nicolas

"Thank you very much for the meal, Mrs. Crawford," Michael said as he placed his fork down on the table. "I really think Maria and I have imposed on your hospitality long enough. We should get going."

Greer had left about thirty minutes earlier, but Mr. Crawford had walked with him to the door, and the two had conversed in low tones about something serious. The older man had returned to the table with grim expression which he attempted to push aside, but occasionally looked over at Trevor with annoyance evident in his eyes.

Mrs. Crawford glanced at Trevor, and the other man averted his gaze quickly. She then turned her attention to Mr. Crawford, and he said, "Nonsense. We've enjoyed your company quite a lot. Tell me, where did you say you were going?"

"California," Maria replied. "Um… Los Angeles. I have family there. We're visiting them."

"Oh, that's so nice," Mrs. Crawford said, "but isn't that a long drive?"

"Yes, it is," Michael answered, "so we really should be going."

"Of course," Mrs. Crawford said finally, rising to her feet. "Let me just put some food into a little bag for you. Something for the road." She disappeared, returning a moment later with a paper bag filled with muffins and rolls and a bunch of grapes. "Walt, get a few bottles of water, why don't you? They'll probably get thirsty on that drive."

Mr. Crawford nodded and climbed wearily to his feet. He left the room, and Mrs. Crawford handed the bag to Michael. "Here you go, Kyle. Enjoy."

"Thank you," Michael said, accepting the bag with a forced smile. Their hospitality was unnerving, as was Trevor's silence, and he would not feel comfortable until they had put as much distance between themselves and this town as possible.

He glanced across the table and saw Nicolas watching him. The skin smiled, a thin, sardonic smile, that passed almost as soon as it had come. His dark eyes were filled with some sort of unpleasant emotion, and Michael swallowed nervously.

"Here you go," Mr. Crawford said, emerging a moment later with several water bottles. "Here, Nicolas, why don't you take these out to the car for Kyle and Maria?"

"Certainly, Father," Nicolas replied, standing and taking the water bottles. He slanted a look at Michael. "I'll walk you out to the car."

Michael and Maria both followed him to the door and out into the sunlight. The two elder Crawfords watched from the porch as they Michael opened the car door and put the bag of muffins into the front seat. Maria pulled open her own door, and was about to sit down when her feet slip on a pool of liquid seeping out from underneath the car.

"What's that?" she asked, touching the dark black material that stuck to the side of her shoes.

"Let me see," Nicolas answered, moving to her side and getting down onto his hands and knees. He peered underneath the car, then looked up with a frown. "You've got a rupture in your oil tank. You can't drive this car anywhere."

"What?" Michael demanded, hurrying over to inspect the underside of the car. But he saw the oil seeping across the ground and knew Nicolas was right. Still… "That's not possible. It was fine on the way here." It was a set-up, it had to be. Greer had done this to the car when he left. There was no other explanation for why a perfectly good car would suddenly start losing oil like this.

"Well, there's a automobile shop just a couple blocks over," Nicolas said, straightened and staring at the black oil on the tips of his fingers. "I can call them and have someone come over to look at the car."

"It's a good thing you caught this now, my dear," Mrs. Crawford called, leaning over the porch railing and smiling at Maria, "because it would have been really dangerous to drive while leaking oil. Still, it's going to take a while for a mechanic to fix it. Why don't you two stay here for the night?"

Michael and Maria exchanged a look. Nicolas continued to smile, and Mrs. Crawford beamed happily while Mr. Crawford pushed his hands into his pockets and surveyed the scene.

Trevor turned and walked back inside the house.

* * *

Max pulled the car to the side of the road and frowned through the windows. "There's practically nothing here," he said, wrinkling his nose. "It's almost completely empty. Like a ghost town. Who knew Copper Summit was so boring?"

"Let's just find Michael and Maria and get out of here," Isabel said anxiously. "I'd rather not stay here any longer than absolutely necessary."

"Alright, should we proceed to the Crawfords?" Max asked, sifting through a pile of papers scattered in between the two front seats. "I have their address somewhere here."

"We could just call Maria," Tess suggested from the back seat. "She's got her cell phone with her. If she answers, we can arrange to meet her somewhere. If she doesn't…"

"Then what? We storm the Crawfords' home, powers ready?" Isabel finished dryly. "We have no idea what kind of danger they are in. This is too risky. We just want to get in, get them, and get out."

"Yes, but we can't just waltz into the Crawfords' house," Tess countered logically. "That would be a little too suspicious." She glanced from Max to Isabel and sighed. "Look, we have no idea what we're up against and we're not going to figure it out by sitting in the car. We just need to go find them. Now."

"She's right," Isabel said reluctantly, pulling out her phone. "I'll call Maria."

Max nodded. "Fine," he agreed, seeing too much sense in Tess' words to argue with her.

A moment later, they could hear the faint echo of Maria's voice at the other end of the phone line.

"Isabel?"

"Max, Tess, and I are in Copper Summit. Where are you?" Isabel asked, getting right to the point.

"At the Crawfords'. Isabel, listen to me. It's dangerous. Nicolas is here, and Michael thinks they did something to our car to prevent us from leaving." Maria sounded worried, and Isabel found herself clutching the phone tightly, eyes widening with fear.

"Is Michael there?"

"No. He's talking to Walt Crawford and Nicolas. Inside the house. Ida Crawford wanted to show me her garden. Michael didn't want us to split up, but she insisted."

"You left Michael alone with _Khivar's brother_?" Isabel demanded, incredulous. Next to her, Max inhaled sharply and instantly turned the keys in the ignition, bringing the car back to life. He was going to go get Michael now, and not take the chance of anything happening to his friend, no matter the risks.

"I didn't have a choice. Michael didn't want us to act suspicious. Look, I ditched Mrs. Crawford for the moment to take this call. She went back inside to check on Michael and the others. If you hurry, you could get here before she comes out. Then we can get Michael and get out of here."

"We're on our way," Isabel promised, then she hung up the phone. Turning to Max, she said tersely, "We need to go. We're running out of time. They must already know who Michael is."

Max nodded, pushing his foot down on the accelerator and sending the car flying over the dirt road, kicking dust up in the air as the tires bumped over the rocks and holes. They arrived a few moments later in front of an old house with a red mailbox, and saw Maria standing in the yard, watching for them.

She rushed to the car the moment in stopped. "Oh, thank God," she cried as Max emerged from the driver's seat. Glancing over her shoulder at the house, she continued, "Mrs. Crawford isn't back yet. We should hurry."

"She's inside?" Tess asked, studying the house cautiously.

"With Michael, her husband, and Nicolas."

"Come on," Max said, leading the way up the stone path to the front door. He didn't bother knocking, but just shoved it open and stepped inside, giving his eyes a moment to adjust from the brilliance of the sun outside to the dimmer light within. Then he strode forward purposefully.

"Who is it?" a voice called from the kitchen, and Mrs. Crawford came bustling out. She paused when she saw the others, but then her smile widened. "Oh, Maria, are these more friends of yours?" She held up a glass of lemonade clasped in one hand. "I was just going to being you something to drink. Would you all like something as well?"

"We're looking for Mi-Kyle," Maria answered, almost forgetting to use the false name. She felt Tess' gaze suddenly pierce her back, and wondered if the fourth hybrid would be upset that she'd chosen Kyle to be Michael's pseudonym. Knowing Tess, the answer was probably yes, but Maria was too concerned with other matters to worry about that at the moment.

"Oh, he's talking with Walt in the study," Mrs. Crawford replied, gesturing vaguely with one hand towards the door leading into the hallway. "I'll get him for you." She turned and walked away, but not before giving Max a steady look. He met her gaze without flinching.

"Kyle?" Tess asked the moment Mrs. Crawford was gone.

"When we found out that Nicolas was here, Michael didn't want anyone to know who he was. So we introduced him as Kyle Valenti so that no one would suspect."

Tess opened her mouth to say something, but Max placed a hand on her arm and said, "Whatever you're annoyed about, yell at Maria later. We have other problems to deal with now." It wasn't a request, but rather a cool order, and Tess found herself obeying it without question.

Michael came out a moment later, followed closely by Nicolas. He paused when he saw the others, but a look of relief flooded his features, and he walked quickly over to Max. "Hey, man," he greeted.

"Hi… Kyle," Max replied, eyes narrowed. "I hear you've gotten yourself into a bit of a mess." Michael raised an eyebrow, and Max jerked his head backwards, towards the door leading into the front lawn. "Your car. Maria says it's not working."

"The oil tank is leaking," Michael confirmed. It would be an easy enough problem to mend with his gifts, but he hadn't wanted to do that while he was outnumbered. Now that the others were here, he felt more confident. All they had to do was escape with their lives, and then everything else could be planned out from there.

"We can give you a ride back home," Isabel offered. Her gaze drifted to the left, to Mrs. Crawford, and she said, "We appreciate your hospitality. We can take Maria and… Kyle… now."

"Oh, but I thought you were going to Los Angeles," Mrs. Crawford said with a quizzical look for Maria and Michael. "Why would you want to go back home to New Mexico with your friends?"

"I think, Mother," Nicolas said with a casual smile, "that Maria's story was probably just yet another lie."

As if his words had been the signal that changed everything, Mrs. Crawford's expression melted instantly from the sweet grandmother-type to cold and almost inhuman. Next to her, Mr. Crawford straightened to his full height, the slight stoop to his shoulders disappearing as his eyes glittered with fierce determination.

"I quite agree, sir," Mrs. Crawford replied, and her voice was no longer pleasant. Instead, it was filled with a mixture of triumph and loathing.

"Unfortunately, Zan, my brother is not here to have the pleasure of killing you yet again. I suppose it is only right that I should take the opportunity to do it for him," Nicolas continued, his voice casual as though he was merely remarking on the weather.

A complete silence met his words. The charade was over now, all the lies cast aside, and the two sets of enemies faced each other, knowing that their was only one way out of this conflict.

"I have no intention of dying by your hand," Max replied finally, his words filled with a conviction that caused the other three hybrids to look at him with new eyes. He sounded, completely and truly, like a king. "And I'm certainly not going to let Khivar kill me either."

"Oh, so you do know who I am," Nicolas said, and he almost sounded pleased, as though he'd been worried he would not receive the proper recognition. "This will make things so much more _fun_." And without warning, he extended his hand and attacked Max, an invisible force sending the teenage alien flying through the air and crashing into the wall.

Michael retaliated by launching his own attack on Nicolas, but the skin easily blocked it. At the same time, Isabel rushed to Max's side and helped him back to his feet.

"Vilandra, move away from your brother," Nicolas said quietly. "I don't want to hurt you also."

Max gave Isabel a confused look at that statement, wondering why the skins would be interested in keeping her alive. But she refused to meet his gaze, and was instead staring at Nicolas with pure rage in her eyes. He looked back, a smug smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"You know, I grow weary of this planet and it's pathetic excuse for living organisms. Human bore me," Nicolas said disdainfully. "They are weak." His eyes strayed to Maria for a moment, and Michael noticed this and stepped in front of her. "Oh, are we being protective, Rath? I don't know why you bother. You never had much luck with women."

Michael narrowed his eyes, remembering Nicolas' comment in the flash he had seen, how the women in his life always betrayed him. He shot a brief look at Isabel, and when she caught his eye, she jolted her head away as though she'd been burnt.

"Leave Maria out of this," Max interrupted. "She's human. She has nothing to do with any of this."

"I would," Nicolas replied, pausing and adopting as contemplative look as though he was actually considering Max's request, "but… well, I don't really want to. She knows too much. She's expendable, and must be taken care of." He looked back at Isabel. "Vilandra, _come here_."

Isabel felt her feet moving without the control of the rest of her body, and she had to force herself to stop. But every part of her being wanted to continue, to respond to the command in his voice. It was more than just a compelling need, it was as though she actually desired being by his side.

"Isabel?" Tess asked. Her voice, soft and shaking, snapped Isabel out of her trance.

"I'm not siding with you, Nicolas," Isabel said defiantly. "Not again."

"Again?" Max asked, his voice filled with incredulous disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

Nicolas grinned maliciously. "Looks like someone's kept a secret from her family, haven't you Vilandra?" he mocked, his voice practically tormenting her. "History repeats itself."

"No," Isabel said again, but this time it didn't sound so much like a refusal, but rather like a plea.

"Isabel, what is he talking about?" Max asked forcefully. Isabel, however, did not answer, and when Max looked to Michael and Tess for an explanation, they stared back blankly, clearly at a loss as well.

The two elder Crawfords, who had been silent until now, started laughing, a soft noise that was filled with menace. Nicolas, too, smiled appreciatively as though enjoying some great joke.

"Look at the four of you," he sneered. "Pathetic. Oh, if only the people back home could see their precious Royal Four now. The believe you heroes, legends of greatness, but you're nothing more than clueless teenagers."

"We're much more than that," Max replied, pointing his finger at Nicolas. He felt the energy flooding from his hand, a wave that swept through the entire room and seemed to crackle with its own electricity. It through Nicolas off his feet and shoved Mr. and Mrs. Crawford to the ground. It made Tess, Isabel, and Michael double over, faces scrunched in surprise and pain, and Max realized belatedly that he had unintentionally drawn on their energy to feed his own.

As Tess slowly rose to her feet, she glanced at the three skins. "I think Ida and Walt Crawford are out cold," she said. "That was… powerful."

"Indeed," Nicolas agreed as he lifted himself back into a standing position. He didn't seem too concerned that he had just lost his backup. And, Max, reflected, he probably had a good reason to be cocky if he had managed to stay conscious through an attack like that. He was much more powerful than any of them had expected, even with Nasedo's warning.

"I'll do it again if I have to," Max warned angrily.

Nicolas frowned at Michael and Isabel, both of whom were clutching their heads. "I don't think that is a wise decision, Zan. Your family might not have the strength for it."

Michael grumbled in reply, "I'd do it again if it meant giving Max the ability to kill you."

"Would you now?" Nicolas asked contemptuously. "I still doubt you would be strong enough to fight me."

"Try me," Max threatened.

Nicolas wiggled his fingers slightly, and something seemed to jump from his hand, electricity or lightening or some other energy. Max countered by raising a shield that absorbed the attack. He faltered as he stared at what he had done, so surprised by this new ability that he almost forgot to keep the shield up, and it wavered for a moment, nearly buckling under Nicolas' assault.

Isabel turned and caught Max's hand, letting all of her strength flow into him. It nearly sent her falling to her knees, but she managed to stay standing, focusing simply on stopping the enemy.

"Clever, Vilandra," Nicolas said, finally halting his attack. "And quite a display of adept fighting ability, Zan." He looked over at Maria, who had remained silent for most of the attack. "I wonder how you would protect yourself against me, human?"

"Leave her alone!" Michael practically snarled.

Nicolas seemed to shrug. "Whatever you say, Rath." He tilted his head to the side, let his gaze wander back to Isabel, and said, "I tire of this, Vilanda. _Stop helping your brother_."

Isabel's hand dropped away from Max, falling limply to her side. Her mouth opened his horror, and she suddenly flung her hand at Nicolas, preparing to attack him. "Stop it! Stop whatever you're doing to me!"

Nicolas simply smirked and once again blocked the attack.

Michael and Max, both responding to the desperation in Isabel's voice, attacked Nicolas at the same time. He countered with an attack of his own, and as the energy collided in the middle of the room, the entire house shook. Tess reached out to steady herself against the nearest wall, and Maria leaned back against the doorframe to keep from collapsing. Isabel stumbled to her knees, and Max reached for her just at the house settled back into stillness.

"That was interesting. I wasn't…"

The rest of Nicolas' caustic remark was lost as the floor beneath them suddenly buckled and gave way, falling into the basement below, and taking everything down with it as dust and dirt and splinters of wood rushed upwards.

* * *

"You're playing guitar?" Liz asked incredulously, pushing open the door to Alex's room and marching inside. She snatched the instrument from his hands, lips pressed into a thin line, and continued, "I tell you that I found a shred of skin in the closet at the Crashdown and I need to come over to talk to you and you're playing guitar?"

"I was just waiting for you," Alex protest, trying to grab the instrument from her hands. But Liz held it out of his reach, shaking her head. "Liz, give me my guitar back!"

She placed it next to him on the bed and took a seat by the desk. "Why are you not panicking?"

"Okay, why don't we talk about this calmly and rationally?" Alex replied. "We can panic later."

The brunette rolled her pretty brown eyes. "Fine. It was a piece of skin. It was on an apron. I was getting the apron for my Dad, and I shook it out, and the skin just fell… it disintegrated when it touched the ground."

"Could it have been skin shed from a snake or a lizard?"

"It was peachy, flesh-toned. Like human skin." Liz paused, then added, "Besides, how would a snake or a lizard get into the closet?"

"So what does that mean?" Alex asked. "Enemy aliens are hiding in your closet?" Even in his head, the words sounded completely ridiculous.

"Or wearing our aprons," Liz said thoughtfully.

Alex shook his head. "That's not possible. Why would skins break into the Crashdown and then steal your aprons? And then return them once they were done with them? Why would they even want the aprons in the first place?"

Liz grinned. "Alex, do you even think before you start talking? I swear, you're turning into Maria."

Alex threw a pillow at Liz, laughing. "Take that back!"

She ducked the pillow, her eyes sparkling with mirth, and the pillow bounced onto the desk and fell to the floor. Alex reached for another pillow to throw at her, but Liz held up a hand to stop him, her expression sobering. "We need to be serious."

"Obviously, someone was looking through your closet for something," Alex said, eyebrows coming together as he pondered this latest discovery.

"You think the skins know who I am?" Liz questioned fearfully, worries for her parents' safety coming to mind. If the skins had broken into the Crashdown, it meant that they had Liz targeted, and both her parents could be in danger.

"Probably," Alex admitted, not liking having to say this. "They probably know who we all are. You're a target because Max is."

"But what would they want from the diner?" Liz asked, running a hand through her hair. "There isn't really anything here. Shouldn't they be breaking into Max's house?"

"Maybe they already did," Alex replied gloomily. Liz accepted this in silence, and Alex continued, "I think the only thing we know for certain from this is that the skins are interested in all of us."

"We'll need to talk to Max and the others about this," Liz ventured finally.

"We can tell them once they get back from Copper Summit. In the mean time, you should probably search through the rest of the Crashdown for left-over bits of skin. You don't want them to be found by anyone else, it would raise too many questions."

"Yeah…" Liz agreed slowly, still thinking.

"And… there is one other thing…" Alex suggested hesitantly, clearly not sure he wanted to bring up this particular subject. Liz glanced at him expectantly, and he continued, "Has your father hired anyone new? Anyone who might be wearing those aprons?"

Liz, realizing what he was implying, grew pale for a moment. "Um… Let's see. Dad hired a new cook last year, and another waitress over the summer, and Courtney this year." She gazed seriously as Alex. "You think they might be behind this? One of them is a skin?"

"It is certainly a possibility," Alex acknowledged. "I don't think we can rule it out."

"Well, the cook was Christopher something-or-other. He only works Monday and Friday mornings and Tuesday afternoons. I don't really know him." She pulled at a strand of hair, thinking. "He started working here around the same time that Michael and Maria went to Texas, to Atherton's house. He's married, and I think he has a couple of kids. Toddlers."

"Okay. Well, we should keep an eye on him."

"Yeah," Liz agreed, a little gloomily. "And the waitress, Paula Alvarez. She's a college student. She started working here at the end of the school year…" She trailed off for a moment, giving Alex a meaningful look.

"At the same time that Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess found that Granolith-thing," he supplied. He shrugged, "It could be a coincidence, but maybe it isn't. Hard to know."

"So we'll talk to Max about it," Liz said, yawning slightly. It had been a long and stressful day, and the past events were catching up with her. She was tired. But as she glanced out the window and wondered where the others were, and if they were safe, she knew she wouldn't be able to relax until they were back in Roswell.

* * *

Next Chapter: Let Go

Due: Sun 5/25


	19. Let Go

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This turned out to be a pretty long chapter. I wanted it to have all the consequences of the trip to Copper Summit, and so I just kept writing… Anyway, bear with me even though it's long, it is important.

* * *

Chapter Nineteen: Let Go

When the dust finally settled, Max pulled himself to his feet and looked around. The entire first floor had fallen through the ground, and broken furniture and shattered glass littered the cement floor of the basement. The top of the house settled precariously on the foundation, threatening to collapse as well. Michael and Isabel had escaped the fall relatively unharmed, but Tess was rubbing her head with one hand, and he could see a red liquid seeping into her fingers. Maria looked pale, almost green, and was wincing as she limped on a sprained ankle.

Nicolas was nowhere to be seen.

Ida Crawford was leaning over her husband, and it was then that Max noticed that the older man seemed to be falling apart… literally. A thin piece of wood, probably broken from the rafters supporting the basement ceiling, pierced through his side, and his skin was flaking, peeling away. He was disintegrating before their very eyes.

Mrs. Crawford turned and looked at them, and Max was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "This isn't over," she hissed. "Nicolas will find you all. He'll kill you."

"I'll kill him first," Max answered fiercely. "You think you can hurt us and we'll just let it happen?"

"Hurt you?" Mrs. Crawford echoed, a bitter laugh escaping her parted lips. "You _murdered_ my daughter and husband. You hurt us."

"Your daughter tried to kill Tess," Max answered, his words cold. "It was self-defense. And unless I am very much mistaken, your race already kill all four of us and stole my thrown." His expression morphed into a sneer. "Don't pretend to be the innocent one in this mess."

Before Mrs. Crawford could reply, Mr. Crawford let out a final moan and his entire body disappeared, until all that was left were pieces of skin drifting about it the dusty air. Maria turned away, fighting back the urge to gag at the sight, and Michael reached out automatically to steady her.

"Come on," Michael said, looking over Maria's head to Max. "Let's get out of here."

The hybrid king nodded wearily. Mrs. Crawford made no move to stop him, apparently realizing that she was outnumbered and no longer wanting to put up much of a fight. Michael tilted his head back and looked up at the wooden ceiling above them. The staircase leading from the basement had survived, providing a rickety escape route into the backyard.

"This way," Michael said, and began carefully leading Maria through the wreckage. He guided her up the stairs, running his hand along the banister and using his gifts to stabilize the steps so they wouldn't give way beneath their feet. Behind him, Tess, hand stained with her own blood, followed slowly, almost laboriously. Isabel moved to the petite blonde's side and placed a hand under her arm, helping her. Tess looked up, startled, but flashed a grateful smile.

Michael pushed the door open and stepped into the yard. Sunlight streamed down onto the brown grass, and to his chagrin, the entire neighborhood had appeared, drawn by the horrific sight of a house imploding. He shielded his eyes with one hand and looked behind him at Isabel, who had paused, staring blankly at the gathered crowd.

"Come on," Michael said. "We'll play it cool and get out of here."

Isabel looked a little unsure of that plan. "You really think that the story of a house imploding isn't going to make it to the news? I think we need to do a little bit better of covering our tracks of we will be headline news tonight."

As if to prove her point, a man came rushing forward and snapped a quick photograph of Michael and Maria. The flash momentarily startled the blonde human, and she blinked and looked at Michael. He pushed her behind him protectively, gesturing for Isabel and Tess to stay back as well.

"Where's Max?" Tess asked quietly.

Michael and Isabel glanced back at the dark hole in the side of the house, at the staircase leading down to the basement. Max was still down there, with Mrs. Crawford.

"Maxwell?" Michael called.

"In a minute," came Max's reply, his voice floating up to them. In the basement, he turned to Mrs. Crawford and extended his hand, fingers glowing with a flickering green light. He hesitated, palm still facing forward, a sudden wave of anxiety preventing him from simply killing the remaining skin.

Mrs. Crawford snickered. "Can't do it, can you? Can't kill in cold blood. That's why you'll never be even half the king Zan was… or Khivar is."

Max swallowed uneasily and lowered his hand. Slowly, he said, "You find Nicolas. And you tell him to stay away from my family or I'll do a lot more than just hurt him." He met her gaze with defiant coldness, daring him to contradict her. If Nicolas attacked… well, he'd killed Pierce, hadn't he? If he'd killed an enemy once before, he could do it again.

She raised one eyebrow at his words, a cool look in her eyes. "You think you've won this round, little king?" she sneered. "Just wait. When the Harvest comes, you'll pay for this."

Max opened his mouth to ask what the Harvest was, but Isabel voice called down to him, "Max. We've got a bit of a problem." He responded instantly by pushing past Ida Crawford and climbing out of the ruins of the destroyed house.

The scene that met his eyes almost took his breath away. The place was crowded, filled with people pushing forward, trying to get closer and closer to the house. An older man, perhaps the Sheriff of the town was pushing people away, trying to regain some kind of order. A few men and a women were snapping photographs, and another woman had a video camera.

"Where are Ida and Walt?" a voice shouted.

Another called out, "And Nicolas. Was he in the house?"

"Who are you?" the man Max assumed was the Sheriff asked as he strode forward. He paused, glancing at Michael and Maria. "Oh… Maria and Kyle, right?"

"Hello, Mr. Greer," Maria said shakily.

Greer's gaze passed over her and landed on Tess. "We've got to get that little lady to a hospital. Her head is bleeding." Then he let his eyes slide past her to the house. "Is there anyone else in there?"

"Just Mrs. Crawford," Max answered. Greer responded immediately by pushing past him and hurrying down the spiraling steps into the darkness. Max watched him go with a mixture of concern and confusion on his face, but whatever questions he wanted to ask were cut off as he caught sight of Tess swaying on her feet.

Both Max and Isabel reached out to steady her.

"We need to get out of here," Isabel murmured to Max.

"Michael, Maria, can you guys figure out a way to fix your car?" Max asked, slanting a look at Michael. The other hybrid nodded grimly, and Max continued, "Alright, Isabel, Tess, and I will meet you at the outskirts of the town. We passed a sign on the way in. It said something like 'Welcome to Copper Summit.' I'll see you guys there, and we can figure out what to do."

Getting through the mass of people proved to be no easy task, however, and Michael and Maria found themselves swarmed by people asking questions, closing in on all sides.

"What happened? Was anyone hurt in the explosion?"

"What were you doing at the Crawfords' home? Are you friends of theirs?"

"What's your name? Where are you two from?"

Michael sent them all a stony glare, but it did little to scare them off. He was starting to wonder how he was going to be able to fix his car, given that it didn't appear as though he would have the privacy to use his gifts. Before he could contemplate this problem for too long, however, he felt a hand on his shoulders and turned to find himself staring into Trevor's darkened eyes.

"I told you to get out while you still could," he hissed, keeping his voice low as he directed them away from the crowd. "Your car is fixed, by the way," he added. He looked back at the house. "Where are the Crawfords?"

"Walt disintegrated," Michael answered, "and Nicolas was just gone. I don't know." He narrowed his eyes. "Why are you helping us, and what did you mean about the car being fixed?"

"I fixed it," Trevor answered with a shrug. "I…" He shrugged, making a gesture with his hand, wiggling his fingers to indicate using alien powers. "I fixed the tank." Again, he paused, then finally said, "Look, just go."

"Not until you tell me why you are helping me," Michael snapped irritably.

Trevor gave him a long look, as though trying to figure out what to say. Then he reached up and touched Michael's head, his fingers glowing yellow for a moment. It happened so quickly that Michael had no time to react and Maria hadn't even noticed what Trevor had done.

And then Michael felt a memory entering his mind, forcing its way into his consciousness.

"_You know I would never do anything to purposefully hurt you," Trevor said seriously as he took a seat on the chair across from Rath. "But I can't help if I disagree with our king."_

"_I'm his second-in-command, Trae'yer," Michael replied with a heavy sigh. "It doesn't reflect well on him or me when you openly side with our rival." He regarded Trevor seriously, then added, "This is more than just politics. It is almost war."_

_Trevor rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Rath. It's just talk right now."_

_Michael snorted. "Khivar doesn't just talk."_

"_Remember back when you trusted me completely?" Trevor asked softly. "Back when we were still best friends?" He met Michael's hard gaze without flinching. "What happened?"_

"_You turned against me."_

_Trevor pushed back the chair and stood up. "If that's what you want to believe, I obviously can't change your mind. But I never knew you to just give up on someone so easily. And if a single difference of opinion is enough for you to write me off as a waste of time, I suppose I'll just show myself out."_

_He turned and walked from the room, but Michael called after him, and he paused in the doorway and turned around, expression unreadable._

"_You're still my best friend, Trae," Michael murmured quietly. "And I do know that you would never do anything to purposefully hurt me." _

Michael stepped backwards, mouth opening with a thousand jumbled thoughts wanting to burst forth. Maria was clutching his arm, her face filled with fear, but she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him blink a few times and clear the muddled images from his mind.

But Trevor, he soon realized, had slipped away unnoticed, disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

The five of them met again at the edge of town. Maria perched on the hood of her car, and Isabel leaned against the metal beside her. Michael was pacing restlessly, and Max was staring at Tess, who, although she had been healed, was still gingerly touching her head were the wound had been.

"What now?" Isabel asked finally, looking over at Max. "Do you think this is going to reach the news?"

"If it does, our plan of hiding in plain sight is going to be officially screwed," Michael answered before Max could reply.

"Not necessarily," Maria countered. "I mean, it's not like anyone saw you four use your gifts, right?"

Tess gave her a cold look. "Walt Crawford was killed in an explosion that happened to involve the five of us. I'd say this is going to have some pretty seriously repercussions."

"Who was that man who approached us at the end?" Max asked, turning to Michael. "You called him Greer?"

"Yeah. I think he's a skin. He had lunch with us. And Trevor also."

"Who?" Isabel chimed in.

"Trevor," Michael replied. "He… I think he might be a friend of mine from… from when I was Rath."

"He did try to warn us," Maria agreed thoughtfully. "He told us to get out of here before it was too late. And then helped fix the car so we could leave."

"We still can't trust him," Max declared, and Tess and Isabel nodded in agreement.

"I saw a flash… of our past lives. I really don't think he's the enemy," Michael agued, although he could not deny the fact that Trevor apparently supported Khivar. Yet if he supported their enemy, why was he so determined to protect them.

"Trevor gave you that flash," Maria pointed out. "It could have been fake."

"It wasn't," Michael said heatedly. "I could tell it was real."

"You don't know the extent of Trevor's powers," Maria countered. "He might be able to do things you don't even know about."

"You didn't feel this flash," Michael snapped. "It was real. I _know_ it was."

"Okay, you know what? Really, not all that important," Tess interrupted, glaring at both of them. "We can argue over this Trevor-person later. Can we get back to the part of the conversation where we try not to get involved in a homicide story?"

"It's not like they're going to accuse us on network television," Maria retorted hotly. "They'll just say it was an accident."

"And when they ask us what we were doing in the house in the first place?" Tess asked pointedly. When no one could reply to her comment, she folded her arms over her chest and said, "So you understand our predicament?"

"Yes, Tess,' Michael said, an edge to his voice. "We understand the severity of the issue."

"Hmm… pity you hadn't thought of that _before_ you decided to go on some wild goose chase to a different state… again," Tess replied sarcastically, lips pressed into a straight line as she eyed Michael with annoyance.

"Look, I really don't think it helps to assign blame right now," Isabel cut in, giving Tess a look. "Why don't we just focus on getting out of this mess?"

"How?" Tess said, her voice growing quieter, but no less angry. Her eyes darted back and forth between Michael and Isabel as she continued, "Don't you get it? There is no way out of this. We can't mind-warp all those people who saw what happened, and we can't undo it. If it shows up on the news, we're not going to have any choice but to ride the thing out."

"Can… can Jim do anything?" Maria asked.

Tess gave a hollow laugh. "Haven't you asked him to do enough?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maria demanded, taken aback by the bitterness in her laugh.

"Did you even think about what you were doing when you asked him to lie to your mother, or was it just so convenient to be able to use someone?" Tess replied smoothly. "After all, you have no problem using my family, do you?" Her voice was now barely above a whisper, and her sapphire eyes were so cold they were practically glacial. "Tell me, Maria, what's going to happen when the reporters ask Ida Crawford what Michael's name is, and she says Kyle Valenti? How are you going to explain it when people start asking questions about _my_ brother and how he might be involved in this?"

"Tess, stop it," Michael ordered before Maria had a chance to reply. He had no doubt that Maria could defend herself against Tess' verbal onslaught, but he also knew that Tess, when she was angry, was not someone to engage in any form of argument.

"No," Tess snapped. "You asked Jim to lie to his girlfriend! It wasn't just…" She let out a frustrated sigh. "He loves Maria's mother, and you used him against her. I know what that feels like, and I can't believe you would do that to him."

"Tess, enough," Max interrupted, halting Tess in her rant. "Just… _enough_."

Two small blotches of red had appeared on Tess' cheeks, but surprisingly, she lapsed into silence at Max's request. She continued to give Maria and Michael a furiously cold stare, however, and both met her gaze without flinching. The argument had only been postponed, not ended.

"Look," Max continued, "if this reaches the news, then it reaches the news. We can't change that. Let's go back to Roswell, and talk to Liz and Alex. We can figure everything out from there."

The others nodded slowly, recognizing the validity of Max's statement. Tess and Isabel walked back to their car in silence, Max trialing behind, deep in thought. Maria spun around angrily, still annoyed by Tess' comments, and stalked over to her car. Michael still had the keys, so she slid into the passenger's seat and waited for him to join her.

Michael, however, was staring after the other car with a strange look on his face.

"Michael?" Maria called, leaning out of the window. "Are you okay?"

He looked at her. "Yeah." But although he wouldn't admit it aloud, he couldn't help but feel some guilt at what Tess had said. It hadn't been fair of them to ask Jim to lie to Amy for them, and maybe he should have thought of a different way.

But it was water under the bridge. They couldn't change the past, and they had other problems to deal with now.

* * *

By the time they'd reached Roswell, contacted Alex and Liz and agreed on a meeting time and place, it was night. Liz had let them all into the Crashdown, and they took seats around the tables. Michael sprawled out across two chairs, and Maria and Liz were sitting across from him. Alex and Isabel sat side-by-side, holding hands in a display of affection that caused Tess to roll her eyes. She had opted for a seat further away from the group, and was clearly still seething. Max was pacing nervously, still lost in his own thoughts.

After hearing the full tale of the excursion to Copper Summit, Liz ventured, "It's a pretty small town. There's no guarantee that anything that happens there will get past local news."

"She's got a point," Alex agreed. "Besides, they covered up Whitaker's death. They might cover this up as well. I doubt the skins want it leaking to the rest of the world."

"Honestly, I'm not sure they care," Max disagreed. "We need to hide in plain sight, but they seem to have no problem just killing anyone who becomes a threat."

"Except that they can't kill the entire country," Liz countered. "They tried to stay hidden in the past, didn't they? I doubt they want everyone to know. It would only slow them down, keep them from finding you and that… Granolith… thing."

Max inclined his head. "True."

"So, basically… we're assuming that they won't want to expose us because… they want to kill us themselves?" Isabel asked hesitantly.

"Well, gee, that makes me feel better," Michael muttered sarcastically, giving a sardonic smile.

"Mrs. Crawford said something about the Harvest," Max mused with a frown of concentration. "She said that when the Harvest comes, they'll get even." Both Michael and Alex looked interested at that revelation, whereas Liz and Isabel both looked worried.

It was Maria, however, who asked the obvious question. "What's the Harvest?"

Max shrugged. "I never got a chance to ask."

"This is insane," Maria said, shaking her head. "I mean… we just fought the brother of the guy who stole your thrown and are now facing the possibility of an attack by a whole bunch of aliens and something called the Harvest. It's… ridiculous. I feel like we're in a freaking soap opera."

"Soap operas were never this interesting," Alex replied before he could stop himself. Instead of the outrage he had expected at his remark, however, he managed to get a small smile from Isabel and a chuckle from Michael. The mood lifted slightly as the others relaxed even just a tiny bit.

"Do you think the Crawfords are related to Khivar as well?" Isabel asked. "I mean… if Nicolas is their son…"

"No. He's adopted," Michael answered. "They told us that at lunch."

"So he probably just needed to be able to pretend to be part of a family," Max agreed thoughtfully. "Ida Crawford did call him 'sir' at one point. Not an address you usually use for your son."

"I still think we need to focus on the possibly getting pulled into a homicide case issue…" Liz suggested diffidently. It was bothering her son that the majority of her friends and the boy she was in love with might be charged with something this serious.

"Look, I still think asking Jim to help is our best option," Maria said, giving Tess a challenging stare. "He won't be able to do much, but he might be able to…"

"To what?" Tess asked sharply. "You crossed _state_ lines, Maria. He has no control over that town, it isn't his territory."

"Look, I know you want to protect him," Michael interjected softly, placing a hand on Maria's shoulder to keep her from replying to Tess' answer, "but we really need his help."

"You always think you need his help, and look what happens to him because of it," Tess hissed. "I am not going to let you use my father like he doesn't even matter."

"We've all lied to people we love," Isabel murmured, but her comment only seemed to enrage Tess even more.

"This is not the same thing, and you know it," she snapped, eyes flashing. "This isn't lying to him, this is using him, getting him to lie to others. To _Amy_."

"And you've made it abundantly clear to me that you would protect Valenti and Kyle over us," Michael argued, "but in case you've forgotten, we're family also."

A complete silence met his words, and then Max asked in a shaky voice, "What do you mean? When did she say she would pick them over us?" He looked from Michael to Tess, and neither answered his question or met his gaze. Tess seemed abruptly uncomfortable, but Michael was shaking with rage. And though neither confirmed nor denied the statement, Max knew with a sinking sensation that Tess had apparently confessed this to Michael, told him that she would choose her human family over her alien one.

He didn't know why, but that knowledge left him with a strong feeling of regret and pain.

"I can't believe you!" Isabel cried, glaring at Tess. "How could you do that to us?"

She gave Isabel a haughty look. "I don't know, Isabel. How could you ever have betrayed Max?"

Isabel felt her breath catch in her throat at the look of pure malice in Tess' eyes. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, lips trembling. "I… how did you… _what_?"

"I was drifting in and out of consciousness that whole time you were talking to Whitaker in the factory," Tess said, smirking. "I only caught bits and phrases, never connected, and it didn't make sense to me. But then I started remembering it in dreams. And then you faced Nicolas and told him you wouldn't betray your family _again_… and it all fell into place."

"Tess… I didn't… I never…"

"I thought you'd tell us, Isabel," Tess continued, ignoring the way Isabel's face had grown pale, the widening of her eyes or the uneven gasp of breath. "I thought you'd admit to the truth. After all, that's why the skins took me, isn't it? That's why Whitaker targeted me. She wanted _you_. Khivar wanted you. Wanted Vilandra."

"Isabel, what is she talking about?" Max asked, moving to his sister's side.

When Isabel didn't answer, Tess continued, "You ask me how I could protect Jim instead of you? Vilandra betrayed us, sold us out to Khivar. That's why we're all dead, isn't it? And you knew that, knew that Khivar would be coming for you, and you couldn't be bothered to tell us. You were too consumed by your need to appear the saint to confide something that might have actually been important to us. That's what the Vilandra project is, isn't it? That's what Liz heard Nicolas talking about, that's what the mayor is working on. That's what they want. _You_."

"Is that true?" Max asked quietly, looking at Isabel with an unreadable expression.

Tears pooling in her eyes and clinging to her lashes, Isabel nodded slowly. She couldn't bear to look at the others, didn't want to see the disgust and betrayal she knew would cloud their expressions. She could perfectly imagine Max's reaction, the way he would avert his eyes in shame, and Michael's anger that would surely flare at this knowledge. Even Alex wouldn't be able to look at her without wondering if she would betray them again, and she didn't think she could stand to see him look at her like that.

She jumped to her feet suddenly, grabbing her coat and rushing out of the diner and into the dark night. In the silence that followed her departure, Tess too rose to her feet and walked from the Crashdown, barely sparing any of the others a glance. Max watched the two leave, then sank into a seat and buried his head in his hands, closing his eyes tightly.

He didn't even know how to respond to this latest revelation.

"So… this probably isn't a good time to bring it up," Liz said, looking at Max's slumped shoulders, "but I found a piece of shed skin on a spare apron in the diner's kitchen."

Max looked up sharply, and Michael and Maria both gave her identical stares of shock.

"_What_?"

And she began to recount the discovery.

* * *

When the news did finally break, it was not what anyone had expected. Max and Isabel both read about it in the morning paper, and Tess heard it directly from Jim. Alex discovered it online and instantly called both Liz and Maria. And Maria, finding her name splashed across the paper, panicked and called Michael.

_Man Killed in Mysterious Explosion in Copper Summit._

It wasn't that long of an article, but it was on the front page of the local section in the newspaper. It called the explosion mysterious, and detailed Walt's death, although leaving out any mention of Nicolas having been there. None of the aliens were mentioned, but this omission was of small relief to any of them when they read the second paragraph of the article.

_The third person in the explosion was a Roswell, New Mexico native, Maria DeLuca. DeLuca, a junior at Roswell High School, escaped without any serious injuries, and left the scene of the crime in a rush to return to her own state. It is unknown yet what she was doing in Copper Summit, or how she knew the Crawfords. _

"How did they…?" Maria muttered, unable to even form a coherent question. "I don't understand how they could have…"

Alex and Liz, who had rushed over to her house the moment they learned of the news release, both nodded sympathetically, but exchanged uneasy glances.

"Obviously, the skins are behind this," Liz said. "There's no other way that the Czechoslovakians would have been left out of the article otherwise."

"Liz is right," Alex agreed emphatically. "They want Max, Isabel, Michael, and Tess alive and unnoticed by the press so that they can find the Granolith and kill them. If the press gets involved, then the FBI will come back, and that could prevent… what's his name? Khivar?... from ever getting the… uh… Granolith… or whatever it is called. But this way, they can still kill us all themselves."

"Except Isabel," Maria said snidely. "They're not going to be killing Isabel."

Alex gave her a hard look. He hadn't yet been able to wrap his head around what he had learned the night before, and any mention of Isabel left him unsettled. Instead, he turned back to Liz and said, "But why Maria? Why leave her exposed?"

"Because they're not going to pass up the opportunity to cause problems for us," Liz answered calmly. "Think about it. They know that Maria matters to our Czech friends because Michael defended her from Nicolas. So they know that if they cause problems for her, it will be causing problems for all of us. They don't run the risk of exposing the Royal Four, but they know that we will all be so preoccupied trying to help Maria fix this, that we won't be able to fight them as well. It's the perfect trap."

"We're going to find a way to fix this," Alex promised, reaching across the bed and gripping Maria's shoulder. "Michael is on his way over right now, and we are going to fix this."

Before Maria could respond, the sounds of angry voices drifted to them through the closed door. Amy DeLuca was yelling at someone on the floor below, and by the sounds of it, she had no intention of stopping her rant any time soon. With a confused look, Maria hurried silently to the door and stepped out into the hallway. Creeping down the stairs, she stood at the landing, Liz and Alex right behind her, and watched as her mother practically screamed at an abashed and guilty looking Jim Valenti.

"You told me you saw my daughter, Jim!" Amy cried. "You told me you saw her, and then I find out from the _newspaper_ that she almost _died_ in a different state? How could you?"

"Amy, I thought…"

"What?' Amy snapped. "What did you think, Jim Valenti? Is this one of your cases? Did you think you could lie to me because of your _job_? I am your girlfriend, and Maria is my daughter, and you looked me in the eyes and lied to me about where she was. Her safety will always be the most important thing to me. How _could_ you?"

"I didn't want to," Jim said helplessly, unable to defend himself in the face of Amy's fury. It wasn't like he could reveal the truth about what had happened and where Maria had been. And even if he could have told her, he had the sinking suspicion that it wouldn't have made a difference to the irate mother.

"But you _did_."

Jim looked her in the eye and said softly, "Yes. I did." There wasn't anything else he could say, and there was no point in trying to deny what he had done. He _had_ lied, and he would be forced to face the consequences of his actions.

"What if Maria had _died_?" Amy asked, her voice getting quieter, but still filled with the same venom. "What would you have told me then?" Jim didn't answer, and she turned away abruptly. "Get out of my house."

"Amy…"

"Get out!"

Amy stalked into the living room, and it was then that Jim looked up at the stairs and saw Maria standing there, one hand lifted to her mouth, regret clearly reflected in her eyes. She looked as though she wanted to say something, but he turned around and walked from the house, stepping out into the morning light at the same time that Michael came rushing up the steps, out of breath.

"Sheriff…" Michael said, surprised.

Jim gave him a cool nod and stepped past, walking down the pathway. Michael watched him go for a moment, then entered the house and found Maria standing in the entrance hall, looking pale and upset.

* * *

Isabel decided not to join the Tess and her friends for lunch. Instead, she wandered away from the crowded picnic tables in the quad and instead found herself standing on the edge of the football field, staring at the torn up dirt and grass. She aimlessly walked to the bleachers and took a seat on them, placing her lunch down beside her and rubbing her eyes wearily.

She hadn't spoken to anyone since the night before. She didn't want to speak to anyone. She wanted nothing more than to simply be left alone.

Which was why she was annoyed when a voice called, "Isabel?" and she turned to see Trudy standing a few feet away.

"Hey," Isabel said quietly.

"What are you doing over here?" Trudy asked, taking a seat next to her friend.

"I wanted to be alone," Isabel said pointedly.

Trudy gave her a scrutinizing look and ignored Isabel's obvious hint. "No, you don't," she countered. "You just think it is better right now." Isabel raised an eyebrow, and she continued, "Come on, Isabel. You've never wanted to be alone before. Before you started hanging out with us, you were always hanging out with your brother and Michael Guerin. The three of you were inseparable. Why would you want to be alone now?"

"I needed to think about something," Isabel answered. Trudy's words had been completely true, she didn't want to be alone. But she couldn't face the others right now.

Trudy tilted her head to the side and asked, "Hmm… so who did you get into a fight with?"

Isabel gave a chocked laugh, the sound escaping her throat in a rush. "Everyone." She twisted in her seat and looked over one shoulder towards the quad. She could see Max and Michael, sitting with Liz, Alex, and Maria. She could see Tess, sitting with Kyle, Chris, and Jessica. "I just…" she trailed off with a sigh. "I just can't talk to anyone right now."

Trudy rose to her feet with a little shrug. "Suite yourself," she answered calmly, "but you're making a mistake."

Isabel shot her a quizzical look. "How would you know? You don't even know what I'm upset about. You don't even know…"

"I know you must have argued with both your brother and with Tess to have decided to sit entirely alone," Trudy replied. She looked out at the football field. "And that really sucks, but I also know that brothers and sisters fight, and then they make-up. That's just what happens. It's what it means to be a sibling."

"Not like this," Isabel muttered.

"You're still siblings, Isabel," Trudy pointed out. "No matter what you did…" She expelled a breath. "Or what he did. Whatever the argument was about, you can fix it."

Isabel rolled her eyes. "Did you come all the way over here just to act like a shrink?" she snapped.

"No," Trudy answered in a dignified manner, not responding to Isabel's sharp tone. "I came because I saw you, and you looked upset, and we're friends."

"Yeah, well, if Tess has her way, everybody's going to hate me soon," Isabel muttered.

"Somehow, I doubt that," Trudy answered, smiling slightly at Isabel's melodramatic statement. When Isabel refused to say any more on the subject, however, the other girl turned away and began to climb down the bleachers. At the bottom, she looked back up at Isabel and said, "You know, if you don't want to talk, I'm not going to press you. And if you don't tell me what's wrong, I can't really help you. But I can tell you one thing. I've ruined a lot of my friendships or relationships by not talking to the person I had argued with. We both know you don't want that."

Isabel watched the other girl go, then buried her head in her hands and forced herself to hold back the sobs that threatened to spill over. She desperately wanted to believe that Max would still trust her after this, but how could he? She barely even trusted herself.

* * *

Courtney slammed down the phone and stared blankly at the wall, fury and fear coursing through her veins. She could hear the woman pretending to be her mother moving through the kitchen below, and although she really was not in the mood to talk to someone she disliked so much, she knew she needed to report this latest development or risk being exposed.

But why had things been forced to happen this way?

Trevor had just called to report on what had actually happened at Copper Summit, and although she was pleased that Michael had made it out alive, she was more than a little dismayed at everything else that had occurred. Trevor had barely been able to keep Nicolas and Greer from killing Michael and Maria before the others had arrived, and only pure luck had kept them alive after Max and Nicolas squared off.

They couldn't afford disasters like this. They'd walked directly into a trap and almost died. Although Michael was every bit as tough and forceful as Rath, he lacked the General's sixth sense for danger and was far too impulsive and reckless. Not to mention his relationship with Maria, which was clouding his judgment to all else.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then sat down on the edge of her bed. In that moment, it was completely crystal clear what they needed.

They needed Rath.

She flopped back onto the bed. On Antar, she'd believed that Rath could have saved them all, could have prevented the destruction of the planet, if he had been in charge. But Michael knew nothing of battles or politics or ruling, and he certainly wasn't someone who could save them. Only Rath had possessed the unique ability to do that.

_This is a very bad idea_, the little voice in her head said, filled with warning. _Everything could go wrong. You know that._

And she did know that. Knew perfectly well what the inkling of a plan that had just formed in her mind could do if it wasn't properly executed, if even the smallest thing were to spiral out of control. The consequences could be dire.

But…

"It's the only way," she said aloud, her voice echoing in the empty room.

Her shift at the Crashdown started in thirty minutes. Michael would be there, she knew it was his turn to work the grill. Maria had the day off, which meant that she would most likely be elsewhere, dealing with the fact that the newspaper had implicated her in a homicide. With any luck, Liz wouldn't be paying attention too much, and no one would be there to stop Courtney.

She walked over to the chest at the foot of her bed and used her gifts to unlock it. Opening the lid, she reached down into the very bottom and extracted a small silver device in the shape of a circle. She looked at it for a moment, then slid it into the pocket of her jeans and shut the chest.

Rising to her feet, she glanced at the bedroom door. Her mother was still downstairs. She would relay the recent events to the skin, and then head over to the Crashdown.

She had a job to do.

But in war, things that can go wrong, usually do, and as she walked out the door of her house and into the brilliantly bright afternoon, she had no idea just what was about to happen, or the cascade of events that would result from her actions.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Return of the King

Due: Sun 6/1


	20. The Return of the King

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Twenty: The Return of the King

Liz cleared the last of the plates from the table and glanced up as the bell on the door jingled, signaling the arrival of more patrons at the already crowded diner. She smiled slightly when she saw it was Max, and gestured towards one of the free tables. The plates slipped in her hands, and she barely managed to retain her hold on the dishes. As Max took a seat, she turned around, and nearly walked straight into Courtney.

"Oh, here. I got those," the blonde said, taking the plates out of Liz's hands. She balanced them easily on one arm and used her free hand to push a few strands of hair behind her ear and adjust the antenna headband she was wearing.

"You're getting better at that," Liz complimented with an easy smile.

"I know," Courtney laughed. "I'm not nearly as clumsy. I think your father might actually no longer regret hiring me." Her gaze slid past Liz, and she said, "Do you want me to get Max's order? You could take a break. You looked pretty beat."

"No, he's in my section," Liz said, looking over her shoulder. "I got it. Thanks, though."

"No problem," Courtney said cheerfully, before turning and weaving her way through the tables towards the back room.

Liz walked over to Max, pulling out her pad of paper and a pen. "Hey," she greeted him. "How are you doing?"

Max shook his head slowly. "I don't know," he replied honestly. The fallout from Michael's revelations about Tess' loyalties and Tess' revelations about Isabel's past hovered in the air, and every time he looked at his sister, he wanted to say something, and found the words stuck in his throat. Tess was avoiding him, which wasn't that unusual, and Maria was too preoccupied with her own problems to interact with him at all. Michael was worried about Maria, and Alex was worried about Isabel, and that pretty much left Liz as the only one with any time to talk to him.

And yet, when he looked at her, he couldn't bring himself to pull her into this mess.

"How's Maria?" he asked, changing the subject quickly when it looked as though Liz was going to press the issue.

"Pretty freaked," Liz replied. "Being implicated in homicide and all. Plus, the Sheriff and Amy broke up, you know. Because Amy saw the article in the newspaper and realized that he had lied to her."

Max winced, and sighed. "I'm sorry about all this. I wish… I wish there was something we could do to help her, but I just…" He shrugged. "I don't know what to do. I mean, maybe Valenti could do something, but I can't get Tess to talk to me long enough to even ask her."

"I doubt he would want to help," Liz admitted reluctantly. "Michael told us… he said that the Sheriff was really cold to him when they passed each other at Maria's house. I think he's probably hurt. And upset with us." She bit her lip and didn't say the next words she was thinking, but she could tell by the look in Max's eyes that he was thinking the same thing.

He was hurt… just like Tess had said he would be.

Max nodded towards the back room and asked, "Is Michael working the grill today?"

"Yeah. He was annoyed because he couldn't get anyone to cover for him, and he wanted to see if Maria was okay." Liz tapped her pencil idly against the pad of paper and added, "But Alex is over there now, trying to figure things out." Again, she paused, then asked diffidently, "How's Isabel?"

Max swallowed uneasily. "I… I don't know. I haven't seen her."

"Are you avoiding her?" Liz asked, giving Max a knowing look and a penetrating stare that seemed to peer directly through his mind.

He averted his gaze. "No. I just haven't seen her."

Liz raised both eyebrows, but didn't press the issue. She'd made so much progress lately, getting Max to open up to her once again, and she didn't want to do anything to ruin that. It was hard, taking things so slowly, when she remembered just how close they had been, how much he had trusted her, last year. And although she knew, on an intellectual level, that it _wasn't_ that he didn't trust her now, and that he was pulling away in an effort to protect her, it was hard to stop the ache she felt every time he turned to Isabel, Michael, or Tess instead.

"Do you want to order something?" Liz asked.

"Uh… yeah. The Galaxy Sub. The cheese is pepper jack, right?"

"Yes, it is." Liz wrote the order on the pad of paper, then looked up at Max. "That's a new one for you. Branching out to try new things?"

"Brody really likes it," Max replied with a grin. "Goes on and on about it. It's like the only food he actually likes."

"I'll have to remember that," Liz said, tucking the pad away. "I'll be back in a little bit, I just want to check up on some other patrons."

"Sure," Max said, and watched as she walked away. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, thinking, then let his gaze wander past the patrons to the door leading into the kitchen. He knew Michael would be back there, and suddenly he felt the strong desire to talk to his friend. He had no idea what to do about Isabel, and he was hoping that Michael might have some advice.

As he rose to his feet and pushed his way through the crowd, he wondered vaguely why he was going to Michael for advice. It wasn't as though the taciturn alien had ever been the type to think before acting, and certainly never one to make a habit of offering any form of guidance or counsel. But he couldn't shake the feeling that Michael was the person he was supposed to ask, and so he pushed open the door and walked into the kitchen without hesitation.

Michael was standing at the grill, flipping a burger back and forth with his spatula. Courtney stood slightly behind him, placing a pile of plates on the counter and reaching with one hand for two empty ketchup bottles. She looked up as Max entered and offered a smile, and Michael slanted him a confused look.

"Hey," Max said awkwardly, knowing he wasn't going to be able to talk to Michael with Courtney standing there.

Courtney opened one of the bottles and reached for a large jug of ketchup. She tilted it slightly, letting the red gloop drip down into the glass battle resting precariously on the counter. At the same time, Michael stepped back from the grill and turned towards Max, accidentally knocking into Courtney and sending the jug of ketchup slipping from her fingers. It hit the counter, and red splattered over everything, including Courtney's clothing and Michael's shoes.

"Oh…" Courtney gasped in surprise, turning slightly and trying to catch the container as it fell. It slipped once again, and landed on the floor with a heavy thud.

"Sorry," Michael said carelessly, dismissively, barely glancing at her as he grabbed a paper towel and wiped the red from his shoes.

"It's okay," Courtney murmured, flushing darkly with acute embarrassment.

She replaced the jug on the counter and then walked around the two boys, careful not to touch either of them with her ketchup-covered fingers, and grabbed a couple rags from the sink. "I'll just clean it up," she added, holding up the rags as though to prove her point. "No real harm done."

Except her outfit, which was now stained red, and Michael's shoes, which smelled of processed tomatoes. As she bent down on the floor and tried to wipe up the mess, Max quickly came to her aid, glaring at Michael to do the same. The three of them crowded the floor, and Courtney ended up hitting her head against Michael's shoulder.

"You know what? It's fine," Courtney said to Max. "Michael and I can clean it up."

"I've got to work the grill," Michael said insensitively. He was too distracted by both his job and his concern for Maria, and the fact that he was the one who had caused this to happen did not seem that relevant.

"I can get it, then," Courtney said quickly. She looked up at Michael. "Go back to the grill."

Michael rose to his feet, and Max rocked back on his heels, still kneeling on the floor, and stared at his friend.

"Have you spoken to Isabel?"

"No," Michael replied, giving Max a look. "I haven't seen her."

"Oh. Okay." Max exhaled and climbed back to a standing position. Courtney watched the two of them for a moment, then got up as well. Max looked as though there was something else he wanted to say, but he closed his mouth again and paused, silent. Indecision washed across his face, but then he said, "I'll talk to you when you're off work, I guess."

Michael gave him a hard stare. "Okay," he agreed, knowing exactly what they needed to talk about. "Will Isabel be there?"

Max hesitated. "Yes," he said finally, firmly. "She will." Michael didn't ask about Tess, and Max didn't say anything, because they both knew what to expect from her. They'd leave the petite hybrid alone for a few days, and then, once she calmed down enough to talk to, they'd plan their next steps.

Max turned to go.

Courtney moved discreetly to stand in between Michael and Max. The latter was leaving, and the former was to engrossed in the grill to pay much attention to the blonde waitress. Neither noticed the sudden darkening of her eyes, or the hard line to her jaw, or the determination in her expression.

"Michael…" Max started, turning back towards his friend and inadvertently walking directly into Courtney. She stumbled, falling backwards against Michael, who dropped the spatula and hamburger onto the floor in surprise. Max reached out to steady Courtney, catching her by the hand, and a spark jumped into his palm, like a shock resulting from dormant electricity.

Max reached a hand to his head, suddenly dizzy.

"Clearly, this kitchen is not big enough for three," Michael drawled sarcastically. "You know, there is plenty of space on the other side of the counter," he added, gesturing to the empty area by the sink. "Maybe you two should stand over there."

Courtney looked down at her hand, and quickly schooled her face into a blank mask, hiding the shock and horror she had felt moments before. She looked up at Max again, and saw something moving behind his eyes, something she knew would unalterably change everything.

* * *

Maria paced back and forth across the floor of her room, trying her best not to panic. But the situation was becoming almost unbearable. Two reporters had called her house today, wanting a statement. What was she doing at the house, and why? Had she been in the explosion? Was she hurt? Did she know the Crawfords?

"You keep doing that, you'll burn a whole in the floor."

Maria spun around and stared at the person standing across from her. He looked like Alex, everything about him from his easy smile to his soft blue eyes reminded her of her best friend.

But he wasn't. She didn't know how she knew it, she just did. There was something off about him, something that lingered under his skin, something she just couldn't quite reconcile with the kind and gentle boy she'd known growing up.

"Well, I've got a bit of a problem, Nasedo," Maria replied with a sharp snap. "And I'd prefer it if you didn't waltz around in my friend's body."

Obliging to her request, the shape-shifter resumed the form he had taken as his own when leaving Washington D.C., that of a nondescript businessman. "As you wish," he said with a sarcastic bow. "Nut appearing as Alex Whitman was the only way to get past your rather protective mother."

"What do you want?" Maria asked wearily. Although this man had killed the real Sean and impersonated him for all that time, and although he was a cold-blooded killer and a dangerous alien, she wasn't afraid of him. She despised him, loathed him with everything she had. And perhaps she should have been afraid of him, but she couldn't bring herself to fear him.

Not now, not when her life was suddenly falling apart around her.

Not when she had the added guilt of knowing she was the reason her mother was no longer speaking to Jim Valenti.

"You were lucky to survive through an encounter with Nicolas," Nasedo said, his tone reprimanding. "And you were incredibly stupid to try anything as foolish as confronting him on your own."

"A little late for admonishments, don't you think?" Maria retorted hotly. "You didn't answer my question. What do you want?"

"To help you," was the simple reply.

"How?" Maria demanded. "Is it going to require you murdering more innocent people?"

"This is a war, Maria," Nasedo replied casually, indifferently. "People die. Would you rather those people be you and your friends?"

Maria didn't answer. Instead, she said, "What are your plans for helping me?"

"Simple. We come up with a reasonable explanation for why you were in Copper Summit, and a reasonable explanation for why the house exploded. If there is no scandal, people will be less inclined to care." Nasedo smiled, a cool smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Do you really think it is that simple?" Maria asked with a roll of her eyes.

"I can take care of the rest," Nasedo answered firmly, enigmatically. He met her gaze without flinching, but the lack of emotions in his eyes chilled her to the bone, and Maria's mouth opened as suspicion played across her features.

"And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

"It doesn't matter," Nasedo answered calmly. "What matters is getting you out of this mess, because Nicolas will come after you, and you are running out of time."

"It matters," Maria answered staunchly. "It matters to me."

Nasedo narrowed his eyes at her, annoyed and dismayed at her answer. With a heavy sigh, he said, "That is the problem with you humans. You fail to grasp the significance of all of this. A few lives are lost, but it is all in the hopes of defeating a tyrant."

"I understand the significance of life," Maria replied, turning away from the shape-shifter.

Again, something seemed to pass through Nasedo's eyes, and they flickered a dark yellow before returning to the original brown. He didn't answer right away, and when he finally spoke, his words were even and measured. "And yet you make the same choices I do, don't you?"

"I've never killed anyone!"

"No, but you put the good of the many above the good of one," Nasedo countered. "After all, you did ruin your mother's relationship with Jim Valenti, didn't you? You thought it was alright to ask him to do one of the few things he _did not_ want to do because it would help Michael, and therefore Max, Isabel, and Tess. You chose a side."

"That is hardly the same as killing someone," Maria snarled.

"Perhaps," Nasedo agreed, inclining his head. "But the sentiment is the same. Valenti was not a threat to you. He was an innocent, and you chose to hurt him because it would help others. He was less important to you."

"How do you know any of this?" Maria asked sharply.

"It's my job to know," Nasedo answered with a shrug.

"Get out," Maria said finally, angrily. "Get out of my room. I don't want your help."

"Oh?" Nasedo pressed. "How long do you think it will be before someone from the government catches sight of that article about the explosion and starts to wonder…? I may have stop the Special Unit, but that does not mean that there is no one left who is hunting you down. You are safe… for now. But when they start to wonder… which they most certainly will… can you really risk them coming back?"

"I told you to get out," Maria repeated, her voice low and filled with venom. "Now!"

"And when they come," Nasedo continued, ignoring her anger and rage, "what will happen then? Who will get hurt? Michael? Max or Isabel? Who needs to get hurt before you realize that this mess _must_ be stopped?"

Maria opened her mouth, then shut it sharply and looked away.

"Tess was strong. She survived the white room. But ask her about her nightmares, Maria. Ask her what she sees when she closes her eyes. Ask her what _still_ haunts her in the silence of the night."

"Stop it," Maria whispered.

"The skins are doing this to you because they know it will draw attention to _you_. They plan to destroy you, and in doing so, destroy the Royal Four as well. But what the skins don't understand, what they couldn't fully comprehend, is that keeping the hybrids out of the newspaper will not be enough. Not if the government becomes interested. They bought themselves some time, time with which they will most certainly try to kill you. But the government will come. Not tomorrow. Not next month. Probably not for ten years. But they'll come."

"Stop!" Maria said again, this time louder.

"Ask Tess about her nightmares, Maria," Nasedo continued forcefully. "And then ask yourself if you want Michael going through the same thing."

* * *

"You didn't explain why Isabel wasn't joining us," Trudy murmured softly as she and Tess watched Kyle and Chris arm wrestle on the picnic table at the park. They were standing off to the side, somewhat amused by their boyfriends' antics. Beyond them, Sara, Jessica, and Cliff were debating something, gesturing wildly with their arms.

Tess slanted her friend a look. "Whatever it is you want to ask… just ask."

"Why are you mad at her? Or why is she mad at you?" Trudy said, folding her arms across her chest and waiting for the answer.

Tess took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, as though measuring the amount of oxygen passing through her lungs. "It's complicated."

Trudy smiled. "It's always complicated with you," she said, her tone teasing. But there was a truth to her words, and Tess inclined her head slowly.

"She and I… we had a disagreement over something. It… it got out of hand."

Trudy raised one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows and asked pointedly, "Is the almighty Tess admitting that she might have been wrong about something?"

"I wasn't wrong," Tess said instantly, her tone sharp. "I just…" She trailed off, then sighed. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"Oh! Take that!" Kyle cried with victory as he successfully pushed Chris' arm down to the top of the table. "Ha! Who's the arm wrestling champion now?" He turned to Trudy, grinning. "What did you think?"

Trudy gave Tess a long-suffering look. "Why am I dating him?" she asked.

"Hey, just be lucky you don't have to live with him," Tess answered lightly, blue eyes sparkling with laughter.

Kyle slapped her playfully on the arm and retorted, "You're the one who is impossible to live with, darling sister of mine."

"Oh, Chris, are you really going to let him talk to your girlfriend like that?" Jessica asked, laughing as she joined the others, Sara and Cliff trailing behind.

"I think Tess would be the most wonderful person in the world to live with," Chris said, hands on his hips, mock glaring at Kyle. "How dare you say something like that about her?"

"Uh oh," Cliff chuckled, "you've defiled his lady's honor. Better be careful, Kyle, or Chris might have to challenge you to a duel."

Kyle was about to reply when he froze, mouth partially open, and stared in shock at the lone figure approaching them. It was not that it was unusual to see Max Evans out and about, but it was certainly strange to see him actively interact with the group unless forced to do so because of some school assignment.

"Hello," Max said when he drew near, pausing in front of the others. His voice was oddly formal, and his eyes seemed to be darker than usual, and colder.

"What are you doing here, Evans?" Kyle asked quietly, his voice laced with disgust.

"Something I've wanted to do for a very long time," Max replied. And without another word, he punched Kyle in the face.

Hard.

Kyle staggered backwards, one hand reaching up to touch his aching his cheek. Every one seemed frozen with shock, unable to understand just what had happened right before their very own eyes.

"That," Max said evenly, "is for treating me like garbage. We were working on a history assignment together, and you had no right to be so disrespectful to me."

"History assignment?" Tess asked, being the first to break out of the stupor and react to the scene. She turned to Kyle, clearly confused. "What is he talking about?"

"I was partnered with him and DeLuca on the assignment for history class last week," Kyle answered, one hand clenching into a fist at his side. "Guess he didn't like the way we worked together."

Tess nodded. She remembered that all to well, remembered confronting Kyle about it and having him accuse her of siding with Max. Remembered how he said Max ruined things, took things away from his family. It had been that conversation that had made her question, yet again her loyalties to the others, particularly when they came at the expense of her human family. That conversation had somehow ended up with her admittance to Michael, and that had blown up into the argument with the others at the Crashdown… and the revelation of Isabel's secret. It was strange, how one small thing could start an avalanche of consequences.

Tess closed her eyes for a moment, wishing everything would just stop so she could have a minute to wrap her head around whatever was happening.

But Kyle had already strode forward and made to hit Max. The hybrid king ducked to the side, and managed to just barely evade Kyle's blow. The football jock spun around, raising both his hands to punch Max, and Tess saw something flickering in Max's eyes.

"Kyle, stop!" she said, striding forward and catching him by the arm. She wasn't sure if she had seen what she thought was there, but just for a split-second, it looked as though Max had intended on using his gifts against Kyle.

What the hell was going on?

"Tess, what are you doing?" Kyle demanded, outraged. "He _hit_ me."

"You deserved it," Max cut in coldly, completely unfazed by Kyle's anger.

"Max, _shut up_," Tess hissed at him, whipping around to send him a furious glare.

"I'm sorry, Tess," Max said, appearing contrite.

"What the hell…?" Cliff looked from blonde to brunette, and asked the two, "What, are the two of you all buddy-buddy now?"

"No," Tess said.

At the same moment, Max replied calmly, "Tess is one of my best friends. I wouldn't want to upset her."

"_What_?" Jessica asked, now barely able to restrain the giggles that were threatening to escape.

"Did you hear that, Tess?" Chris asked with a sly grin. "He doesn't want to _upset_ you."

"Is this some kind of prank?" Trudy asked, looking from Tess to Max, and then to Kyle. "Am I missing something?"

Jessica was laughing now, unable to hold back any longer. She sat down on the bench next to the picnic table and shook her head, hair flying in the cool breeze. "Oh, this is just priceless."

Tess looked from Max's serious gaze to Jessica's uncontrollable giggling to Kyle's hurt and outrage. She had to get out of this mess, and so she did the first thing that came to mind.

She slapped Max across the face.

Hard.

"What was that for?" Max asked, rubbing his chin.

"Go home, Max," Tess said, shaking her head. She closed her eyes, focusing on the minds around her, and carefully fed them thoughts, lead them into seeing Max the way she wanted him to appear. Opening her eyes, she said, "We can all see just how drunk up you are."

"Who'd have thought," Sara said sardonically, "straight-laced Maxwell Evans. Drunk." All around her, the others nodded in agreement, Tess' mind-warp instilling the ideas in their mind.

Max gave Tess a confused look. "What?"

"Max, _go home_," Tess said again, her eyes cold. She stepped closer to him on the pretext of raising her hand in a threatening manner, as though to hit him again, and whispered in a voice only he could hear, "We will talk later."

"As you wish, Tess," Max replied with a smile and a polite nod. And he turned and walked away.

Tess turned to the others, forcing herself to smile. "Okay… that was kind of funny."

"Max drunk. And proclaiming his love for Tess," Sara agreed. "That was the best entertainment I've seen in a long time."

"God, when was Max ever friends with you?" Cliff asked, rolling his eyes and taking a seat next to Jessica. "He's suck a freak."

"She used to be friends with him," Kyle muttered, still not willing to forgive Tess for intervening in the fight and preventing him from pummeling Max. "Apparently, she used to have really bad taste in friends." He let himself fall into the seat across from Jessica, still rubbing his cheek with one hand.

"I did," Tess agreed when the others looked at her for confirmation. "But then I grew up… and he stayed an idiot."

"Well, you'd better watch out, Chris," Sara said, leaning her head on the palm of her hand, elbow propped up on the table. "You've got some competition."

Chris shrugged carelessly. "I'm not really worried," he said cockily.

"Oh, a little arrogant, aren't we?" Tess replied with a grin. Chris just smiled at her, and she looked past him to Kyle. "Hey, I'd have liked to see you beat him up, too, but he was drunk."

"So?" Kyle asked petulantly.

"Come on, man. You don't hit drunk people," Cliff said, punching Kyle in the shoulder. "Never beat a guy when he's already down. You don't hit people who are drunk or high or otherwise incapacitated. You know that."

"And yet you don't have a problem ganging up on people," Jessica said, thinking of all the times they'd back each other up in a fight, even when the opponent was only one person and had no allies. They'd done that to Max Evans, she remembered, as payback when he stole Liz away from Kyle.

"Well, that's different," Kyle said, as though it was somehow obvious.

"Guys have very strange rules," Trudy remarked casually.

"Well, they are guys," Sara pointed out. "It's not like they're logical or anything."

And just like that, the incident was written off as nothing more than a rather amusing memory. But Tess glanced in the direction Max had disappeared, and couldn't help but wonder what exactly had caused him to act that way. Would his behavior continue into school the next day, and how were any of them supposed to cover for him if it did?

She looked over at Kyle. Trudy was peering at his face with a concerned gaze and cooing at how brave he was, but when he met her gaze, she inwardly flinched at the questioning stare. Drunk or not… she'd stopped him from hurting Max. She'd chosen Max over him. Again.

Just when she'd sworn to herself she would stop doing that.

On the other hand… In this group, she knew Max's strange actions would not remain a secret. By lunch tomorrow, every single person at school would know that Max had supposedly been drunk in the middle of the public park during the evening. He'd have those rumors to worry about, particularly if they reached the faculty or his parents. She hadn't meant to chose an explanation that would get him in trouble, but she'd done it, and she'd done it without really caring about the consequences.

Kyle and Max… they both suffered because of her interventions.

It seemed like no matter what she did, what choice she made, she'd still betray them both.

* * *

Max pushed the door open to his house and touched his chin again with one finger. Tess had hit him pretty hard, and he thought he might have a slight bruise. But he was used to her temper tantrums, and they didn't bother him much anymore. He liked the way her eyes lit up with passion when she was angry.

His mother was sitting at the kitchen table, looking over their bills. At the sound of his footsteps, she poked her head out of the kitchen. "Oh, Max, you're home. Liz just called."

Max frowned. "What did Liz say?"

"She just wanted to know if you were home," Mrs. Evans replied. "She said you just left the Crashdown without waiting for your order, and she was a little worried."

Max blinked, then answered, "I'll call her back in a bit and let her know I'm fine." He knew it was impolite to simply leave, particularly when he had told Liz he would stay and talk to her, but he didn't really care. He had too many other things to worry about, and she would excuse his manners for now, given that he was trying to save the world.

"Alright, dear," Mrs. Evans answered. "Well, dinner is in a few minutes. Go wash up and then call your sister."

Max obliged, stepped past her towards the bathroom at the end of the hall. As he did so, Isabel came down the stairs, and paused as she saw him standing almost directly in front of her. They stared at each other for a moment, Isabel looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, and Max staring at her with a cold disdain.

"Mom wants us to wash up for dinner," he said finally, then stepped past her towards the bathroom.

"Max, wait," Isabel called after him. "Can we talk?"

He turned and looked back at her. "I don't think there is anything to talk about. Not right now."

"Max, please," Isabel said, looking hurt and confused by his blatant dismissal of her request. "Please give me a chance to explain." He didn't answer, and she pushed on, "I'm your sister. You owe me that much."

He met her gaze and answered with a note of frosty finality in his voice, "I'm the king, Isabel. I do not owe anybody anything."

* * *

Next Chapter: Who am I?

Due: Not really sure. I'm going out of the country for the next three weeks, so sometime after that.


	21. Who Am I?

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's note: Well, I am finally back in the country and able to update this story. Oh, also, I wanted to give a little warning that this chapter might seem to be Rebel-oriented, but it isn't. Well... the chapter is, but the story isn't. The story is definitely very strongly Dreamer. I promise.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-One : Who Am I?

"I think you should listen to him."

"Wh-what?" Whatever Maria had expected Michael to say, that was not it. She'd showed up at his apartment the moment she knew he'd be off work, and related the encounter with Nasedo and the shape-shifter's offer. Michael still harbored such a great suspicion for Nasedo that she was sure he would be more cautious, would refuse any deal. He was also no coward, and any threat to his own life and safety wouldn't have been enough to force him to agree to a plan that could end up in innocent lives being lost.

But Maria had made the mistake of not thinking about Michael's desire to protect his family. She saw it then, the gleam of fear that passed so quickly through his eyes she might have mistaken it for some other emotion if she didn't know him so well.

"It gets you out of the mess, doesn't it?" Michael countered softly, firmly.

"At what cost?" Maria replied pointedly. "I'm not about to trust a cold-blooded alien killer, and you shouldn't either!"

Michael's lips pressed into a thin line. "I'm well aware of what I should and shouldn't do," he snapped irritably.

Maria ran a hand through her hair and exhaled sharply, annoyance filling her features. Lately, it seemed like every conversation she'd had with Michael had turned into some form of argument, and she was beginning to wonder if it was worth the trouble. Was he ever going to stop being so stubborn and just listen to her for once?

Michael, for his part, was doing his best to avoid glaring at Maria. The last thing he wanted was to antagonize her further, but she simply wasn't being reasonable about this. She might be willing to risk her own life and safety, but he wasn't about to take a chance that she, Max, Isabel, or Tess would get hurt. And Nasedo did have a point, it was only a matter of time before someone... the wrong someone... started getting suspicious again. They'd barely escaped with their lives last time, and with the skins here, they didn't have the luxury of facing two opponents. Any plan that kept the government far away was a good plan.

"Look," Maria said finally, fighting to remain calm, "we can't just agree to something that could end up getting other people killed."

"So you want to what?" Michael asked pointedly. "Wait and see?" He folded his arms across his chest, eyes narrowed. "You and Max. Neither wants to be proactive."

Maria rose to her feet from her spot on the sofa and retorted, "Better than becoming a murderer." She had every intention of stalking from the apartment, irritated that she had not received the support she was looking for, when Michael was suddenly standing in front of her, his face darkened with a fury she had seen on him only once before, last year, when he had explained about Hank threatening to expose his family.

"Is that what you think I am?"

Maria took a step back. A wave of fear flooded her veins, but then passed as soon as it had come. This was Michael, after all, and she knew he would never purposefully physically hurt her. But she still couldn't quite shake the unnerved feeling that twisted in the pit of her stomach when she looked into those glittering eyes.

"Of course not," she said finally, forcing the words from her dry throat. "But Nasedo is."

Michael opened his mouth to say something, then stepped aside, and gestured towards the door. "You can go, if you want," he muttered, no longer blocking her exit.

With a frustrated sigh, Maria turned to leave, unsure what else to say. The distance between the two of them was growing wider every day, and reaching him was like trying to cross a huge chasm she couldn't even begin to comprehend. She glanced at him again, but Michael had already walked away, and was standing by the window, staring out at the sinking sun, at the fiery sky. His profile was tense, the line of jaw pulled so tight she knew he was clenching his teeth. And somehow, although she couldn't see his eyes, she knew that his expression was filled again with that same fear.

It was strange, she reflected. She'd only known Michael for about a year. Well... she'd known who he was for a long time. But it had only been a year since they truly started interacting, since she'd learned his secret, since she'd taken any interest in the real boy behind the tough facade. It had been even less time since they started dating. She didn't know him, not really. Not the way she knew Alex an Liz. With them, she knew every in and out of their personality, every story they'd ever told, every feeling they'd ever felt. Michael was still a mystery, something she couldn't grasp, something beyond her understanding.

And yet... she didn't even have to look at him to know that, in that moment, he was trembling with fear, rage, and a sense of helplessness. For someone who she didn't know at all, she knew him so incredibly well.

The ring of the telephone interrupted her thoughts, and Michael turned to answer it, pausing only to give her a look that said very clearly, why haven't you left yet?

Even though she was on the other side of the room, Maria could still hear Isabel's voice, tinged with upset panic, drifting through the phone lines. "Michael? Did you see Max today?"

"He was at the Crashdown earlier," Michael answered, obviously concerned. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Was he acting strange then?" Isabel asked.

Michael considered this for a moment, then shook his head. A moment later, he realized Isabel wouldn't be able to see that gesture, and he said, "No. He was normal Maxwell. Why?"

"He came home and he was... just strange. He was really quiet during dinner. When I tried to talk to him before and after dinner, he said he didn't want to talk to me. He said he didn't need to talk to me, because he was the king, and he didn't need to do anything." There was a pause, the sound of a choked sob as Isabel clearly tried her best to get her emotions under control, then she continued, "And apparently he started a fight with Kyle. A fist fight. He told me and he was... well, not proud. But not apologetic either. Like it didn't matter that he'd punched someone. He said Kyle deserved it."

Kyle deserved a lot of things, Michael knew, not the least of which was a good beating from Max for the way he had treated the hybrid king. But Max was not violent, and he certainly would not declare some royal prerogative to do something like this. As for not wanting to talk to Isabel... well, Michael could understand that. Maybe not what Max had said, not his justification for ignoring his sister, but the underlying resentment. Isabel had lied to them about something incredibly important, and as far as he could tell had no intention of revealing that truth had Tess not done it for her. He understood the anger and betrayal Max was feeling because he felt it himself as well.

"Is Max still there?" Michael asked finally.

"No. He left a few minutes ago to go for a walk. I thought he might either be going to you or Liz. But I don't know."

"Okay... Um, Izzy, I'm going to see if I can find him. If he comes back... call Tess. Don't be alone with him. Not until we know what's going on." Already, horrible scenarios were running through his mind, images of Max being possessed by the skins or influenced by some strange alien virus. Although none of his actions had been that unreasonable, they still weren't things Max himself would do. And that terrified Michael, because if there was one thing he could count on in this crazy world, it was that some aspects of Max simply would not change.

As he hung up the phone, he glanced over at Maria. "I've got to go," he said, his words almost dismissive in the way he so casually moved past her towards the door, his mind on other issues. "Lock the door behind you." And then he was gone.

* * *

Liz shaded her eyes with one hand and peered at the figure that was walking slowly on the other side of the street, apparently oblivious to his surroundings. Max's head was held tall on a stiff neck, as though he was exuding some type of royal aura. But his eyes were unfocused, and she could tell, even from all the way across the street, that he had no idea where he was or where he was walking to.

She glanced to make sure no oncoming cars would hit her, then hurried to his side. He looked up at the sound of her approach, a little startled. The look in his eyes caused her to come to complete halt, surprised and wary. There was something different there, something foreign, something that she didn't recognize. It wasn't anything concrete, just the strangest sensation that those eyes were not the eyes of her Max.

"Hello, Liz," Max said, and his words were formal and laced with a bored indifference.

"You left so quickly from the diner," Liz said uncertainly. "I was worried. I called your house. Did you mother give you the message?"

"Yes," Max answered agreeably. "I never got the change to call you back. I was preoccupied by other things." There was no apology in his tone, not even the faintest trace of regret.

"Is everything aright?" Liz demanded worriedly.

"Of course," Max answered off-handedly. But then his gaze slid past her, and his eyes fell on something else. She turned around, and saw a car pull up a few steps behind her, and the door swing open. She recognized it as Kyle's car, but it was Tess who climbed out of it.

The blonde hybrid marched up to Max, her curls bouncing, her eyes narrowed with fury. She paid no attention to Liz, but had her gaze fixed fully on Max.

"Tess," Max said, and his detached tone faded into one of happiness. "I was just thinking about coming to find you."

"I was on my way to find you," Tess spat back, her tone clearly displeased. "What were you thinking this afternoon? What on Earth got into you?"

"Tess, please," Max said, holding up one hand in a sign of surrender. He placed his other on her arm just above the elbow. "I am sorry that my actions upset you. That was never my intention. I would die before I did anything to purposefully hurt you."

Tess blinked, momentarily stunned by his words. She stuttered for a moment, as though unable to come up with anything to say, then hissed, "What is wrong with you? You are not acting like yourself!"

Max frowned. He looked from Tess to Liz, and then back, puzzled. "Tess, I know that you don't like us dragging Kyle or Jim Valenti into any of this, but don't you see that Kyle started it? I was only offering retribution."

"By punching him?" Tess asked softy.

"Wait, what?" Liz asked incredulously, eyes widening. "What did you do?" she asked Max hoarsely. "Why? When?"

Max gave her a strange look. "I fail to understand how my interactions with Kyle are any of your concern," he said, his voice sounding tense, as though he had been forced to speak the words through his teeth.

Liz looked taken aback, and automatically sent Tess a questioning gaze. But Tess wasn't looking at her. Instead, she was staring at Max with a look of complete distrust and suspicion. The brunette felt remarkably out of place, as though somehow she wasn't even supposed to be here. But she shook those thoughts away and instead focused all her attention on the conversation at hand.

"Max, you aren't acting like yourself," Tess said finally, her eyes still narrowed. She could sense that the man standing in front of her was most definitely Max, but something didn't feel quite right. It was like looking at a replica of Max, but the features had been distorted just enough so that you could only tell something was different on close inspection. She let out a frustrated sigh, and watched the concern simmer behind Max's darkening gaze.

"What do you mean?" Max asked, confused. "I feel like myself."

"You hit Kyle!" Tess hissed in response.

"He had it coming," Max answered vaguely, shaking his head. He was somewhat dismayed that Tess was still taking Kyle's side in the matter. Hadn't she realized that her human brother's actions had been uncalled for and unacceptable? He was not going to be treated like some common trash, and anyone who behaved in such a way deserved whatever he retribution he decided to doll out.

"Max you don't hit people," Liz cut in. "You never have. Why now?"

Max gave her another look, this time tinged with annoyance. "Liz, my interactions with Kyle don't concern you," he said again, his words tight.

"Max!" Liz protested, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Liz, stay out of it," Max and Tess both said at exactly the same moment, and Liz did a double take. It wasn't so much the fact that they said the same phrase, but she could suddenly see the same expression mirrored in both their expressions. Tess' was laced with concern, and Max's with confusion, but the tilt of the head, the hardening of the jaw, the narrowing of the eyes... it was like looking at twins.

Tess broke the spell by turning to Max and saying fiercely, "What is wrong with you?" Obviously, his blatant dismissal of Liz had upset her as it was so completely out of character.

"Nothing," Max defended himself again, this time with more fervor. "Everything is fine."

"Right..." Tess shook her head, and glanced over at Liz. She was starting to be afraid, although she was unsure as to whether it was fear for Max or for herself she was feeling. She didn't know this Max, couldn't understand why he was acting so strangely, and it left her with lingering vestiges of worry that would not subside. To Liz, she said under her breath, "Let's get out of here."

Liz seemed to understand the unspoken message, and, after a reluctant nod and one final, hurt-filled look at Max, she turned to walk away. Tess followed, but before she could get very far, Max had caught her by the arm.

"Don't walk away from me!"

Tess spun round at the anger in his tone, eyes widening, blue orbs frozen like deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. A moment later, she gathered her wits again and yanked her arm out of his grip, snapping, "Let go of me!"

And then her vision seemed to twist sideways, and she was seeing something different... and yet so familiar.

_"Ava, you cannot go. Please, just hear me out." He followed her, stumbling over roots and rocks in his haste to keep up with her swift stride._

_"I will not!" She looked at him, anger obvious, and shook her head._

_His anger was just as quick to follow, and he seized her arm. "I am your king! Do not walk away from me."_

_She wrenched her arm from his grasp. "Let go of me."_

Tess swallowed nervously, the pieces of the convoluted puzzle coming together to make something... well, not whole, but at least a little less vague.

* * *

The knock on the door surprised Isabel, who had been so preoccupied by her worries over Max that she seemed to forget there was more to her world than just her brother. She pulled open the bedroom door, running a hand through her hair as she did so, and paused, mouth open in surprise.

"Is this a bad time?" Alex asked, taking in the look of Isabel's face and wondering how he was supposed to interpret it. In the mess that had resulted from the excursion to Copper Summit, he had barely taken any time to even think about Isabel. Maria had been his primary concern, but that had faded when, with a jolt and a horrible feeling of guilt, he had remembered Isabel's predicament. He'd come over instantly, but now he was starting to think calling first might have been a better idea.

"No... I mean..." Isabel struggled vainly for words, then shook her head and conceded, "I really don't know."

"Did something else happen?" Alex asked. She hadn't yet invited him into the room, so he stood a little awkwardly in the doorway, waiting.

Isabel blinked. "Uh..." She glanced past him into the hall. She could hear the sound of her mother's footsteps in the kitchen on the floor below. "Max. He's acting strange."

"How so?" Alex asked.

Isabel looked at him for a long moment, scrutinizing his expression. Then she said quietly, "Alex... I don't know why you're here. But I've got a pretty good guess, based on how Max and Michael are acting, and I... look, I just can't deal with this right now. I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have lied. I... I just... I'll talk to you about it later if you want. I just need time to..." She shrugged helplessly. "I can't do this right now."

Alex returned her gaze without flinching, and without making any moves to leave. "Is that really why you think I would have come? To yell at you, to lecture you?" Isabel didn't answer, and Alex continued, "I just came to see how you were doing."

"Oh." Her tone made it quite clear that she didn't actually believe that statement, and Alex bridled under her suspicion. He pushed past her into the room, and she turned to watch his pace angrily across the floor.

"How could you think I would do that?" Alex demanded hotly.

Isabel slammed the door shut behind her. "Well, you haven't called me, talked to me, so much as looked at me, since Tess' little revelation. What else was I supposed to think? You were acting just like everybody else."

Alex felt his anger fade as the way her voice broke slightly, at the tears he knew she wouldn't allow to even glimmer slightly in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Alex said sincerely. "I was with Maria most of the time."

And that was exactly the wrong thing to say.

"Well, shouldn't you be with her now?" Isabel asked snidely. "Doesn't she still need someone to hold her hand and tell her everything is going to be okay?"

"Isabel, stop it," Alex retorted, frowning. "Leave Maria out of this."

It took Isabel a moment to calm the sudden burst of jealousy at his words. It was completely irrational, as she well knew, but it was hard to look past the fact that Alex had spent all his time helping Maria with her problem, and had somehow managed to completely forget about the girl he was sort-of dating. "Fine," she said finally, her words biting. She turned away from him and walked over to the window, staring up at the sky. A few minutes ago she would have given anything at all to have someone here, comforting her. But now that Alex had shown up, all she wanted was for him to leave.

Alex shifted from one foot to the other, staring at Isabel's back. He could see the rigid lines of tension and wondered how soon it would be before all her walls broke down and the hurt and confusion and anger underneath just exploded. He was somewhat surprised he had missed it before, the fact that this was taking such a toll on her. But Isabel, he reflected, had always been able to get through whatever was wrong by relying on the fact that she had her friends and family to support her. Now what was wrong was that she didn't have that support... and so the problem was exacerbated by the fact that she had no one to go to.

"Look, Isabel, I'm sorry it took me this long to come over," Alex murmured finally. "And I really didn't mean to be ignoring you at school. I just..."

"You were too busy worrying about Maria," Isabel said quietly. There was no malice in her words, but when she turned towards Alex again, he could see the anger in her expression. He opened his mouth to protest, but she continued without giving him a chance to speak. "Just like Michael was too worried about Maria to talk to me. Just like Max was too worried about... well, whatever..." She shook her head.

"Can you blame them for being upset?"

Isabel gave Alex a searching look. "Liz was expressly ordered not to tell anyone our secret, and yet she did. You, and then Maria. But Max... Max didn't even get angry at her. It was like he could forgive her for anything she did because..." She trailed off. "And you know, maybe the trip to Marathon wasn't Maria's fault since Michael did pretty much abduct her, but this more recent excursion to Copper Summit? They put all of us at risk, and Maria was just as much to blame for it. Yet Max is less upset with Michael, and no one even thinks to blame Maria for any of it." She bit her lip indecisively, then rubbed her eyes with the palm of one hand. "But they won't talk to me. No one will... For God's sake, I'm Max's sister! I'm Michael's family, and I..."

"And Max trusted that you would always be honest with him," Alex said softly. "That's what hurts him the most about this."

Isabel crossed to the bed and sat down. "I trusted he would always keep us safe. And he did... right up until he decided to expose our secret to an entire diner packed with people..."

Alex cautiously took a seat next to her, and let out a sigh of relief when she didn't jump to her feet just to get away from him. "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier," he said again. "I can't offer you much other comfort... I can't tell you what Max is thinking or why Michael doesn't want to talk to you. But... I'm here now. And I'm not going anywhere. Okay? I promise you that, I am not going to walk away."

Isabel looked at him, a small smile gracing her lips. "Thanks," she whispered, and then leaned in to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him backwards until they both collapsed onto the bed.

"Huh... so didn't need to see that," a voice drawled, and Isabel pushed away from Alex and sat up abruptly to find Tess standing in the doorway of her room, an incredibly confused looking Liz trailing behind.

"Tess. What are you doing here?" Isabel asked, flushing darkly and looking slightly flustered by everything. She slanted a look at Liz, wondering what the brunette waitress was doing in Tess' company, but before she could question that, Tess had pushed Liz into the room and closed the door sharply behind her.

"We need to talk," Tess said quickly, worriedly. "I told Max I needed a couple minutes to talk to you... girl talk... but I think he's going to get impatient soon. He's not used to people ignoring him."

"What are you talking about?" Isabel asked, worried.

"Have you noticed anything different about him lately?" Tess demanded. She leaned against the wall, and Liz took a seat on the chair by the desk.

"Yeah. He's been acting like..."

"Like someone who expects to be treated with the utmost respect by everyone," Tess supplied. "Like someone who expects to always get their way?"

There was a silence, then Liz murmured pointedly, "Like a king."

"Oh... you don't think...?" Isabel didn't bother finishing the question, just looked from one girl to the other with widened eyes.

"Izzy, he practically declared he loved me in the park. In front of Kyle and Chris. In front of people," Tess said, her words exploding from her lips, colored with panic and annoyance. "He punched Kyle. He dismissed Liz without a single glance. He... Isabel, I know that personality. I recognize it. And it isn't Max."

"What did Kyle and Chris do?" Alex asked, swiftly interjecting himself into the conversation.

"They think he was drunk," Tess replied. At Alex's surprised look, she added, "I made them think that."

"He was so... he just ignored me," Isabel said. "Do you think... do you think Zan really felt that way about me?"

Neither Alex nor Liz could answer that question, but Tess said, "If you were raised to believe that you were a king, that your family would always support you... and then your sister sells you out to your worst enemy? Yeah, I think Zan would hate you a lot more than Max ever could."

"Is it even possible to do this? To make him think he's Zan?" Alex asked, now looking at Isabel.

"I don't think he does think that," Liz replied. "I mean... he knew who he was. He knew he was Max. He knew I was Liz. He..." She stopped, unable to explain just what she thought might have happened. With a helpless little shrug, she continued, "But maybe... maybe he just... his personality is shifting more. Becoming Zan... without really becoming Zan. You know?"

"Which presents at least three serious problems," Tess added with a sharp look at Isabel.

"What problems?" Alex asked, once again feeling slightly out of the loop.

"People are going to notice that Max is acting strange. With all the media attention on Maria, we really can't afford more bizarre happenings. The last thing we want is to bring the FBI back into this mess," Isabel answered, ticking off one of the problems on her fingers.

"And we also don't know much about Zan," Tess added, addressing the second problem. "He obviously wasn't evil, or a cold-blooded killer, but he wasn't... isn't... completely safe. He attacked Kyle, and even if it was only a punch..." She frowned, lost in thought, then blinked, pulling herself back into the present, and said, "It could have turned into a lot worse of a fight if I hadn't been there to stop it. I think... I think we need to be a little wary of Zan. He obviously plays by different rules."

"I refuse to believe that Zan would hurt us," Liz said staunchly. "Not physically, anyway," she added, remembering the hurt she had felt at the coldness in Max's words when he spoke to her. "After all, Max is part Zan."

"Yeah, and Isabel's past life turned out to be a traitor," Tess retorted, jerking her head towards Isabel and rolling her eyes at Liz. Isabel flinched, but Tess continued without even a pause, "Which most of us probably wouldn't have guessed either. Face it, we don't know anything about our past lives. At least... we certainly don't know enough to guarantee that we're all safe around Max right now."

"And the third problem?" Alex asked softly when it became evident that no one was about to break the uneasy silence that had fallen. Isabel looked close to tears, and she eagerly seized the opportunity to change the subject.

"It is pretty unlikely that this just... happened."

Alex grasped the unspoken meaning and gaped at her, before stuttering, "You think someone did this to Max?"

"It is a definite possibility," Tess replied seriously. "The shed skin in the desert, the one Liz found at the Crashdown... the fact that Senator Whitaker, Nicolas Crawford, and the Mayor are all either skins or somehow related to the skins..."

"We've known for a while that we weren't alone," Isabel agreed in a voice barely above a whisper.

"So what now?" Alex asked.

Before anyone could answer, Max pushed the door open and walked into the room. "Done yet?" he asked, or rather, demanded, facing Tess. "I don't know why you need to spend so much time on girl talk." He shot Alex a suspicious glare, then added, "And Alex isn't a girl."

"Yeah, but he's more tolerant of our conversations about clothing and boys," Tess replied off-handedly.

Isabel moved closer to Tess and whispered in a voice only she could hear, "I'm going to talk to Michael. Tell him what's going on. You... talk to Max. Try to convince him to act normal again."

"Secrets?" Max asked, giving Isabel a suspicious look. "Why are you whispering?"

"It doesn't matter," Tess said. "It wasn't important."

Max hesitated, then shook his head. "Fine," he said shortly. "But don't do it again."

"Did you just give me an order?" Isabel snapped hotly, forgetting her resolve not to lose her cool around Max. This wasn't her brother, not the brother that she knew, and she had to proceed cautiously. Tess was right... they didn't know him and he could be dangerous.

"I have reason to be wary of secrets muttered around me," Max replied haughtily. "There are plenty of rumors already circulating, you know. I have to be careful. I have enemies."

"They are all our enemies," Isabel replied, feeling the renewed burning in her eyes, the desire to burst into tears at the look of complete disdain coming from Max.

Max didn't say anything.

"Max, why don't we go talk in your room," Tess suggested, but her tone made it clear that this was more of an order than a request. "Leave Isabel alone."

"I have every reason to worry," Max protested.

Tess narrowed her eyes. "Let's go."

"I'm not done," Max argued as Tess grabbed him by the arm and pulled him from the room. "Tess, I said I'm..."

"I heard you," Tess retorted, spinning to face him with a flushed face. "But I don't really care. I want to talk to you, in private, now."

Max's hard expression softened into one of bemusement, and he gave a low chuckle. "Still as temperamental as always, I see. You haven't changed, Tess."

She gave him a piercing look, then said with a semi-sad sigh, "Maybe not. But you have." And without another word, she gestured Max from the room.

Liz watched them go, her eyes never leaving Max's face. He didn't look at Tess with love, but with something else she couldn't quite identify. Reverence, perhaps, or admiration. But even if it wasn't pure love in his eyes, she noticed how his gaze never wandered from her, how he seemed to see nothing but the blonde in front of him. Nothing else could claim his attention when she was standing there, and Liz was helpless to do anything but watch as the boy she loved followed another woman out of the room.

* * *

"He loves her," Liz said as she pulled a pillow into her chest and leaned back against the wall. She was sitting on Maria's bed, forcing back the tears that wanted desperately to cascade down her face. "I could see it. He... All he could see was her."

"Chica, we've already established that this isn't Max," Maria replied. She'd come to Liz with the intention of venting about her own problems with Michael, but that had been instantly forgotten in the wake of Liz's recounting of the events of the day. The whole thing seemed like some twisted dream, and if she hadn't known that Liz wouldn't lie to her about something like this, she probably wouldn't have believed it.

Liz sighed. "I thought... I kept reassuring myself that it wasn't... that Zan and Ava weren't... weren't Max and Tess. And I know they're aren't but... Maria, you didn't see the way he acted around her. The way he listened to her. The way looked at her as though she was the only woman in the world. In the universe."

"And when he's Max again, he'll look at her the same we Max has always looked at her. Like she's an annoying teenage Queen Bee who he only puts up with because she is, _technically_, family."

Liz tried to force a faint smile at Maria's words, but it didn't reach her eyes. "What if he doesn't?" she asked finally, worriedly. "What if? Maria... what if when he becomes Max again... he still... he still wants to be with her?"

There really wasn't much Maria could say to that.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Consequences of Our Actions

Due: Sun 7/6 (hopefully)


	22. The Consequences of Our Actions

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter… The Consequences of Our Actions

Michael frowned as he studied the man before him. Everything appeared to be the same, from the tawny eyes to the dark hair, the tilt of the chin, the brooding expression. And yet, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the man standing in front of him was not, in fact, the Max Evans that he had known.

It was strange, and he felt uneasy.

Tess was sitting on a chair in the apartment, having accompanied Max on his way to meet the second-in-command. Max was leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. Isabel was not there, and that might have been for the best, given the tensions running through the air.

"You don't think I should have hit Kyle either?" Max said finally, with a sigh. "He deserved it, you know."

"I don't doubt that," Michael agreed, "but this is not a good time to draw attention to yourself." He thought briefly of Maria. "We have other problems that need our attention."

Max considered this for a moment. Finally, he gave a slow nod. "I suppose you are right. Kyle may have deserved it, but I should have thought through the consequences before acting." He looked up at Michael and added, "I guess I should be thankful I have you to keep me from acting too rashly."

Michael looked past the hybrid king to Tess, one eyebrow lifted. She smirked back at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking. Since when was Michael ever trusted to keep someone from acting rashly?

"Okay," Michael said after a moment. "Well, I'm glad you see my point of view." Rubbing the back of his head, he continued, "And you really need to think about how you act."

"What do you mean?" Max asked, eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with it? Besides hitting Kyle, of course," he quickly amended when Tess opened her mouth to respond. The petite blonde snapped her jaw shut, but still gave him a hard look, and he met her gaze without flinching.

Michael drew attention back to himself as he answered, "It's a little out of character, don't you think?"

Max shrugged. "I suppose. But before I didn't have to worry about anything besides staying hidden. Now that we know the truth…" He trailed off with a thoughtful look at Michael. "I think it is time we all start acting differently. We're on the brink of a war with Khivar, you know. We need to face the facts and respond accordingly."

"I agree," Michael replied, wondering hopefully if this version of Max would be more inclined towards action than waiting. He would certainly support taking actual steps against the skins, and maybe Max would be on his side for once.

"Good," Max said, smiling.

"However," Michael continued firmly, "you still need to be careful how you act around your parents and in public. We can take action, but it still needs to be discreet."

"That's almost impossible. How am I suppose to fight a war and be discreet?" Max countered logically.

Michael couldn't help shaking his head at the role reversal. He'd never been in the position of having to urge for caution, and he found it difficult to think of what to say, how to counter Max's rational arguments.

Finally, he replied simply, "By not acting out of character."

"But fighting a war _is_ out of character for me," Max answered, rolling his eyes at Michael's response. "I never would have done it before."

"What changed your mind?" Tess asked quickly, jumping into the conversation. If Max could pinpoint the moment he had felt his priorities shift, they might be able to identify the alien that had done this to him. That was, of course, assuming that they were correct and this was caused by a skin.

Max shrugged. "I guess I just came to my senses."

"When?" Tess pressed.

Max gave her a curious look and asked, "Why are you so interested?"

"I just am," Tess retorted, daring him to challenge her. "Humor me."

Max laughed. "Always." He paused, thinking, then said, "I guess it came to me at the Crashdown earlier today. And on the way home. I was thinking about everything… the skins, Nicolas, Isabel…" He stumbled slightly over his sister's name, and the look that drifted through his eyes was darker than anything Tess had ever seen in his expression. He pushed on before she could comment on it, and continued, "And I just knew I had to do something. Before someone gets hurt…" again, a pause as he looked at Tess, then added, "any more than we've already been hurt."

Michael, meanwhile, was running through a list of people Max could have spoken to at the Crashdown. He knew Liz had seen Max, and Courtney had spoken to him in the kitchen. But who else? The Crashdown had been crowded that afternoon, and anyone could have easily done something, particularly if whatever had been done was like Tess' gift, and was invisible to the naked eye.

He thought about Courtney again. He knew Maria was convinced that she was trying to seduce him. He laughed inwardly at the idea, as though he would actually be attracted to her. She was certainly pretty, in the very conventional blonde sort of way, but why would he look at another girl when he had Maria?

Not, of course, that he actually had her since they weren't dating. Since they hadn't been dating for almost four months.

Again, his mind went back to Courtney. Was he actually considering that she might be an enemy? He shook his head and dismissed the idea. He just couldn't accept it. He wasn't sure why, but for one reason or another his gut was telling him that she wasn't their enemy.

He looked back at Max, an idea suddenly bursting into his mind. He frowned slightly, watching as Max and Tess continued to talk. He was paying no attention to what they were saying save to determine that it was an argument, and yet neither looked particularly annoyed at the other.

Tess caught his eye, and he gave her a meaningful look, indicating that he wanted to speak to her alone. She gave him a scrutinizing stare in reply, but his blank expression betrayed nothing.

"I'm going to get something to drink," Tess announced rising to her feet. "Do you want anything?" she asked Max.

"Chips," Max decided.

"You don't drink chips," Michael argued.

"She didn't clarify that I was only allowed to request drinks," Max answered with a sardonic grin.

"So now you're giving away _my_ food?" Michael grumbled.

Tess flashed him a smile with an underlying look that said _you want to make something of it?_ Michael replied with a long-suffering sigh and followed her into the kitchen muttering about having to find a bag of chips.

As soon as they were out of Max's earshot, Michael asked, "What if this wasn't done by the skins?"

"Who else?" Tess asked. "I would suggest the FBI, but I doubt they have the ability. Although I suppose I really shouldn't put it past them."

"No, I mean… why are we so sure it was an enemy that did this?"

Tess gave him an incredulous look as though to question his sanity. "Who else?" she repeated. "They wanted to cause trouble, and they did. Who else would do that besides the skins?"

"That's my point," Michael replied, chancing another look over his shoulder at Max as he pulled a Snapple out of the refrigerator and handed it to Tess. "We're looking at all the bad things. But you know what else we got out of this? A king. Someone who has the personality necessary for leading an army. What if… what if whoever did this was trying to _help_?"

Tess blinked. "Who would do that?"

"We have unknown enemies out there. What about unknown friends?" Michael answered. "Or even Nasedo. It is in his best interests to get us to defeat Khivar, isn't it?" He pulled a bag of chips from the cupboard and tossed them to Tess.

She caught the bag and looked at Max. "Do you think we should tell him that we think this was done to him? He might be able to help us come up with who did it."

"Do you trust him?" Michael asked.

She gave him a long look. "I don't know."

"Yeah," Michael agreed, walking out into the living room again. "I don't know either."

* * *

By lunch the next day, every single person at school seemed to know that Max Evans had gotten drunk in the middle of the day and punched Kyle Valenti and then declared his love for Tess Harding. The most common of the rumors was that the reason Max had broken up with Liz back at the beginning of the summer was because of his love for Tess, and now he would most likely be challenging Chris to some form of incredibly out-dated and nerdy duel.

There were sidelong glances sent at Max as he walked through the hall, and snickering whispers followed Liz everywhere she went. People joked about it with Tess, and she simply rolled her eyes and laughed it off. Kyle sent dark glares at Max and seemed to be giving Tess the silent treatment.

It was all very dramatic.

Liz sat with her chin resting on the palm of her hand, elbow propped up on the picnic table, and stared miserably at Max, who was eating lunch with Michael. Next to her, Isabel shifted uneasily, her gaze fixed on Tess and Chris, who were sitting with Trudy and a barely-speaking Kyle. Alex was watching Isabel, carefully observing all the myriads of emotions that flickered through her eyes. Maria was staring determinedly at the table, refusing to look at Michael.

It was a very silent lunch.

"Rumors die down eventually," Alex said finally, looking over at Liz. "And whatever is going on with Max will be fixed soon enough."

The brunette looked at him. "I really wish I believed that," she whispered.

"Believe it," Maria said firmly. "Max loves you."

Liz looked back at Max. He was staring at Tess.

Alex decided changing the subject was probably the best course of action, and said under his breath, "How are things with the reporters, Maria?"

Maria sighed. "Not fun. Their still calling. At least they haven't showed up at school yet. I'm starting to think they're going to follow me everywhere."

"We'll figure out a way to get them off your back," Alex promised.

Isabel looked up for a moment, eyes piercing into Alex, and then twisted her gaze around back to her previous target. At that same moment, Tess looked up as well, catching Isabel's gaze from across the quad. Blue eyes met brown, and the blue looked away.

"Why don't you just try talking to her?" Liz suggested, following Isabel's gaze to Tess.

Isabel shot an annoyed look at the brunette. "Right. Because that will work,'" she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes in indignation.

"Hey," Maria interrupted, coming to her friend's defense, "she's just trying to help."

Isabel didn't reply.

"Do you think Max is going to get in trouble?" Alex asked, once again trying to divert any sort of unpleasant conversation. Liz and Maria both gave him confused looks, but Isabel continued to stare across the quad, and he found himself explaining, "You know, because of people thinking he was drunk. It is only a matter of time before one of the teachers hears about it. They could send him to a guidance counselor or something."

"As long as that guidance counselor doesn't turn out to be an FBI agent, I think we'll be okay," Maria answered with a faint smile.

"Yeah, unless it reaches his parents," Alex pointed out. Turning to Isabel, he asked, "Haven't you guys been on thin ice with your parents this entire summer?"

Isabel looked at him blankly, then shrugged. "Yeah. I guess if they hear the rumors, they'd be upset. Maybe Max will get grounded again or something."

"It's not fair," Liz protested. "It's not even his fault. He shouldn't get punished for it."

"Well, it isn't like we can explain that to my parents, is it?" Isabel remarked snidely, shaking her head at Liz's naïve remark.

"Isabel," Alex said again, and this time the warning in his voice was underlined with steel.

"You aren't the only one with problems, Isabel," Maria interrupted harshly. "In case you've forgotten, I have an entire flock of reporters trying to break down my door."

"Yeah," Isabel sneered, "and maybe if you had thought twice before rushing off to Copper Summit and exposing all of us to our enemies, you wouldn't have this problem. Would you?"

"Hey, don't blame her for this," Liz snapped.

"Why not? It's her fault," Isabel argued.

"Look, just because you're upset at everyone else is no reason to take your anger out on Maria," Liz said softly. "It isn't her fault that Max and Michael are angry with you, or that Tess is being…" She trailed off, unable to find the right words to properly describe Tess.

Isabel gave Liz a brief look, then let out a slow breath. "Maybe not. But it is every bit her fault that we all ended up in Copper Summit."

"I was trying to help," Maria hissed, lowering her voice.

"By almost getting us all killed?" Isabel shot back, face flushed. She rose to her feet, throwing the contents of her lunch back into a brown paper bag. "I'll take responsibility for lying. I shouldn't have done that, I should have just told you all the truth. I admit that I was wrong. But you know what, Maria? One of these days, you need to get off your high-horse and face up to the fact that you screwed up too. Stop playing the innocent victim in all this. You want to know why the reporters are knocking on your door? It's because you were too concerned about Michael's opinion of you to stop and think through the consequences of your actions. And now you have to deal with that." She turned and stalked away, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

Alex hesitated, looking torn. Part of him wanted to rush off after Isabel and talk to her, calm her down, and the other part wanted to stay behind and console Maria. He was torn between his loyalties, unsure which way to go. Just last night he had promised Isabel he wouldn't walk away from her, but Maria was sitting in front of him, eyes glittering with frustration and anger and pain, and he wasn't sure he could walk away from her either.

"She was just upset, and she took it out on you," Liz said comfortingly, placing a hand on Maria's shoulder. "This isn't your fault."

Alex rose slowly to his feet, making a decision he knew would come back to haunt him. "I'll be right back," he said, and hurried after Isabel, leaving Maria and Liz glaring at his retreating figure with identical expressions of outrage on their faces.

"Hey," Alex said as he caught up with Isabel just as she passed through the double doors and entered the cool interior of the school. "Wait, Isabel. Come on, just wait."

She turned and looked at him, her beautiful face scrunched into an expression of simmering rage. "What do you want, Alex?"

"Just to talk," he said, holding up his hands in a sign of surrender. "I just want to… okay, this is going to sound pretty pathetic, but I just wanted to know if you were okay?"

A dark chuckle escaped Isabel's throat. "Am I okay?" she repeated, shaking her head, letting long blonde hair fall into her face. She pushed it away with one hand, and Alex caught sight of the tears glimmering in her eyes.

"I told you it was going to sound pathetic," Alex said with a shrug and an unabashed grin.

Isabel closed her eyes for a moment. Then, as though it took an incredible amount of effort, she opened them slowly and said, "I think the answer to that is a pretty resounding no."

"I'm sorry," Alex murmured.

She raised one eyebrow. "For what?"

He shrugged. "A lot of things. I should have…" He paused, then said, "I guess I never really thought about it from your point of view before. I mean… what you said last night about no one blaming Maria… or even Liz… I never really thought about it."

Isabel shrugged. "Michael was pretty angry with Max after he healed Liz. And then Liz told you and Maria, and Michael was annoyed, but… he was still mostly mad and Max. Not Liz. It's just… weird. Tess is the only one who gets mad at them the way I do, and Tess gets mad at everyone all the time."

Alex allowed himself a fleeting smile. "I'm sorry," he said again, and truly meant it.

She returned the smile. "Thanks." She wiped at her eyes with the palm of her hand, brushing away the tears. "You should go back to Maria." Alex gave her a confused look, and she elaborated, "I'm angry at Maria. I'm not angry at you. I don't want you to get into trouble because of me, and both Maria and Liz are probably pretty livid that you aren't there right now. With them."

"They'll live," Alex answered casually, dismissively. He was sure he was going to receive a lecture from both of them about this in the near future, but he didn't care. He cared about Isabel as well, and they had to understand and accept that.

"Hey, Isabel, are you… oh."

Isabel and Alex turned to see Michael approaching through the double doors. He had stopped abruptly, mid-sentence, upon seeing the two of them standing next to each other.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked with a teasing grin.

"Nothing like that," Isabel replied, shifting with embarrassment. "We were just talking."

"Oh, is that what we are calling it now?" Michael pressed, his grin spreading into a full-blown smirk.

"Did you want something, Michael?" Isabel asked, narrowing her eyes in warning.

Michael continued to grin at them for a moment, then said, "I didn't get a chance to talk to you in private yet. I just wanted to make sure Max hadn't given you any trouble."

"No. He… he, uh… didn't really talk much to me when he got back from your place," Isabel confessed awkwardly. She licked her lips and looked away. "Mom and Dad didn't really notice anything either. Although… they might now… the way small towns gossip. It won't be long before they hear about Max supposedly being drunk."

Michael nodded. "Yeah. Well, that can't really be helped. And it is better than anyone finding out the truth."

He turned, intent on walking away now that he had determined that Isabel was fine, but Isabel's voice, shaking slightly and filled with diffident apology, called him back.

"Michael. I'm sorry."

He looked at her.

"I don't know how many times I have to say this. But I'll keep saying it until it is enough. I'm sorry."

"Why didn't you just tell us?" Michael asked finally. He glanced at Alex, who had taken a few silent steps backwards to separate himself from what was clearly a private conversation. Then he switched his attention back to Isabel.

She gave him a look. "Do you really not know the answer to that?"

Michael nodded again, thoughtfully. "Isabel, you aren't a traitor. I don't know anything about your past life. I don't know what she did or didn't do. But I know that you aren't her, because I know _you_. And you're not a traitor." A pause, then in a faintly accusing tone, "You should have told us."

"Yeah. I know. I'm sorry."

Michael studied her for a moment. "Okay," he said finally.

"So… we're good?" Isabel asked hopefully.

Michael hesitated, then said, "I'm still angry. But I'll get over it." He thought about Max for a moment, and then added in a softer voice, "And so will our fearless leader."

"Okay. I can live with that," Isabel agreed.

* * *

Unfortunately for Max, it didn't take long for the gossip to reach the parents, and a few minutes before dinner his father called him into the kitchen and told him to take a seat at the table. His mother was standing by the counter, and she looked stern. Isabel was no where in sight.

"Max, we heard some disturbing news this afternoon, and I want to know if it is true," Mr. Evans said firmly, staring hard into his son's eyes. "Did you get drunk yesterday afternoon?"

Max glanced between his parents. His first inclination was to deny it, as it was not actually true. His second thoughts went to Tess and Michael, and to the conversation they had had the night before. He needed to act normal. And maybe getting drunk wasn't normal, but what other lie could he give his parents that would be better?

"Max?" Mrs. Evans pressed. "We're waiting for an answer. It is a yes or no question."

"Yes."

Mrs. Evans gasped quietly, indicating that while she had suspected that answer, she hadn't wanted to believe it.

"And did you hit Kyle Valenti? Did you try to pick a fight with him?" Mr. Evans pressed gravely.

There was no way Max could lie about that, not with all the witnesses, and not with Kyle still sporting a bruise to mar his features. He could tell by the look in his father's eyes that the answer to this question was going to land him in quite a bit of trouble, but he didn't have any choice.

"Yes."

"We taught you better than that!" Mrs. Evans burst, unable to restrain herself any longer. "We raised you to express yourself with words, not fists."

He looked down at the ground. He wanted to explain to his mother that he had simply been forced to do that because Kyle wasn't going to respond to words. The only thing that would make any lasting impression on the football jock was a fight, and he needed to be taught a lesson. But he couldn't say that, not without raising more suspicion from his parents, so he said nothing.

"Max, explain yourself," Mr. Evans ordered tersely.

"Kyle and I have… I just… he's been mean and I guess I got fed up with it," Max said finally, stumbling over the words as he tried to put his feelings into a phrase that would be understood. "He's a jerk, and he doesn't have the right to treat me like that."

"So you decided to hit him?" Mrs. Evans asked in a faint voice.

Again, Max didn't respond.

Mr. Evans regarded Max for a moment, then said, "What was the fight about? What exactly did Kyle do?"

"What difference does it make?" Mrs. Evans demanded, turning to her husband. "Kyle's actions don't matter. Max knows better than to punch someone."

"I want to know," Mr. Evans replied simply, and turned to Max with an expectant expression.

Max shrugged. "I don't know, really. It's just… stuff. He insults me all the time. Plus, his friends beat me up at the beginning of last year." He seemed to choose his words carefully as he explained, "I'm not carrying a grudge against him. It wasn't… it wasn't retribution. I was trying to fight back because… I just wanted to show him that I can stand up for myself."

"There are better ways to stand up for yourself," Mrs. Evans said.

"Dinner will be in a few minutes," Mr. Evans said finally. "Go wash up and get your sister. We'll talk about this more later."

Max got up and left the room.

For a moment, neither parent said anything as they watched Max leave the room. Then Mrs. Evans turned to her husband and said flatly, "That's not my son."

Mr. Evans gave a tired sigh and said in agreement, "He certainly isn't acting like it, is he?"

"I don't get it, Philip. How could he have changed so much? Did you hear him? He was…" She didn't finish the sentence, but she didn't need to. They'd both heard the arrogant tone, the egotistical way in which Max had phrased his answers.

Mr. Evans nodded. "I don't know, Diane. But something is going on with our son. And I'm going to find out what it is."

* * *

Jim barely managed to get his foot in between the frame and the door before Amy slammed it closed. The door bounced against his foot, causing a wave of pain to shoot up his ankle, and swung back open. He pushed it even further open with one hand and turned to the irate woman standing in front of him.

"Amy, can we please talk?"

"I don't have anything to say to you," Amy retorted fiercely.

"Fine," Jim replied, "then you can listen. But I need to talk."

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," Amy answered with a bitter glare. "There is nothing that will make me forgive you putting Maria's life in danger."

"I didn't," Jim countered quickly. His response caught Amy enough off-guard that she faltered before resuming her yelling, and he used those moments of silence to press his case. "I didn't send her to Copper Summit. I didn't know she was going there. I had nothing to do with what happened."

"Then why did you lie to me about where she was?" Amy asked suspiciously.

Jim answered with full honesty, "Because she asked me to."

Amy hesitated, clearly unsure, then gave in with ill grace. "Fine. You can explain how you were stupid enough to think lying to me for her was a good idea." She stepped back, and let Jim enter the house.

He walked in, his eyes roaming over the entrance way. He half-expected to see Maria standing on the stairs, watching them both, but the place appeared to be empty except for Amy.

The Sheriff sighed and ran a hand through his hair, wishing he could explain everything to Amy. There was nothing he could say right now that she was going to like, and the truth was so clearly out the question. But he needed to tell her something. He could let her believe that he would so carelessly risk Maria's life.

"You wanted to talk," Amy prompted.

Jim nodded. "Look, Maria called me and asked me to cover for her. She said she had something planned with Michael. I figured it was like a date or something, and I thought it would only be for a few hours. So I agreed."

"Why?" Amy asked harshly. "She's sixteen, Jim. She's not an adult, and I'm her mother. How could you ever think it was okay to lie to me about her?"

"I didn't think it was anything serious. I didn't think she'd be in danger." That was, of course, a complete lie. He knew perfectly well that any alien thing she did would put her in danger, and this trip with Michael was only going to make matters worse. Maybe he should have stepped in and interfered, but at the time, he hadn't thought it was his place. Michael knew better than he did the dangers of any kind of exposure.

Still… he was an adult. And as Amy had so aptly pointed out, Maria was not. Neither were any of the others. Maybe it was time he started taking a more active role in their lives.

"You still shouldn't have lied to me," Amy pushed. "I wouldn't have, had it been Kyle or Tess."

At that, Jim chuckled lightly. "Kyle and Tess would never have asked you to lie to me," Jim replied. "They would have just come home past curfew and figured they could talk their way out of trouble."

He hadn't meant that comment as anything other than a remark about his own children, but Amy felt the slight accusation; Maria should never have put Jim in the position of having to make that choice. She hesitated, realizing that perhaps it was time she had a more serious talk with her daughter.

"Look," Jim continued, oblivious to Amy's thoughts, "I know I made a mistake. And I am sorry about it. I wish I could do things differently, but it is too late to go back. And I… I just really wanted Maria to like me."

Amy blinked, startled by the confession. "Why?"

Jim frowned at her, confusion clouding his expression. "Because she's your daughter," he said bluntly, surprised that she even had to ask that question.

Amy thought about it for a moment, then sighed and took a few steps past Jim into the living room. She knew that while she'd been in a coma in the hospital after the car accident, Tess and Kyle had both visited. She was under no delusions about their reasoning, they had come solely to support Jim and not out of any concern for her. But they had come, and she'd never really made an effort to get to know them.

Likewise, Jim had barely interacted with Maria. At first it was because they kept their relationship a secret, not wanting the talk to spread too much through the gossipy desert town. Then it was because everything had been complicated due to the accident and Sean's reappearance and all the revelations that had brought. But now it had been a few months since she was free of all those complications, and they still hadn't made much of an effort to get to know the other's children.

She couldn't deny that she was still livid at Jim for lying to her. She believed firmly that Maria had a right to privacy about most things, but her safety trumped everything else. And yet… Jim had made the effort. He'd gone about it all the wrong way, but at least he had made some sort of first step.

"Amy?" Jim murmured, pulling her out of her reverie.

She looked up at him, shaking her head. "I don't know. I want to forgive you, Jim. I really do. But… she's my daughter."

"I understand," Jim replied quietly, a little sadly.

"Just give me some time to think," Amy requested.

"Of course," Jim said, offering a diffident smile. She returned it cautiously, watching with a torn gaze as he excused himself from the house.

* * *

In the back room of the UFO Center, Brody Davis stood in front of all his different complicated machinery, and stared at the faint blinking of dots, the flickering of lines, that indicated something unusual. He traced the screen with one finger, listening to the buzz of white noise emanating from the machine, and couldn't contain the grin that began to spread across his usually serious face.

The equipment had picked up a shift in something paranormal, an increase in energy, the sign that something extraordinary and not-of-this-earth was happening.

"It's time," he whispered.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Harvest

Due: Sun 7/17


	23. The Harvest

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Harvest

Nicolas Crawford ran a hand through his dark hair and stared moodily at the Welcome to Roswell sign. He was less than thrilled about this latest turn of events, but he knew it would be next to impossible to succeed in their mission without proceeding this way. He glanced behind him at the U-Haul attached to the end of his pick-up truck, and sighed.

"This is dangerous, sir," Ida Crawford said, glancing at the man who had pretended to be her son for all those years on Earth. "Transporting the husks into Roswell like this."

"I know," Nicolas snapped irritably. "I know." But the ceremony for the Harvest needed to take place within the next two days, and now that they had been discovered by the Royal Four, it was no longer prudent to remain at Copper Summit. They had lost the element of surprise, and the only way to regain some of their advantage was to attack as soon as possible.

They would simply need to arrange to attack within the next day, perform the Harvest, and then continue with their battles after it was complete. It was dangerous, of course, but no more dangerous than failure. They could not afford to lose this opportunity.

"Do you think all the husks transported alright?" Ida questioned nervously, looking back at the U-Haul with a resigned expression. She did not like to consider what would happen had her husk been broken or damaged in any way.

"They are fine, Ida," Nicolas snapped, and walked resolutely away from her, no longer wanting to listen to her pointless worrying. She was starting to get on his nerves, and although he knew he should be kinder to her, given the horrible loss of her husband she had just suffered, he couldn't bring himself to be patient with her continual concerns.

Instead, he forced himself to focus on the next few hours. It was critical that they move into position without being seen. Someone would need to make contact with Courtney and Mrs. Banks. And he needed to keep an eye on Trevor. The young man's loyalties were still suspect, particularly when it came to plans that may endanger Rath.

He thought briefly of his brother, sitting on the throne of Antar, waiting for the Royal Four to be delivered to him. "Don't worry, Khivar," he murmured, "I won't let you down."

* * *

Tess stood in the doorway to the living room, watching with concealed concern as Jim stared moodily at the blank television. He was holding the remote in one hand, but had yet to hit the power button. Instead, his other hand was clenched into a fist that periodically beat the pillow with resounding force.

He didn't look up, but said in a stony voice, "Did you want something, Tess?"

She hesitated, clearly torn between desire to help him and desire to leave it all alone. "I don't think she wanted this to happen," she offered. Jim looked at her, and she elaborated, "Maria. She never wanted… she didn't think this would be an outcome of her trip to Copper Summit."

Shutters dropped over his eyes and he looked away. "Right."

Tess let out a breath. "Amy will get over it eventually."

Jim dropped the remote onto the sofa and wrapped both hands around the pillow. He squeezed it so hard his knuckles turned white and Tess, without even trying to use her gifts, could sense the anger and hurt radiating from him in great waves.

She wished she had something else to say, but she didn't, or couldn't. So she turned and walked back into her room, letting an uneasy silence fall over the house once more.

* * *

School didn't get any easier for Liz the next day. The rumors and smirking looks that followed her through the halls were starting to wear her down, and she was fairly certain that if things didn't stop, and soon, she wouldn't be able to make it through the rest of the year.

"You know, as justice goes, I'd say it is pretty poetic, don't you think?"

Liz blinked at the girl in front of her. She looked vaguely familiar, perhaps a sophomore Liz had crossed paths with once or twice before. She frowned at the comment, trying to figure out what the girl was referring to, but the girl continued with blithe indifference before Liz had a chance to respond.

"I mean, last year, you cheat on Kyle Valenti with Max Evans, and this year, Max goes and dumps you for Kyle's sister."

Liz blinked. "I never…" She stopped, the words catching in her throat. She wanted to argue that she had never cheated on Kyle, regardless of what anyone else believed, regardless of all the rumors that had circulated at that time. But she couldn't force out the defense because her mind was too caught up with the other part of the accusation.

Max hadn't exactly dumped her for Tess, and yet… why did she feel like that was exactly what was going to end up happening?

The other girl had smirked and flounced away before Liz had even realized that, and she turned away from the empty space, her eyes searching the hallway for anyone who could be considered a friend. What she found, was Isabel.

"Are you alright?" Isabel asked, glancing over Liz's shoulder. She'd clearly heard enough of what had happened to understand why tears were glimmering in Liz's eyes.

Liz nodded. "I'm fine," she said, drawing a slow breath.

Isabel's lips curved into a sardonic smile. "Sure you are," she replied dryly, refraining from rolling her eyes with great difficulty. Glancing down at the thin silver watch looped elegantly around her wrist, she added, "We should probably get to class."

Liz swung her backpack onto her shoulders and nodded resolutely. The last thing she wanted to do was spend more time sitting in a room where the teacher would conveniently overlook all the students who shot her malevolent or mocking stares. But what choice did she have?

She stared at Isabel again. The other girl had been running hot and cold over the past few days, either apologizing endlessly for her lies or snapping at everyone in sight. She supposed, in Isabel's position, she might have done the same thing, but it didn't make her mood swings any easier to bear.

In the hall ahead of them, Liz caught sight of Max, drifting in between a crowd of people, clearly preoccupied with other thoughts. Michael was walking behind him, eyes never leaving the hybrid king's back, playing the diligent watchdog. The brunette stopped the moment she saw them, and she could feel Isabel stiffening as well.

Michael looked up and caught her gaze. His eyes slid past her to Isabel, and he placed a hand on Max's shoulder and quickly directed his friend away from the two girls.

Liz sucked in a sharp breath as Max walked away without even looking in her direction. She rubbed her eyes with one hand, then walked forward again, her steps slow and hesitant.

Isabel caught her by the arm. "Liz…" She paused, then said, "You need to stop mooning over Max."

Liz's eyes widened marginally, and she lifted one eyebrow questioningly. "Why?" she asked. Did Isabel think Max wouldn't come back to her? Did the hybrid know something that she did not? Was Max always going to stay like this, dismissive of her?

Isabel didn't answer right away. Finally, she said quietly, "You were stronger than this. Last year… you didn't need Max. I get that you love him, I really do understand that. And he loves you, and it may still end up working out. But you don't need him to define you. You never did, not last year, and not all those years when you barely even knew who we were. You are stronger than this."

Liz drew back, surprised by the emphatic passion behind Isabel's words. She puzzled over it for a moment, not quite understanding why it would be so important to Isabel to believe that Liz was much stronger. And then she saw the self-doubted in Isabel's eyes, the pain carefully, but not quite completely, concealed in that flawless façade, and Liz understood everything.

"So are you," she said softly.

Isabel gave a slight smile, a startled look coming into her eyes, before she turned away and headed to class.

Liz sighed. It wasn't easy to be strong, she knew that much. Not with the looks she was getting right now, not the way whispers would die down when she approached, only to spring up again as she walked by. Her eyes instinctively sought Max, and she watched as he was swallowed up into the crowd and disappeared from her sight.

Maybe Isabel was right.

She tried to put on a brave face and held her head up high as she walked into her first period class.

* * *

Michael took a seat on the bench just across the street from his school and watched the stream of students who spilled out into the parking lot. The day was finally over, and he was thankful. It was surprisingly difficult keeping an eye on Max, and he was a little weary. The hybrid king had left with his sister to return home, giving Michael a chance to take a moment just to breath.

He looked down at the bench and found himself wondering, not for the first time, why there were random benches scattered about the town. Some were in the park, and that made sense, but others were on street corners or outside parking lots. And that was just strange.

"Good afternoon," a voice said.

Michael looked up at the man who was standing over him. He was silhouetted by the sun, making it impossible to clearly see his features. Michael had to squint even to catch the outline of his body.

But he didn't need to see the features to know who this was.

"Hello, Nasedo," he said wearily.

Nasedo took a seat next to him on the bench, and Michael took the opportunity to really study the shape-shifter's appearance. He was tall, with wavy blonde hair and tan skin. His chin was covered in light stubble, and his nose was red with just a bit of sun. He was actually ruggedly handsome

Which caused Michael to give a wry smile and ask, "So you actually took some time considering your appearance, did you?"

Nasedo did not find the comment amusing. "We need to talk."

"About what?" Michael asked, although he thought he might already know the answer. He hadn't had the chance to talk to Maria yet, not since leaving so abruptly during their last conversation. But he doubted her problems with the reporters had gotten any better.

"A few things," Nasedo replied. "You already know the first one." He gave Michael a scrutinizing stare, and then said, "Or would I be wring in assuming that you were the first person Maria DeLuca spoke to about this?"

"She doesn't like your plan," Michael said stonily. "You want to get innocent people killed."

Nasedo considered this for a moment, then asked, "And what do you think of my plan?"

"I don't want innocent people to die," Michael said stubbornly, glaring at Nasedo.

Nasedo shook his head. "It is remarkable how naïve you all are. This is a war, Michael, and innocent people are going to die, whether you want them to or not. They already have." He tilted his head up towards the sky. "You might not remember, but all the people on Antar do."

"It doesn't make it any less wrong," Michael said heatedly, refusing to give in to Nasedo's argument. He didn't even know why he was protesting since he had been for the plan when Maria had first brought it to him. But it was harder to sit her and accept the idea when he was face-to-face with the person who would most-likely do the callous killing.

"Of course it doesn't," Nasedo agreed with a touch of exasperation in his voice. "But you need to stop thinking of things in terms of right and wrong, and start thinking of them in terms of necessary and unnecessary. People are dying, even as we speak, and the only way to stop that is to end this war. Quickly. To that end, Maria's appearance in the newspaper has become a liability."

There was very little Michael could say to argue with that, so he just sat in silence, staring across the street as more students drifted away from the school, eager to enjoy the sunny afternoon.

"They all look so happy, so carefree. So alive," Nasedo commented idly as he too watched the students with narrowed eyes. He slanted a look at Michael and added, "They won't be, if the skins win."

Michael's lips flattened into a straight line. "Don't…" He inhaled sharply. He didn't want to think about the possibility of the skins winning. He didn't want to think about what would happen to them all if they couldn't stop Khivar.

"Why not?" Nasedo asked, his tone becoming harsh. "Face the facts, Michael. Accept the truth. If you don't win, Khivar is going to take over this world as well. You think mere humans stand a chance against him? You think he won't destroy everything here, just because he can?"

Michael rose to his feet angrily.

"You can't walk away from this," Nasedo said, standing as well and blocking Michael's path. "You can't run away from the war because Khivar is just going to come chasing you. He will kill you, and he will kill anyone who stands in between him and his goal." He waited until Michael turned to face him, then added fiercely, "Including Maria."

Again, Michael didn't respond.

Nasedo sighed, abruptly dropping the argument with a little shrug. "Fine. Don't listen to me. I hope you don't regret it when you're all dead."

"What else?" Michael asked. When Nasedo gave him a blank look, he pressed, "You said you had a few things to discuss with me. What else?"

"Ah…" Nasedo sat back down, and gestured for Michael to do the same. He waited until the hybrid General had reluctantly followed suit, then said, "The Harvest."

"The what?" Michael asked. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"The skins cannot survive on Earth the way you do," Nasedo explained calmly. "The atmosphere is poisonous to them. So they come in what they call husks."

"Husks?" Michael repeated.

"They're like body suits," Nasedo explained, "only they look like skin."

"The husks are what sheds? That's the skin that we've found?" Michael asked, curious despite his best attempts to remain distant from the shape-shifter.

Nasedo nodded gravely. "But they only remain good for a limited amount of time, and the skins are fast approaching their deadline." He paused, eyeing Michael thoughtfully, then added, "Which brings us to the Harvest."

Michael's eyes lit up and he said, "Oh, that's right. Max said that Ida Crawford mentioned it to him after the fight."

"The Harvest," Nasedo explained, "is when all the skins transfer from their old husks to their new ones."

"Like shedding skin," Michael murmured.

"Exactly," Nasedo agreed with a little nod. "Once they do that, they will have another fifty years on Earth to come up with a plan to kill all of you. It would be better if we could prevent them from getting their new husks."

"Where is the Harvest going to take place?"

"Well," Nasedo mused, "originally I thought it would be at Copper Summit. But rumor has it that all the skins have abandoned the place. A mass exodus. And my bet is, they took the husks with them. Which means they're planning on having he Harvest somewhere else." He looked towards the distant hills that surrounded the town. It made sense for the skins to flee Copper Summit, now that their headquarters had been discovered. But where would they go?

Michael, unaware of Nasedo's thoughts, echoed the shape-shifter's silent question. "Where would they go?"

"Two options," Nasedo answered. "One possibility is that they are simply moving their headquarters somewhere else. There are plenty of places they could go, but at this point, they would need to go to a large city. It's the only way that many people wouldn't be noticed. Santa Fe is an option. I would say the most probable one."

Michael digested this for a moment, then asked, "And the other possibility?"

"That they're coming here, and they plan to attack as soon as the Harvest is over," Nicolas said bluntly, watching the color drain from Michael's face at his words. "On the one hand, they've lost the element of surprise, and would therefore want to attack you all as soon as possible. Particularly since Maria is still preoccupied with other things, and there is still quite a bit of tension between the four of you."

"How did you..."

"Michael, I make it my job to know what is going on among the seven of you," Nasedo interrupted with an annoyed look. "And if you're going to be stupid enough to let your emotions get in the way of your friendship with Isabel, I am going to do everything possible to make sure she's well protected." He gave Michael a hard stare as he added, "After all, Nicolas has no intention of returning to Antar without her. She's probably the one of you that is in the most danger."

Michael swallowed nervously.

Nasedo continued in a brisk tone, "On the other hand, coming here is not the wisest idea because they would be here, among enemies, for the Harvest, the time when they are the most vulnerable. I don't know which one is more likely."

Michael accepted this for a moment, then gave a slow nod. He wanted to say he would discuss this with Max, but he wasn't even sure that was a possibility any more. Not with Max acting the way he was at that moment. He sighed.

He really hoped they'd have Max back soon.

* * *

Courtney was not pleased. She was not pleased for many reasons, not the least of which was the man standing in her bedroom, staring down at her.

"You can't just walk into my house," she said in annoyance, rising to her feet and dropping her magazine, an old issue of Cosmopolitan, onto the bed. "What if someone saw you? That would blow my cover, don't you think?"

Nicolas shrugged. "I suppose it would," he agreed coolly, his tone clearly expression just how little he cared about that particular problem. "But unless you want to die from atmospheric poisoning, you'll stop whining and start listening."

Courtney glared at him, but knew better than to argue with Nicolas any further. "Fine. What do you need?"

"We are arranging to have the Harvest tomorrow."

Courtney shrugged. "Obviously. We're running out of time, otherwise."

"Yes," Nicolas agreed, his words little more than a snarl. "But we're arranging to have it here. In Roswell." As Courtney opened her mouth to protest, Nicolas held up a hand to silence her. "I am well aware of the dangers, Courtney, and I do not need you to point them out for me. But we will have it here. End of discussion."

"They're going to know," Courtney sputtered. "Nicolas, Nasedo is here. He's going to suspect that we will try something like this. He'll warn them."

"I'm not afraid of Nasedo," Nicolas snapped.

And that was a problem, Courtney knew. Because Nasedo was someone to be frightened of. He was unpredictable, and he would do anything to ensure that the Royal Four stayed alive long enough to help him return to Antar and seize some form of power for himself. He was, in fact, quite a bit more dangerous than any of the hybrids because he actually remembered Antar. And he knew how to use his powers, knew how to fight back. Knew how to kill, and didn't care who he destroyed.

But she said nothing.

"And what do you need from me, Nicolas?" she pressed. "Besides my attendance?"

"We will attach the Royal Four directly after the Harvest," Nicolas said, giving Courtney a contemplative stare. He had spoken to Mrs. Banks when he entered the house only moments before, and had heard her suspicions about Courtney's true loyalty. He could not deny that he had his doubts, and he did not want this to be ruined by anyone. "You will come to the Harvest. And you will bring one of the Royal Four's little pet humans with you."

Courtney opened her mouth, then closed it with a tight snap as her eyes widened. "What do you... why?" she stammered.

"To lure the others, of course," Nicolas said as though the answer was obvious. "Now," he paused, considering his choices, then said, "Maria DeLuca. She is the one I want you to bring."

"But how? I can't just kidnap her in broad daylight..." Courtney protested.

"I'm sure you will figure it out," Nicolas sneered. "Tomorrow evening, Courtney. The same factory where Whitaker took Ava. Be there... and have the human with you."

Courtney nodded, trying her best to conceal her horror as Nicolas left the room. This was not how she had wanted things to go, and Maria's death would do nothing for her cause. But how was she going to get out of it without blowing her cover? Or was it time to finally give up and announce her true loyalties? She'd betray the rebels that way, but still... what other choice did she have. If she hurt Maria, there was no doubt in her mind that Michael would come rushing after her, and that would only lead him into danger and probable death at Nicolas' hands.

She was too lost in her own thoughts to pay any attention to the conversation that passed between Mrs. Banks and Nicolas in the kitchen, and so missed the rather vital details being discussed there.

"I don't trust her," Mrs. Banks said quietly, giving Nicolas a hard stare. "How can you allow her to..."

"I'm not," Nicolas said harshly. "Do you dare question my actions?"

Mrs. Banks looked flustered for a moment, and lowered her eyes to the floor. "She supported the rebels, sir. She wanted... she wanted Rath on the throne."

"I know," Nicolas replied. "And she won't be coming to the Harvest."

Mrs. Banks stared up at him, surprised. "What?"

Nicolas shoved his hands into his pockets. "I have informed her that the Harvest will be in the evening, and she is to arrive with Maria DeLuca." He looked past Mrs. Banks to the window where the sun was slowly sinking behind the distant red-purple hills. "Everything will be taken care of."

The Harvest was, in fact, scheduled for the afternoon, and Courtney would arrive too late to participate in that. If she brought the human with her, then her loyalties would be confirmed and she would be given her husk, and Maria would be used to destroy their enemies. If she attempted to betray them and bring the Royal Four, she would find herself unknowingly leading the hybrids into a trap. The Harvest would be complete at that point, and Courtney and the others would find several skins waiting for them, ready to finally rid themselves of the last serious threat to Khivar's rule.

By evening tomorrow, it would all be over.


	24. Husks

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I didn't realize that the computer had undone all my formatting on the last chapter. I hope this one will be a little easier to read now that I've managed to keep the breaks in between each section.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Four: Husks

Liz leaned against the counter and watched with a vague interest as the last of the patrons slipped through the front door of the diner and out into the night. She was closing this evening, and she wasn't particularly happy about it. It gave her far too much time to think as she stood alone in the fluorescent-lit room, sweeping the floor and wiping down the tables. She needed to be busy, needed to distract herself from everything that had just happened, and everything that would continue to happen in the future.

Max. It all revolved around Max.

In some ways, many ways, she knew she was lucky. Lucky to have seen the truth shining so clearly in his eyes as he stared at the blonde hybrid who had once been his wife. Lucky to know now, before things grew more serious or more complicated, that her future with the boy she thought she loved was over.

But it still hurt. So much.

The jingle of the bell on the door caused her to glance up with a sharp look, a rag held loosely in one hand. Her face fell into a tentative smile, however, when she saw that it was only Alex.

"Hey," she greeted, tucking a single strand of dark hair behind one ear. "What brings you here?"

Alex shrugged, giving her scrutinizing stare. "You aren't mad at me?"

"For choosing to comfort Isabel over Maria and I?" Liz hesitated, then sighed and said, "Maybe a little."

"I'm sorry," Alex offered, crossing over to the counter. He swung his legs onto one of the stools and spun around for a moment, his gaze still fixed on Liz. The seat creaked slightly, the metal hinge growing rusty with age.

"No, you're not," Liz countered, turning her back on him to continue wiping down the tables. "You love Isabel."

"I love you and Maria as well," Alex protested. Liz was right, he wasn't completely sorry for putting Isabel's needs above theirs. He understood that everyone was going through a difficult time at the moment, but while the two human girls had each other, Isabel had no one. Not even Michael, for all he had done to assure Isabel that he would get over his anger at her, had made much of an effort past those few words. But still, he did care about his friends, and he didn't like having to choose between them.

"You aren't in love with us," Liz answered, giving a fleeting grin as she tilted her head to the side and looked at him over her shoulder.

"True," he agreed.

She tossed the rag onto the counter and turned around. Taking a seat on a stool opposite her friend, she asked quietly, almost timidly, "What's happening to us, Alex?"

"What do you mean?" Alex questioned.

Liz looked uncertain, but then she came to a decision and, taking a deep breath, forged bravely ahead. "We don't hang out anymore. We don't have fun anymore. Not the three of us... and not the six of us. Everything is a problem. Everything is the end of the world. Everything..." Hurts. She couldn't say it, so she didn't. But she saw the understanding reflected in Alex's blue eyes, and she slowly lowered her gaze, almost ashamed. She didn't want his pity. She didn't want to seem weak.

"I don't know," Alex answered finally. "I guess we just... we need to spend more time just hanging out."

"We tried that," Liz muttered, resting her chin on the palm of her hand. "We've made promises to each other. We've said that we will spend more time having fun and hanging out. Just the three of us. And then..." She bit her lip and gave a tiny sigh. "It never seems to work." She lifted her eyes to his face, her gaze wistful. "Remember in third grade when we made that club? You, me, and Maria. We were like Harriet the Spy. We went around the town recording everything we saw and trying to solve mysteries..." The look hardened. "Only, there were no real mysteries then. It was all pretend. All for fun." Again, a sigh. "I miss that."

"I do, too," Alex agreed. "But things are different now. We can't go back to that."

Liz closed her eyes and nodded, a lump forming in her throat. "Do you even want to try?" she asked, and she couldn't quite keep the bitterness from her voice. "Or are you content with the way things are now?"

"That's not what I meant!" Alex argued, his voice rising in volume slightly. It seemed every time he tried to comfort someone, he found himself arguing with them as well. He ran a hand over his face wearily and said, "Look, all I am saying is that instead of dreaming about the past, we should focus on the future."

"Empty words don't mean much, Alex," Liz murmured. "That's a nice sentiment, but we both know that our future is going to be more of the same."

"Not if we change it," Alex defended himself, growing concerned with each passing minute. He did not like the resignation and weariness in Liz's tone, the way she looked at him with a far away stare. She seemed to see not the teenager he was then but the boy he was several years ago. It was heartbreaking to realize that she was so lost.

Liz gave a dark chuckle. "There will always be another problem, Alex. Another crisis. Another enemy." She paused, then slid off the stool. "Isabel said something to me today. In school."

"Oh?"

"She said... she said that once upon a time I didn't need Max to feel... vindicated. That I was stronger than this. That my life was not built around him." The brunette picked up the discarded rag and continued to wipe the surfaces, now moving to the tables and booths scattered across the room. "I want to be that person I was before... But I can't go back, can I? Because everyone else is charging forward."

"You love Max," Alex pointed out reasonably. "It's hard to let go of that."

"Harder still when you keep getting reminded of it," Liz agreed. "And that's just the problem. I can't avoid Max. I can't... I can't get over him. I'll never be able to because I'll have to spend all this time in this group... fighting their enemies. Our enemies. I'll watch him fall for Tess... and fall hard... and there's nothing to make it easier. Because I can't even... there can't even be sides. Not in this group. We all have to work together and..." She trailed off and rubbed her eyes quickly, wiping away the unshed tears.

There were many things Alex could have said, but he doubted they would make a difference. Liz would never believe that Max was not in love with Tess, and after seeing how Max had acted around the petite hybrid, he couldn't blame Liz for her opinion. And Liz was far too pragmatic to find a promise of "it will all be better someday" that comforting. She didn't want empty words. So he said nothing, but instead moved to her side and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug.

Liz stiffened, surprised, and then the rag slipped from her fingers as she hugged him back, tears spilling from her eyes and onto his shoulder.

* * *

Isabel pulled her knees into her chest and stared up at the sky. The stone bench was cold, a strange occurrence in the heat of the warm night. Max was at home, locked in his room, determined to avoid his parents. Michael had informed her of the conversation he and Tess had had with the hybrid king, and she knew Max was doing her best to act normal. But she caught the confused, suspicious, and worried glances that passed between her parents, and she knew it was only a matter of time before something happened, and everything would erupt.

The coldness from the bench was seeping into her body, or perhaps it was the other way around. She felt cold and tired and lost, unable to see how to get through the mess that she had made. Max made little effort to hide his contempt for her, and Michael, for all his flowery words, seemed less inclined to actually give her a chance. Without even Tess to rely on now, she was thoroughly lost. The only saving grace was Alex, but it made her feel guilty to see how much she was pulling him away from his friends. The last thing she wanted was to cause pain to the one person who was still standing by her side.

God, she's screwed it all up.

But she was at a loss as to how to fix anything. There was little she could do besides explain her reasoning and apologize for her lies. And she'd done that, over and over. And yet somehow, it didn't seem to be enough.

Something shifted inside her, and a call of cold fear condensed in her stomach, twisting her gut. She couldn't say what it was, but her head snapped up, her eyes scanning the park for any sign of movement. A few couples wandered through the dark, silhouettes illuminated by the yellow glow of the street lights. She couldn't make out any distinct features, but the fear was still there, so she rose slowly to her feet.

And found herself face-to-face with a skin.

It took only a moment to process the information before her. The man she recognized as Greer. He had been important to the people of Copper Summit. He had been a leader of some type, perhaps only second to Nicolas himself. His eyes were boring into her face and his lips were stretched into a thin mocking smile. His skin looked papery and gray, as though it would fall from his face at any second.

"Hello, Vilandra."

"Stay away from me!" Isabel hissed, taking a few steps backwards. She couldn't use her gifts here, out in the open, not with people around. There was a chance they might see something, particularly in the dark of the night when any attack she made would like up the area like a firecracker. She could run, and pray that she was fast enough, but...

"Don't go," Greer sneered, moving forward with inhuman speed and agility and catching her hand. "The fun was just about to start."

"Get off me!" Isabel cried, her voice loud enough to catch the attention of several others in the park. There was a muffled shout, and a few figures, clearly men, began sprinting towards the crying girl.

Greer narrowed his eyes, that horrible smile never leaving his face. "Now why would I do that?" he asked, his fingers tightening around her wrist until they bit into her skin. She exhaled sharply, pulling in vain to get free, but Greer just laughed, a chilling sound that cut through the air.

"Get away from her!" one of the men called as he approached. Isabel turned towards him, praying Greer would have enough sense of self-preservation not to risk exposure by killing the man where he stood.

Greer turned cold eyes to the onlooker. "Why would I?" he snarled, lips parted to reveal almost impossibly white teeth. The other man reached an arm back, preparing to hit the skin, but Greer easily dodged the blow and landed one of his own, sending Isabel's would-be rescuer sprawling backwards onto the ground.

Isabel took that moment to yank her arm free and, turning on her heel, ran away into the night. The fallen man was swearing under his breath, and Greer hesitated, torn between his desire to pulverize the man who had interrupted his plans and his need to chase after his escaping quarry. Isabel seemed to be the more pressing priority, so he turned and hurried after her, leaving the park behind.

Isabel paused on the street and glanced behind her. Greer was rapidly gaining, and it was a long way back to her house. She could go to Alex's or Liz's, both of which were closer, but then she would be leading the enemy to her unarmed human friends. Her other option was Michael's apartment, but even that was too far away to be assured of making it to safety.

Her moment of deliberation seemed to be her undoing, however, because as she hesitated on the corner, unsure which way to go, Greer crossed the street and stopped, panting, in front of her. Even in the dark of the night, his eyes gleamed with something not quite human, something that sent chills down her spine.

"Going somewhere, Princess?" Greer asked, his voice taunting. "You won't get far, I promise you that."

"You can't beat us," Isabel said firmly, angrily. "We're too strong for you."

"Are you now?" Greer asked quietly, the menace evident in his voice. "We've beaten your pathetic Royal Family , Vilandra. And with your help, I might add."

"You won't have my help this time," Isabel answered harshly. "And you didn't beat us. Not completely. After all, we're still here. And if we were truly defeated, you wouldn't have to be on this planet, searching for ways to destroy us. You could be on Antar enjoying the benefits of being part of the ruling system." She paused, breathless, eyes sliding back and forth along the street, looking for a way out.

"Well... it will all be over soon enough," Greer replied. "I've waited a long time for this, I can wait a few days more."

"You will be waiting longer than that," a gravelly voice declared. Greer spun, turning towards the sound of the newcomer, but not fast enough. The man was standing directly behind him, and holding a tree branch tightly in his hands. He swung it with all his might at Greer, and something seemed to crack along his back. A fissure appeared, running from the base of his spine up to his neck, and then he was gone, wasting away into shredded skin that disintegrated as it spiraled slowly towards the ground.

Isabel glanced at the man who had saved her. "Nasedo."

Nasedo gave her a quick look, then turned and let his gaze sweep the surrounding area. He froze abruptly, and she followed his eyes until she saw Nicolas Crawford, standing across the street at the edge of the park, watching the entire scene.

Nicolas tilted his head, a slight inclination to Nasedo and Isabel, and then melted backwards, fading into the night.

"Come. We need to go," Nasedo said sharply, worry lacing his voice.

Isabel followed him, but not before glancing over her shoulder once more at the place where Nicolas had stood only moments before.

* * *

"Okay... let me get this straight," Michael asked, looking at Isabel. "You were attacked by Greer." His gaze flicked to Nasedo. "You came to her rescue." His gaze flicked back to Isabel. "And you saw Nicolas watching you."

"Yes," Isabel said impatiently. Why was it taking him so long to wrap his head around this? It wasn't as though it was a surprise that the skins were going to be attacking them. And it certainly wasn't a surprise any more that the skins were after her.

"So... that pretty much tells us that the skins are going to perform the Harvest in Roswell."

Nasedo nodded grimly. "Exactly. Since they are here, and the Harvest must be soon..."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Isabel interrupted, glancing between the two. "What's a Harvest?"

"It's a long story," Michael said dismissively.

Isabel folded her arms over her chest. "I've got all night."

"Both of you, stop it," Max ordered tersely.

Isabel had called Michael as soon as she'd arrived safely home. He had promised to rush over, and had arrived moments later, eyes flashing with panic. Nasedo, disguised as Alex, had been forced to physically pry him off of Isabel because he was so frantically searching for any sign of injury. Isabel had never seen Michael react like this, but she supposed the severity of the situation they faced what finally hitting home with him.

She'd told Max as well, and he'd said nothing, but simply joined her in her room and listened to her explanation. In fact, until that moment, he had not said a word to anyone.

Michael and Isabel were gaping at him, but he ignored their looks and asked instead, "Where is Tess?"

"She didn't want to leave," Isabel explained reluctantly. "Since things went so downhill with Valenti and Amy... because of us... she wanted to stay and offer moral support. I think she and the Sheriff and Kyle are watching a movie. I told her it wasn't an emergency and she didn't need to come over." It wasn't an emergency, now that she was safe again, and she understood Tess' need to try to fix the damage they had inadvertently caused in her family. But just because she understood, didn't mean she was thrilled by Tess' decision.

She could have used some moral support as well.

Not that Tess had been great moral support for her these past few days.

Max interrupted her thoughts by saying forcefully, "Tell me about the Harvest."

Isabel listened quietly as Michael explained everything they had learned from Nasedo in regards to the Harvest and what it meant for the skins. Nasedo jumped in a few times to add details of his own, and once the story was finished she found herself gaping in horror at them all.

"So... we're going to be attacked? Soon?"

"Greer has already made the first move," Nasedo answered grimly. "And by the looks of his husk, the Harvest must be soon. Maybe even tomorrow."

"Can we stop it?" Isabel asked. "That Harvest, I mean. Can we... is there a way to make sure it doesn't happen?"

"The only way to effectively stop the Harvest is to destroy the husks," Nasedo answered, turning his inhuman eyes towards her. She flinched, once again unnerved by how cold his expression was. Alex never looked like that. Even when he was angry, his blue eyes held compassion and understanding and warmth below the surface. To see such alien eyes staring from the face of the person she had come to rely on so much was disconcerting.

"So we need to destroy the husks," Max mused. "We would first need to locate the Harvest, however, and that could be difficult." He turned to Nasedo. "Where do you think these husks are being stored?"

"I don't know," the shape-shifter admitted. "But if the skins brought them into the town, they would have been transported in something big. A truck or a trailer."

"That's not a lot of help," Max pointed out dryly, "as we can't go knocking door-to-door and ask people if they've seen a trailer around." He frowned thoughtfully, and slanted a look at Isabel. "I think Michael and I should handle this for now, Isabel. We will find these husks and destroy them."

Isabel bristled. "I can help you," she protested, glaring at her brother. "You might need my help."

"We won't," Max answered calmly. "Not there." He jerked his head towards the door of her room and added, "But I might need you to cover with Mom and Dad. They are already suspicious of me and it has been made clear to me how imperative it is that I maintain some semblance of normality."

"Pity it wasn't made clear to you before you decided to attack Kyle Valenti," Isabel retorted, flushed.

"Enough, Isabel," Max said. "I've made up my mind. You will stay here. Nasedo and I will accompany Michael to his apartment and discuss strategies." He looked at the clock on the table by the bed and said, "And you will call Tess and have her come over when she is done watching the movie with her family. She will spend the night. Safety in numbers."

"I am not a subject you get to just order around," Isabel spat, eyes blazing with fury. "I may have made a mistake, but I am still your sister and I will not be treated like dirt!"

Max looked at her for a moment, a little taken aback by her outburst. Nasedo and Michael both held their breath, wisely refraining from drawing any attention to themselves. This was between the two siblings, and they were not foolish enough to get involved.

Then Max said calmly, "Khivar got to you once."

Isabel had gone completely pale, and her body was shaking with tiny tremors of pent-up hurt, frustration, and rage. "It won't happen again," Isabel said firmly. "I don't know what I did in my past life, but I am not going to betray you this time around. I won't."

"You can't make that promise," Max replied, still in the same calm and collected voice. "We don't know what Khivar can do. We don't know what Nicolas can do. We don't know what they can make you do."

"Max..."

"No." Max paused, and drew a breath. His voice was filled with raw emotion as he spoke, "Isabel, they are after you. Yes, they want the three of us dead, but you they want even more than that. Well, not you. Your other self." Again, he paused, and seemed to be choosing his words carefully while struggling to maintain a hold on himself. "Khivar got you once. We don't know what he can do this time around and I... No, you are not just another subject to be ordered around. But you are my sister. And I will not let Khivar have you."

Isabel blinked slowly and nodded. "He won't get me."

"But he might," Max argued, shaking his head. "Don't you see that, Isabel? We don't know what he can do. We just... we don't know." He swallowed anxiously, then said, "Michael, Nasedo, and I have to locate these husks, infiltrate our enemy's stronghold, and destroy them. It is dangerous. And it is quite a bit more dangerous for you. So I won't let you come. Because I can't do my job if I have to worry about you. If you were to come to harm..." He stopped and shook his head. "I just can't, Isabel."

He turned away, gesturing for Michael and Nasedo to follow him. At the door to her room, he paused and looked back. He opened his mouth, as though there was something else he wanted to say, but shook his head, unable.

And then the three were gone.

Isabel stared at the closed door and slowly sank onto her bed. It wasn't what she had wanted to hear from him, but she had been Max's sister in two lifetimes, and she knew him well enough to hear all the things he hadn't said as well. In the silence between his words she understood what he had been trying to tell her. As much as he was terrified that she could be used against him, he was even more terrified that she might come to harm. For good or ill, she was his sister, and he loved her, and nobody, not even Khivar, could try to steal her away and not have to answer to Max.

* * *

Maria looked up, a little surprised, as her mother stepped into her room and shut the door firmly behind her. She pushed herself into a sitting position and waited for her mother to speak.

"We need to talk," Amy said finally. She leaned against the wall, staring at her daughter with a slow and contemplative look. Finally, she said, "I know you asked Jim to lie to me. To cover for you. I know it was your idea, so you could have a little... alone time... with Michael."

Maria swallowed nervously. Was this going to be a birds and bees talk? She really didn't want a conversation about sex, not right now, and not from her mother. And, of course, there was little she could say in defense of herself, little she could do to convince her mother that she hadn't actually intended the getaway with Michael to be romantic. After all, the Sheriff would have needed to tell Amy something, and this was better than the truth.

But still... it didn't mean she had to like it.

"It isn't what you think, Mom," Maria said quickly, holding up her hands. "Michael and I... nothing happened." She was blushing, a dark red stain spreading over her cheeks.

Amy nodded, a little distractedly.

"Really, Mom. We wouldn't... Michael and I wouldn't do... that..." It some ways, she had a feeling that this conversation was a lost cause, because her mother was far too over-protective to just let her daughter hang out with a boy and trust that nothing was happening. She still remembered, with a mixture of fondness and complete mortification, how incessantly her mother had lectured her about the dangers of boys when she started hanging out with Alex. In kindergarten.

Amy sighed. "Maria, sooner or later we are going to have a serious talk about you and Michael and some restrictions and boundaries, but right now..." She looked unsure as to how to proceed, but finally said bluntly, "You shouldn't have used Jim like that."

Maria opened her mouth, perhaps to argue, but no sound came out. She gaped at her mother, surprised as much by the comment as by the serious tone. "Mom..." she stuttered, "I never..."

"I am dating him," Amy continued talking over her daughter. "And so he... he wants you to like him. And you took advantage of that." Her words were filled with disappointment, and that was something Maria rarely heard from her mother. It made the teenager wince inwardly and lower her eyes. Amy noted this, and her expression softened, but she continued regardless. "I didn't raise you to act like that, Maria. Not to anyone, but certainly not to someone who I'm dating. Someone I really like."

"I'm sorry," Maria murmured, feeling so much more ashamed than she had thought possible. Tess and Isabel had both expressed their anger at her for what she had done and how she had done it, but it was her mother's words, that quietly reprimanding tone, that cut deeply and made her realize just how much her actions could have hurt one of the people she cared about the most."Mom, I never wanted... I wasn't thinking about you. And I should have. I'm sorry, I just..."

"I know," Amy said softly. "I know you didn't mean to cause this much trouble. I know you just weren't thinking about it. But you need to start thinking about this sort of thing, Maria. Jim might not be family yet, but I... I want him to be. I like him. A lot."

"I'm sorry," Maria said again, and truly meant it.

* * *

Next Chapter: Courtney

Due: Sun 7/27


	25. Courtney

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: _Italics_ are flashbacks to past lives on Antar. This chapter starts my segment about Courtney's past, and in the next few chapters several questions about her, her loyalties, and her ultimate goals, should be answered.

Also, in answer to a review, yes, this is going to be very strongly a CC story. If you guys haven't read _This Brilliant Dance_, you probably missed my various explanations about how these two stories are not going to be CC all the time. People get in fights, they break up, they have problems. If after all that they keep struggling to be together, then that's how they survive as a couple. That's how it works in real life, so that's how it works in my stories.

I do write UC stories, but I also label all my Roswell stories with what ship they are (or you can look at the description on my profile page which says even more about them), exactly for the purpose of avoiding any confusion about that.

This is a long story. It will take a while for people to live happily ever after. It is not UC. If there are moments that appear UC, they are just that; moments. If you want a story that is CC all the time, read _Paradise_, _Moments_, or _On My Knees_. Don't read this.

And if you are going to leave a review that expresses concerns about my story, please sign it so that I can respond to you. I would like to answer all comments/complaints/concerns that people take the time to leave for me.

Okay, on with the story...

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Five: Courtney

_The Royal City was overwhelming. Lights dazzled over the streets, and the air was filled with perfume and smoke and noise. The crowds shifted, moving like a living, breathing mass, constantly rushing here and there. The buildings, which rose towards the expanse of sky, blocked the view of the distant plains and mountains, giving one the idea that the city was the only place in the world._

_The child pressed her face against the window of the automobile, eyes wide, slowly taking in the sights. Her lips were curved into a grin of delight, and her eyes sparkled with anticipation._

"_Oh, it is wonderful, Father!" she squealed._

_The man sitting next to her leaned over and ruffled her hair. "I am glad you think so, child."_

_She lifted her eyes towards him, but a sudden movement outside the window caught her attention, and she turned in time to see several soldiers rush past. She twisted in her seat, peering out the back as the soldiers formed a formation, clicking their heels together and saluting a man who stood further away._

"_What's going on?" she asked, perplexed._

"_The soldiers try to keep the peace," her father explained. "The city is so big, and filled with so many different types of people. These soldiers are in charge of preventing riots."_

"_Who is that man?" she pressed, pointing._

_Her father frowned as he turned and followed her indicating finger. "Oh," he said, eyes going wide in recognition of the man all the soldiers were saluting. "That is General Rath, Courtney. He is the King's second-in-command."_

_The girl, Courtney, nodded, not understanding the importance of the title but still able to sense the power and prestige that radiated from the strange man._

Courtney stared out of her bedroom window at the moon. She had no desire to hurt Maria, but neither did she want to compromise everything she had worked on for so long. She had to stop Khivar. It was her job, her goal in life to make sure that he did not get a minute's rest on his throne. And to do that, she needed Rath.

But she was running out of time. Nicolas wanted Maria, and bringing the human was the only way to guarantee that she could survive long enough to get close to Michael. But if she hurt Maria, she knew that he would never forgive her.

If only she hadn't make the mistake of bringing Zan out in Max. She had intended for her powers to call forth Rath, but she had accidently used them on the wrong person, and now…

She needed a way out of this mess, and she needed it quickly.

* * *

Max pushed the door open to his sister's room and slipped noiselessly inside. It was four in the morning, and she was fast asleep on the bed. Tess was lying in a sleeping bag on a mattress on the floor. He had no idea what she had said to convince his mother that she could spend the night on a school night, but he was glad she was there.

He, Michael, and Nasedo had been out all night. So far, there was no sign of the husks in Roswell. They had searched all the local factories, warehouses, and storage facilities. They had even considered breaking into Valenti's office and looking through his files to see if there was anything there that could help them, but had finally decided against the idea. It wasn't as though the skins would announce their presence to the human Sheriff.

He looked at Isabel. She was sleeping so peacefully, and he found himself regretting all the worry that would be dumped onto her shoulders when she awoke again.

"Max?" Tess' voice, laden with sleep, pulled his attention towards her. She was sitting up slowly, groggily, and looking at him in confusion.

"Hi, Tess," he whispered.

"Anything?" she asked sleepily.

"No," Max answered with a sigh. "Nothing."

Tess laid her head back on her pillow and yawned. "Did Nasedo have any other suggestions?"

"If we couldn't find the husks within the city, then they are probably outside the city limits. He is going to look into it." Max ran a hand through his hair, an absent-minded gesture, and then added, "He says sometimes husks give off a strange type of energy. Something we can't see, and that humans don't have the technology to detect. It's like infrared, almost. He might be able to pick up on it."

"That would be helpful."

"Yeah." Max looked back at Isabel's sleeping form.

"Nothing is going to happen to her, Max," Tess murmured, correctly reading the trepidation in his eyes.

Max looked at Tess for a moment, then said, "I was so angry at her. So… so completely furious. It took me such a long time to realize that all that fury I was feeling wasn't really fury." He let out a slow breath. "It was terror. Of her. For her. I don't know, maybe both. I just…" He licked his dry lips, unable to find quite the right words to say.

Tess twisted, rolling onto her stomach so she could better face Max. "You can't stand the idea that she could betray you. And you can't stand the idea that you could lose her."

"Yeah. Something like that." He looked away. "Greer attacked her, and I wasn't there to help."

Tess gave a small chuckle, bitter and ironic. "Whitaker attacked, and you weren't there to help me. Hank attacked, and you weren't there to help Michael. You can't be everywhere at once, Max, but that's okay, because someone was there to help. We're all still alive. And Greer, Whitaker, and Hank…" She shrugged and didn't finish the thought.

But Max nodded anyway, accepting what she was staying. They were still alive and those particular enemies were not, and he didn't need to be everywhere, protecting everyone.

He looked back at Isabel. "I don't know if I can forgive her."

Tess lowered herself back to the floor. "I can't tell you how to forgive someone, Max. But it is Isabel. Your sister. If there is one person in this world… in both worlds… who you can forgive for anything, shouldn't it be her?"

* * *

Maria stuffed her books into her locker and let the door slam shut. She was tired. She was tired of the mocking or gloating stares sent towards Liz, tired of the way her best friend seemed to shrink into herself no matter how hard she was fighting to stand strong. Tired of remembering the disappointment in her mother's voice when she spoke about the fight with Jim, tired of Tess' occasional glares and Isabel's mood swings.

But mostly, she was tired of Michael Guerin.

He'd barely spared her a glance this morning, and she knew something was going on, because Max and Michael were locked in tight discussions since their arrival at school a few hours ago, and Tess and Isabel looked uneasy and nervous. Liz and Alex knew nothing, and Liz simply refused to approach Max with any questions while Alex was hesitant to burden Isabel with any of his own suspicions. It was left to Maria to figure out what was going on, and so far Michael had refused to say anything at all.

She stared at the brown paper bag she held in one hand, her lunch. With a weary sigh, she turned and walked towards the double doors leading into the quad.

"Hey, Maria."

The blonde turned, eyes widening slightly at the appearance of the other girl. "Oh," she stammered, then forced herself to smile. "Hello, Courtney."

"Haven't spoken to you lately," Courtney commented. She hesitated, looking unsure, then said diffidently, "How's Liz?"

Maria's hands clenched, but she answered, "She's fine," and if her voice sounded a little harsher than she had intended, she did not let her expression show that anything might be wrong.

"I'm glad," Courtney said, although it was clear from her tone that she did not believe Maria. "I know I wasn't here last year, so I never really knew all of the drama around her and Max Evans and Kyle Valenti, but…" She gave an apologetic shrug. "The rumors are pretty bad, and it's not fair to her."

"No," Maria agreed. "It isn't fair."

They'd reaching the double doors, and Maria reached out her hand to pull open the door when it was suddenly shoved open and Alex walked into the hallway. He stopped when he caught sight of the two girls, but he collected himself quickly and greeted them.

"Hey, Courtney. Maria, I was just looking for you. Can we talk for a moment?"

"Um… okay." She turned to Courtney. "I guess I'll see you later."

"Right," Courtney said, looking a little disappointed. She hid it well, however, and said cheerfully, "Later," before stepping into the warm Roswell air and letting the door slam shut behind her.

"You don't want to go out there," Alex said without preamble as soon as he was sure that Courtney was gone. "Some reporters found their way to the sidewalk right outside the school grounds. They're asking for you."

Maria paled. "But… I thought they weren't allowed on school grounds."

"Technically, they aren't on the grounds. The sidewalk is public territory." Alex reached out and rested his hand on her elbow, guiding her away from the door. "Why don't we eat in here today?"

"And every other day in the near and distant future?" Maria muttered sourly. "Alex, this isn't going to go away. _The reporters_ aren't going to go away."

"We can worry about that later," Alex answered smoothly. "Right now, let's just worry about getting through the day." He lead her through the empty hall, their footsteps echoing in the silence.

"Where's Liz?" Maria asked finally.

Alex flushed slightly. "I…uh, she's sitting out there with Isabel."

"Really?" Maria asked, surprised. Liz rarely initiated spending time with Isabel, particularly since the hybrid Princess' recent onset of troubles. The two of them had usually had a fairly decent relationship because of their common love for Max, but even that had not been enough to make them actually become friends.

"She and Isabel… they wanted to… uh… keep an eye on Michael," Alex explained finally.

Maria was about to ask Alex exactly what he meant by that when a door near the end of the hallway opened, letting sunlight spill into corridor, and Trudy stepped inside. She paused when she saw Alex and Maria, and sympathy momentarily clouded her eyes.

"Hello, Maria, Alex."

"Hi, Trudy," Alex said with a genuine smile for the other girl. Of Isabel's newest set of friends, she was by far his favorite. He knew Isabel echoed that particular sentiment, as did Maria and Liz, and sometimes wondered how someone as nice as Trudy could have ended up such good friends with someone like Tess.

"How are you holding up?" Trudy asked, glancing over at Maria. "Not sitting outside today?"

"No," Maria answered honestly, "not if I want any kind of privacy and peace."

"It's probably a wise decision," Trudy agreed. "Besides, if you want someone to champion you against what everyone is saying…" She trailed off and looked over her shoulder at the window in the top half of the door. "Well, I'd say you already got that."

"What do you mean?" Maria asked. Turning to Alex, she demanded, "What is she talking about?"

Trudy flushed. "You didn't tell her?" she asked, a little worried. "I'm sorry. Was it supposed to be a secret?" She seemed genuinely distressed over possibly revealing too much.

Alex sighed. "A few of the students are talking to the reporters. They're… saying not nice things about you. And… well, one of the things they said…" Here, he seemed to grope for words, a little unsure how to explain, and Trudy jumped in quickly.

"Thomas Jenkins, he's a sophomore, called you some really nasty things, and Michael Guerin hit him."

"_What_?" Maria gaped.

"Yeah. Isabel had to pull Michael off the other guy," Alex elaborated. "She was so angry, I thought she was going to kill him. He gave Jenkins a black eye."

"He'll be lucky if he escapes with only suspension for pulling a stunt like that. Especially since it isn't the only time he's hit someone," Trudy said seriously. "You should have heard Isabel. She was yelling at him about being irresponsible and needing to think before he acts and how could he possibly think that you would want him to resort to violence on your behalf." She gave Maria a shrug and another smile. "Anyway, like I said, looks like you already have a champion out there. No reason to go out yourself."

"Michael hit someone?"

"Yes."

"For me?"

"Yes."

"Michael hit someone for me?"

Trudy grinned. "A little slow on the uptake, aren't you?" she quipped, rolling her eyes. Glancing at her watch, she frowned and said, "I've got go. I'll see you guys later."

Maria watched her go with an absent expression, then turned to Alex. "Michael hit someone?"

"You're starting to sound like a broken record," Alex answered, rolling her eyes. "Come on, let's go find some place to have lunch."

* * *

The man looked up for a moment, eyes darkening as he watched Courtney approach. He shook his head at her, already a silent warning, but she paid it little heed and continued walking towards him with a determined purpose.

"Are you out of your mind?"

Courtney stepped back at the ferocity of his words, but regained her own wits soon enough. "I know the risks of meeting with you in public like this, Trevor. But we need to talk."

Trevor snorted and shook his head, looking away. "No. Absolutely not. I don't know what it is you're asking, and I don't care. Last time I helped you, Walt _died_."

"And unless you help me now, Michael will follow suit," Courtney snapped back, angry.

Trevor shook his head. "Fine. He made his choice. Let him suffer it."

"You don't feel that way," Courtney countered, eyes blazing as she refused to release his gaze. "We both know this is tearing you apart inside."

"We all make our choices, Courtney. We all pick our sides, and there is no middle ground in this. You of all people should understand that."

_"Courtney, why are you doing this?" Rath asked, his eyes filled with pain. "How can you just turn on my family like you don't even care anymore?"  
_

_"I never turned on them," Courtney protested, shaking her head in denial as she backed away from his frustration. "Rath, I was only doing what was necessary for the good of our planet. Open your eyes and look around. Your precious family has destroyed everything you ever believed in."  
_

_"That is not true!" Rath hissed, suddenly enraged. "Don't you dare accuse the King of..."  
_

_"We are at war," Courtney said, her voice low. "A war that could have been prevented if the four of you had simply realized..."  
_

_"Enough! I will not listen to this anymore." Rath turned and strode angrily from the room, but she called out to him one last time before he could leave.  
_

_"We all make our choices, Rath. I see you have made yours."  
_

_He turned and looked at her, "I have," he answered coldly. "There is no middle ground here, Courtney."  
_

Trevor's words pulled her out of her reverie, and she turned back to the skin just as he finished his argument, "...and I most certainly will not sacrifice the good of our planet for a stubborn and dull-witted brat."

"I sense some bitterness," Courtney remarked sarcastically.  
Trevor didn't reply for a moment. When he finally spoke, the finality in his words signalled his unwillingness to compromise. "I made a decision, Courtney. There is no reason to debate. This is over."

She let him walk away, the last of her hope fading as he moved out of sight. She would have to bring Maria to the Harvest and pray that somehow she could protect the human girl and keep the hybrid General away from the abandoned warehouse at the same time.

Unbeknownst to the two skins, another set of eyes was watching them both, filled with suspicion and gloating triumph.

Across the street, Maria stood completely still, tracking Courtney's movements with her eyes as the girl walked away. She did not know what they had said, had not been able to hear the conversation. But she had witnessed Courtney speaking to Trevor, a known skin, and that was enough.

"I was right," she whispered.

* * *

"Okay, calm down," Liz said quickly, holding up her hands to forestall Maria's rushed words. She could barely understand her friend's incoherent babbling, but obviously something had happened to upset the other girl, and Liz found herself worrying instantly about Max.

"I can't calm down!" Maria protested hotly. "She could kill us all while we're being calm."

"Who?"

"Courtney!"

"Why is Courtney going to kill us?" Liz asked, now completely bewildered by the conversation. Maria had shown up only a few minutes ago, bursting into her room and disturbing her studying with these strange and somewhat disturbing accusations, and the brunette waitress had no idea how she was supposed to respond to it.

"Because she's an enemy. I saw her talking to a skin," Maria answered. "She's one of them. Remember how you said you found that shed skin on one of the aprons? Remember how she's always flirting with Michael, trying to get close to him? She wants to kill us all!"

"Are you sure you're not over-reacting?"

"Liz!"

Liz let out a slow breath and relented. "Fine. Let's suppose you are right and Courtney is a skin. What do we do about it?"

"We should confront her," Maria answered almost instantly.

"And get ourselves killed?" Liz asked incredulously. She wasn't stupid enough to think she had even the slightest chance of survival against these skins. They'd almost killed the four hybrids, and Liz did not have their special gifts. "Have you spoken to Michael?"

Maria's expression darkened. "I don't need his permission to..."

"I didn't say you did need his permission," Liz interjected quickly. "But he could help us. We need to talk to him and the others. Max also."

Maria seemed to sag at that suggestion. Her excitement drained slowly, and leaned back against the wall, looking suddenly tired and drained.

"Why are you so reluctant to call Michael?" Liz asked finally. "Alex said today at lunch you were happy that Michael stood up for you."

Maria lifted one eyebrow challengingly. "You're talking to Alex about me?" she demanded hotly. Liz had the decency to look abashed, if not entirely regretful, for her actions, and Maria gave a little huff of annoyance before saying, "I doubt he did it for me. Michael isn't really talking to me. I don't know... it's like he can't even pay attention anymore. He's too busy worrying about everyone else..." She trailed off, realizing just how petty she sounded, and slumped even further against the wall. "I tried to talk to him after lunch, but he brushed me off to talk to Isabel and Max instead."

"Isabel said things are getting a little better for her and Max," Liz confided, "so Michael is probably just trying to make sure that gets smoothed over as soon as possible."

"I don't know, Liz," Maria answered honestly. "Sometimes it just... I don't think he even cares anymore. You should see him when Courtney walks into the room. He flirts with her. She starts it, but he always..." Again, she trailed off. "Technically we aren't even dating. I guess it's not my place to..." And once again, the pause.

"He cares," Liz said firmly. "And we're going to need his help."

So it was with bitter reluctance that Maria found herself with Liz, standing outside the door to Michael's apartment. Liz knocked on the door, and it was opened a moment later by Max, who barely spared the two of them a glance before he ushered them into the room. Maria watched the way Liz's eyes lowered with disappointment, but there wasn't a chance to say anything before Michael had stomped into the living room with a look of annoyance on his face and demanded, "What?"

"It's about Courtney," Maria began, and wished almost immediately that she could slap the exasperated expression from Michael's face. "You can call me jealous if you want, Michael, but I was right about her. She's a threat!"

"Maria says she say Courtney talking to a skin," Liz cut in sharply before the argument could even start. "Uh... someone that she recognized from Copper Summit." She turned to Maria, floundering for a name.

"Trevor," Maria quickly supplied.

Michael's head shot up.

"Did you hear what they were saying?" Max asked.

"No," Maria admitted slowly. "I was across the street." After a moment, she added defiantly, "But they _were_ talking."

"They could have been talking about anything," Max pointed out logically. "Did you see them leave together? Did they go somewhere specific? Did you see them use their gifts? Or shed?"

"No..." Maria faltered, losing a little steam. It was true, Courtney had left in a different direction than Trevor, and they hadn't used their gifts. In fact, they hadn't seemed to really talk at all, just exchange a few words. Could it have been nothing more than pleasantries?

"So basically all you saw was Courtney talking to someone."

"A skin!" Maria snapped at Max, annoyed by his patronizing manner. He was acting as though she couldn't be trusted, as though she was just making this all up. As though she was an emotional wreck. But she wasn't! She was right about this, she knew deep in her gut that something was wrong with Courtney. At first she had thought it was just jealousy, but now... Now she knew it was something much more sinister than that.

"But we have no way of knowing if she knew Trevor was a skin," Max pointed out logically. "After all, Liz worked for Nicolas for a while before we knew what he was." He turned to Liz briefly, and as he stared at her, she thought she might have seen something shift, a sense of recognition in his eyes which hadn't been there in a while. But a moment later it was gone, and he was speaking in that same removed and distant tone he used when talking to the humans and Isabel. "And no one here is accusing Liz of being evil, are they?"

"Fine," Maria retorted, flushed an angry red. "If you want to act all high and mighty, go ahead. You can discredit me all you want, but I know I'm right! And I'm going to prove it."

"How?" Max asked wryly, rolling his eyes at her display of dramatic flair. "Are you going to stalk Courtney until she starts losing her skin?"

"I'll figure it out," Maria answered coolly, before turning on her heel and stalking from the apartment. As the door slammed shut behind her, she heard Liz angrily calling Michael and Max insensitive jerks, and she found a little bit of pleasure in the fact that she had at least one person there who believed her.

She was already outside the apartment building when she heard footsteps behind her, and then a rough hand closed around her wrist and Michael's voice called out, "Maria, wait."

She turned to face him, yanking her hand from his grasp. "Why?" she snapped. "So you can call me crazy while you go shack up with Courtney?"

"You can't just assume that because someone is flirting with me, she must be a threat!" Michael said, glaring at her. "What, do you think people wouldn't want to flirt with me unless they were skins or the FBI?"

"Okay, you know what?" Maria answered in a hiss, "I don't have time to soothe your ego. If you want to believe that the only thing Maria sees in you is an attractive body, fine. Go ahead. Be delusional. I guess I shouldn't care if she somehow ends up getting into your pants."

"That's not fair," Michael protested, growing suddenly rigid at her comment. "Why do you assume just because she flirts with me, and just because I notice, that we're going to end up in bed?"

"Because you're a guy?" Maria suggested sarcastically. "And guys don't tend to think with their heads or to consider the consequences of what they do."

It happened in a split-second, in a fraction of a moment. Michael's normally unreadable eyes filled with hurt, but it flashed to pure fury, and Maria was suddenly afraid of the man standing in front of her. His entire posture was rigid, tense, but there was a look about him, something about the way his body was shaking with tiny tremors, that nearly sent her running from him in fear. Then the moment passed, and the look was gone, and she couldn't figure out what had just happened.

Michael pushed past her and walked towards where she had parked her car. She turned to watch him go, and noticed for the first time Isabel and Alex standing behind her. She had no idea how long they had been there, and Michael had given no indication of when they had approached. But she could tell by the shocked look on Alex's face and the haunted gaze in Isabel's eyes that they had both seen Michael's momentary transformation.

She swallowed nervously, switching her gaze back to Michael.

"Hank accused him of that," Isabel said abruptly, her voice quiet, soft.

Maria started, looked at her. "What?"

"Hank... one of the things he always said to Michael... it was that he was going to end up in bed with the first pretty girl that flirted with him. Because he was scum... trash... and because he was a guy, and that's what guys did. I think he said other stuff... about how Michael was a mistake... but parents made mistakes... guys made mistakes like that, lost their head and fell for a girl, and then never wanted the resulting kid..." She stopped, took a deep breath, then continued, "He used to tell Michael that a lot. How he wasn't wanted, how his dad had clearly made a mistake and so abandoned him."

Maria felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Michael was standing next to her car, clearly waiting for her, and she suddenly didn't want to face him. She hadn't meant the words as anything other than a sarcastic taunt, and she had no way of knowing how much they would hurt him. It wasn't her fault, in any way, and yet she felt the bubbling of hot guilt in her stomach.

"I didn't know..."

"He wouldn't do that," Isabel said, ignoring Maria's half-hearted attempt at justifying her earlier words. "He wouldn't... he never wanted to be like Hank. Or to be what Hank thought he would become. He just... wouldn't do that."

"Where are Max and Liz?" Alex asked, deciding to intervene. "I just spoke with Michael and he said you both were coming over, and Max was already here."

"Oh..." Maria glanced back at the building. "I guess they're inside still."

"By themselves?" Alex asked, instantly concerned for his friend. He doubted Liz had the ability to deal with Max's brusque manner right now, not with everything else going on. "That's going to be awkward."

"Yeah," Maria answered distractedly. "Look, guys, I have to..." She didn't finish the thought, just gestured vaguely with one hand towards the street, then stepped around them and hurried after Michael. She didn't even bother turning around as Alex called out goodbye, or as he and his alien girlfriend headed into the building. Instead, she hurried to Michael.

"Hey," she said as she approached. "Um..." She looked at the car, then back at Michael, "Did you need a ride?"

"I'm coming with you," Michael said bluntly.

"Where?" Maria questioned, a little confused.

"To investigate Courtney," Michael answered simply. "You said you were going to find out the truth about her. I'm coming with you."

Maria flinched. "I don't... You don't need to come with me," she said quietly. "I don't... I mean, I know you think I am wrong, and I'm not... I know you aren't going to sleep with her," she finished lamely, unsure what else to say.

"You're right," Michael agreed, "I think you're wrong. But you are so determined to believe you are right, and that scares me."

"You think I'm crazy?" Maria asked, forgetting her earlier decision to be calmer, her earlier desire to apologize for what she had said. "You're coming along to keep me from doing something stupid?"

"I'm coming," Michael said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "because if there is even the slightest chance that you _are_ right, that she is a skin, then you are walking right into danger." He looked up at her, meeting her gaze, and said with uncharacteristic seriousness and a steely determination, "And in that case, I am going to be there to protect you."

* * *

The fact that her house was empty was the first clue. Courtney knew perfectly well that this close to the Harvest, the woman pretending to be her mother would not have simply left her unwatched. She didn't trust Courtney, and wouldn't take the chance that Courtney would somehow ruin everything. No, the only reason she could have possibly left was if there was something else more important that she had to, something so vital that she would risk losing track of the one person she was determined to believe was their enemy.

Courtney rushed up the stairs to her 'mother's' room and threw open the door. Shed skins littered the floor. She inhaled sharply, and in that moment, she knew.

They had double-crossed her.

_"What are you doing, Courtney?"_

_She turned, frowning slightly. "Nothing that concerns you, Lord Larek," she answered, pointedly stressing his title. He had omitted hers, and given that she was not friends with this man, it was downright offensive for him to address her with such formality._

_He narrowed his eyes. "I do not believe you," Larek answered simply._

_"I do not care," Courtney answered. She straightened as she stared at him, challenging him, forcing him to take a step back as she moved forward. "If you have come to speak for the General or the King, you can tell them that I will not communicate through a lackey. If they wish to speak, they can seek me out themselves!"_

_Larek hissed sharply, "I am not a lackey!"_

_"Indeed," she answered coolly, and turned away._

_"You've grown far too arrogant for your own good," Larek cautioned her. "Do not assume that you will always know what is best. When you least expect it, the other side will gain the upper hand."_

It took all of Courtney's will power not to destroy Mrs. Bank's room. Instead, she forced herself to take a deep breath and think.

They had betrayed her. They had gained the upper hand. They were probably holding the Harvest now, at this very moment, and if she did not show up with Maria... She could only begin to imagine the horrors that would await her. They would destroy her new husk, and she would die, slowly sheding each layer, losing her strength and vitality, becoming weaker and weaker, until there was nothing left.

It was not a pleasant way to die, she knew that much.

They had the upper hand. She had to get it back.

"I think I may be able to help," a voice said, and she spun around, hands out in front of her to attack. But she paused, staring at the man, and he stared back. Finally, hesitantly, she asked a question, a single word that conveyed her doubts, suspicions, and hopes.

"Nasedo?"

"Hello, Courtney," the shape-shifter said with a feral grin. "What is it the humans say? Ah, yes... long time, no see."

* * *

Next Chapter: Face to Face

Due: Sun 8/3


	26. Face to Face

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Six: Face to Face

_Courtney watched silently from the window as General Rath and the Princess walked through the palace gardens, talking in low voices. She rested her hands on the edge of the window sill, tightening her fingers around the wood.  
_

_"You love him."  
_

_She turned, frowning at the woman standing there. "No, mother. I love what he could become. If he would only see..." She trailed off and shook her head. "The planet is falling into chaos. If he would just step up and take the reins of leadership from Zan..."  
_

_"King Zan," her mother interrupted, chiding warningly. It was not appropriate for her to use the king's name so informally.  
_

_"He doesn't love the princess," Courtney said, stepped away from the window. "Everyone in the court knows it. And she doesn't love him."  
_

_"It's a political match. The king can bring his strongest ally into his family and ensure that his line will be continued, if not through himself and the soon-to-be Queen, then through his sister and his best friend." Her mother slid gracefully into a chair, folding her hands in her lap. "This is how the world works, Courtney. Politics rules everything."  
_

_Courtney tugged at her hair, twisting it into an elegant knot. "Politics," she scoffed, "means little when the world is falling apart. It will not save us."  
_

_Her mother laughed. "My little spitfire," she murmured, "you have grown."  
_

_Courtney's expression softened as she answered, "Yes, mother. I have."  
_

"What do you want, Nasedo?" Courtney asked, backing away cautiously, still holding her hands in front of her, ready to attack at the smallest sign of danger.

"Is that anyway to greet an old friend?" Nasedo asked, mocking.

"You are not a friend," Courtney hissed, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Have it your way then," Nasedo agreed. "I'm only here to talk, though. You need not get so defensive." And without waiting for an invitation, he stepped further into the room and took a seat on the bed. "I see your mother has left for the day?"

"She is _not _my mother!" Courtney spat, and this time there was pure fury radiating from her tensed figure. "That... that murderer could _never _replace my mother."

"Ah... and you still have quite that famed temper, don't you my dear?" Nasedo said quietly. "It is good to see your fifty years on Earth have not made you too... human." He stared at her for a moment, a contemplative look in his eyes, then said, "I will help you with your problem if you help me with mine."

"What makes you think I have a problem?" Courtney demanded.

"I'm not a fool," Nasedo said, and his tone hardened slightly. "I can see what is right in front of me. The Harvest is happening, and you are having a temper tantrum in your own home while your... Mrs. Banks... is absent. Could it be that you are left behind?"

She wanted to hit him. She wanted to attack him with her powers and somehow get rid of that smug expression that told her he knew so much more than she did. Instead, she controlled her temper long enough to ask, "How do you know that?"

Again, that feral smile. "I know quite a bit more than you could ever imagine."

She wasn't sure why, but those words sent a chill down Courtney's spine. She looked away, dropping her hands to her side. For a moment, she debated trusting him, working with him. But something kept holding her back, tugging at the edges of her subconscious. A warning.

At last, she asked, "And the Royal Four? Do they know you are here? Have you told them everything you claim to know?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Nasedo answered dismissively, "and don't waste my time with questions you already know the answer to." He leaned back in his seat. "I assume you have been in touch with... what name as he chosen now? Trevor? That is why he was helpful to the others when they were at Copper Summit?"

"Yes," Courtney said, giving him a hard look. And suddenly, a piece clunked into place. "You were there."

"Like I told Michael," Nasedo said simply, "it is my job to make sure the four of them stay alive. And if they want to risk their lives by engaging in incredibly thoughtless and rather stupid plans, or by starting petty arguments with each other, I am going to be there to make sure they are still safe."

Courtney swallowed. "I heard the house collapsed. That's how they escaped, because the floor fell out... into the basement. Nicolas had to leave, and Walt was killed, and..." She stopped, then whispered, "Floors don't just collapse on their own. That was _you_. You did that."

"Don't act so shocked, Courtney," Nasedo said coolly. "Of course I did that. Who else?" He looked past her, eyes unfocused as he thought back to what had happened. "They did not see me in the crowd. I was lucky. But I think, perhaps, Trevor did see me."

Courtney crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the wall. "What do you want?" she asked. "What do you want from me?"

"Ah... I see you are finally being reasonable and stopping these ridiculous questions," Nasedo said with a smile. "Good. Shall we focus on the problem at hand?" Without waiting for a response, he rose to his feet and beckoned for her to follow him from the room. The two walked in silence to the kitchen, and Nasedo took a seat at the table. He gestured for Courtney to do the same.

"Well?" Courtney asked as she took the chair across from him.

"The Royal Four don't trust me. At least, they don't trust me as much as I wish they did."

Courtney's lips quirked upwards. "I guess they're smarter than I give them credit for."

"And the skins don't trust you as much as you wish they did," he continued. "So here's the question. How can we fix that?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"What do the skins want you to do?" Nasedo shot back.

"They want me to show up at the location of the Harvest with Maria DeLuca as bait for the others."

"Alright," Nasedo said slowly, thinking carefully. "I think I can manage that for you."

And before her very eyes, Nasedo shifted so he no longer looked like the nondescript businessman who had originally entered the house. Instead, Courtney found herself looking at an identical replica of Maria.

* * *

"Oh my God."

It was the only thing Maria could even think to say as she watched, from the anonymity of her car, as Courtney left her house accompanied by... Maria?

"It has to be Nasedo," Michael whispered.

"Unless there is another shape-shifter here," Maria argued reasonably.

Michael gave her a look, not thrilled with that idea, but nodded slowly. "It is possible," he agreed reluctantly.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" Maria demanded. "Follow them."

Michael obeyed the request, but could not help the uneasy feeling that was currently lodging in the base of his stomach. He had no idea what was going on, and he was taking Maria right into that danger with him. But he knew her well enough to know she was going to investigate this no matter what, and he had no intention of letting her rush off into a possible trap by herself.

They drove in tense silence, both thinking over their own concerns.

* * *

"I cannot believe you dragged me into this," Isabel muttered under her breath to Alex as she followed Liz into the Crashdown.

"Lighten up," Alex said. "It will be fun."

Isabel raised one eyebrow in disbelief. "How? How could this possibly be fun?"

Liz paused and glanced back at Isabel. "You don't have to do this," she said softly, giving Isabel a knowing look. "Really. It's fine."

After Maria and Michael had stormed off to whatever it was they were going to do, Liz had been left alone in Michael's apartment with Max, and that had been unbearably awkward. Fortunately, Isabel and Alex had shown up soon after, saving her from having to talk to Max and endure his new personality. Alex had taken one look at her bewilderingly pained expression, and offered to hang out with her to help keep her mind of Max.

He'd offered Isabel's presence as well.

Isabel sighed as she stared at Liz. She could see in the other girl's dark eyes just how desperately she wanted to do anything that did not involve the drama of aliens. It was wearing on the human, and Isabel understood exactly what that constant up and down felt like.  


"Of course not," she said with a forced smile. "I'd love to learn how to use a grill." To Alex, she whispered, "Although I'm betting I'm never going to need this skill in the future."

But Liz had brightened so much at Isabel's words that the hybrid found her own impatience waning.

"Do you think it is a good idea to teach us how to use the grill now?" Alex asked, making his way through the crowded tables. "After all, the diner is still open. Don't you need the grill for the actual cooks?"

"It's okay, there's always space on one side for us," Liz answered. "It's just going to be a little tight in the kitchen." She hurried ahead of them, mumbling something about needing to inform Jose, who Alex assumed was the cook currently working, that there would be others in the kitchen.

Alex caught Isabel by the arm a moment before she could pass him. She looked back, confused, and he said, "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you're willing to do this for Liz."

Isabel shrugged, a little embarrassed by his sentiment. "It's nothing, really."

It wasn't nothing, as Alex well knew, but he let the subject drop and headed towards the kitchen with Isabel. The two of them stepped into the room to find Liz holding two spare aprons. They were bright yellow, and decorated with little green aliens.

"You've got to be kidding me," Isabel said, staring at them.

"Sorry," Liz answered with a sheepish grin. "But all our other aprons are in the laundry. These are all we've got."

"Look on the bright side," Alex whispered to Isabel as he tied his own apron around his waist, "at least you don't have to wear the antenna headband."

"This is so demeaning," Isabel grumbled, but all she received from Alex was a soft chuckle. "Thanks for your support," she snapped at him, raising both eyebrows pointedly.

"I think you look adorable," Alex said, laughing outright.

"Adorable? What, am I some sort of puppy? Or two-year-old child?" Isabel demanded in mock anger. "I don't want to be adorable."

Liz raised her spatula at them and said warningly, "Am I going to need to separate the two of you."

"Oh, be careful," Alex deadpanned, "or she'll attack you with the rubber stick!"

"It's plastic," Liz answered, touching the edge of the spatula with one hand.

"Is rubber not a kind of plastic?" Alex asked, a little unsure. The make-up of chemical compounds had never been his strongpoint, something Liz knew perfectly well.

The brunette opened her mouth to reply, and Isabel quickly cut into the conversation before it could turn into a lecture of chemistry.

"Nobody cares, Alex."

Alex pouted. "I might care."

"Nobody cares what you care about," Isabel said matter-of-factly, and Liz grinned at the look of outrage on Alex's face.

"Come on, let's move over to the grill," Liz said, adopting an air of patience. "And I'll try my best to teach you the fundamentals of cooking."

"Don't you just put the hamburgers on and then flip them in the air?" Isabel asked, stepping to Liz's side and staring at the large grill in front of her. Heat was rising from it in small waves, distorting the air directly above the metal grate.

"It is a bit more complicated than that," Liz replied, "because you need to make sure the meat is thoroughly cooked on both sides, and evenly cooked in the middle. And you need to make sure you don't burn yourself in the process."

"Do we get to throw them in the air?" Isabel asked eagerly. "Like they do with pizza?"

"You can flip them," Liz replied, "but no throwing."

"Why not?" Isabel pressed.

Liz gave her a look. "Because they're not pizzas."

"She is impatient, no?" the cook standing next to them said, leaning over to Liz with a conspiratorial wink. "Very eager to cook. You gonna hire her?"

"I'm not working here!" Isabel objected immediately.

"No, Jose," Liz said, "we're not going to hire her. Her Dad is a very successful lawyer, so they don't need to work for spending money."

"Did you just call me spoiled?" Isabel demanded.

"No," Liz replied, holding her hands up in a sign of defensive surrender. "Of course not."

"Yes," Alex said at exactly the same time, "she did."

Isabel sent Alex a glare.

"Come on, let's do this," Liz said finally, struggling not to burst into laughter at Isabel's wounded expression. She handed Alex and Isabel each spatulas, instructed them to put on latex gloves, and said, "Okay, now you want to put the meat onto the grill all at once. Flat, so it doesn't fall through the metal grate. Here, let me demonstrate."

"Are you sure we can't throw them in the air?" Isabel asked.

"Positive."

"Hm... pity."

The next fifteen minutes was spent in enjoyable work. Isabel lost two hamburgers when, in an effort to flip them, she sent them flying through the air. Both times, they nearly hit someone, first Jose and then Mr. Parker, who had just stepped into the kitchen. He ducked as the hamburger went sailing past his head and slapped hard against the wall behind him. Giving the hamburger one long, rather confused look, Mr. Parker shook his head and turned and walked out of the kitchen, apparently deciding it was not safe for him there.

Alex and Liz collapsed in a heap of helpless laughter on the floor, and even Jose gave a soft chuckle.

Alex was more successful. Not caring about how high the hamburgers went when he flipped them, he stuck to easily tossing them onto their other sides. He lost one as it fell through the grate, but managed to keep all the others.

Liz, of course, did it perfectly, but as she pointed out when Isabel and Alex accused her of cheating, she had been doing this for a long time, and knew all the various techniques.

In the middle of this, Isabel's cell phone rang.

She dropped the spatula onto the counter and stripped off her gloves, then fished out the phone and glanced at the caller I.D. It was Michael. She flipped it open, and Alex and Liz both turned to listen to her part of the conversation.

"Hey... No, at the Crashdown... Yes. With Liz and Alex... What? Wait, how...? Okay... Have you spoken to Max?... I don't know, Michael. Are you sure... Yeah, okay. What about me?... Okay. I'll call her... Be careful... Don't engage... I'm serious, Michael. It's too risky... Yes, but... Fine. Okay... Yeah, sure. Call when you know more."

She shut the phone, a look of worry on her features. Alex and Liz both shot her questioning stares, but she slanted a pointed look at Jose and remained silent, unwilling to discuss alien business in front of a stranger.

"We'll be right back," Liz said to Jose, and lead the other two towards the stairs that circled upwards into the house above. Once they were out of earshot of everyone else, she whispered to Isabel, "What happened?"

"Michael and Maria saw Courtney leave her house with Maria," Isabel said.

"Huh?" Alex asked, blinking. "Say that again."

"They think it was Nasedo," Isabel explained.

Alex's jaw dropped. "Courtney knows Nasedo?"

"Maria told me she saw Courtney talking to a skin. Someone they knew from Copper Summit," Liz replied, lowering her voice even more. "That's why they went to investigate in the first place."

"Do Max and Tess know?" Alex asked.

"Max does. Michael is tailing Courtney right now, and when they get to wherever they plan on going, he's going to call Max. Max will join them." Isabel hesitated, not wanting to say anymore, but Liz and Alex were still waiting so she forced the words out. "They don't want me to come. Because... it is too... dangerous." She paused again, wondering if the danger was to her or to everyone else. Then she added, " Michael said I should call Tess and fill her in. And then hang out with her. Safety in numbers."

"They won't do anything stupid, right?" Liz asked, instantly concerned for all their safety.

"I don't know," Isabel admitted. "I think Max won't. I just hope he can convince Michael not to either."

Alex nodded, then said, "Why don't you call Tess now? We can all hang out at your house." He gave a wry grin and added, "With Liz and I there... safety in numbers, right?"

"Yeah," Isabel agreed slowly, and pulled out her phone once again, this time to talk to Tess.

* * *

Courtney glanced around the factory, then whispered to Nasedo, "Are you sure..."

"Yes," Nasedo interrupted, his word a sharp snap. "Nobody will be able to see through my shape-shifting. For all intents and purposes, I am Maria DeLuca." He sent her an annoyed glare, and added, "Just don't give it away by acting nervous."

She frowned at his cautionary tone, and replied, "I've been a spy for over fifty years, Nasedo. I know what I'm doing."

"Sure you do," he answered, his words clearly sarcastic, disbelieving.

They rounded a corner in the hallway, and Courtney paused, narrowing her eyes. "We're almost here. Get into character."

Nasedo nodded, then said, "I don't get it, Courtney. Why did we have to come all the way out here to talk about Michael? Couldn't we just talk at the Crashdown?"

Courtney did a double take, surprised out how much the person standing next to her sounded and looked and acted exactly like Maria. She smiled, feeling suddenly a bit better about the plan, and answered, "Hey, you're the one who wanted to talk about this. I told you I had to run some errands, and you're the one who insisted on coming along." She paused, then added just for good measure, "Besides, I don't even get why this is your concern. You're not even _dating_ Michael."

Nasedo glowered and replied, "What errands could you possibly have to run in an abandoned building?" Gesturing around with one hand, the shape-shifter continued, "The place is creepy."

"Indeed it is, Mrs. DeLuca," a voice said, and Nicolas appeared, seeming to materialize out of the woodwork. Behind him, several other skins stepped into view, including Ida Crawford, Mrs. Banks, and Trevor.

Nasedo took a step backwards, eyes widening, and said, "You... you're with _them_? You lied to me?" Eyes filling with wrath, he turned on Courtney. "I was right about you! I knew there was something wrong, I knew you couldn't be trusted."

Courtney had to give the shape-shifter credit, he was a phenomenal actor.

Nicolas was smiling with ill-concealed triumphant glee. "You were right, Ms. DeLuca. So very, very right." He turned to Courtney then, and his expression darkened into one of suspicion and anger. "You're early."

Courtney smirked in reply. "Did you really think I wouldn't figure out that you planned the Harvest for earlier than you told me?" She paused, scrutinizing his pale, flaking skin. "Looks like I'm just in time for the ceremony. When do we start?" She nodded to Nasedo and added, "And what do you want me to do with her?"

Any answer Nicolas might have made was drowned-out by the sudden screeching of stone against metal, and the ground around them started to shake.

"Earthquake?" Trevor called out to Nicolas.

It wasn't, however, an earthquake, as they all discovered when the edge of the building seemed to collapse inwards, sending stone and metal cascading into the hallway. It was then that Courtney realized that this hallway was along the perimeter of the building, and the tremors had been caused by an avalanche of rocks that poured down from the desert highway and slammed into the outer walls.

Nicolas had managed to retain his footing, and was still standing upright, one hand reached out to steady himself against the wall. Several of the skins had fallen to their knees, and the air was filled with the chaos of surprised shouts.

Over the noise, Nicolas shouted, "Trevor, take three and investigate outside. The rest of you, back into the central room. "Let's get this over!"

Courtney grabbed Nasedo roughly by the arm and dragged him after Nicolas. The shape-shifter struggled to break free, still hissing threats and accusations at Courtney, most of which revolved around Michael. But in a momentary lull in the conversation, Nasedo caught Courtney's eye with a pointed gaze, and they both glanced behind them towards the nearly destroyed corridor.

"Ever heard of an avalanche happening in the desert?" Courtney said softly, switching her gaze to Nicolas.

He turned, eyes narrowed, but did not answer the question. There was no need to, they all knew exactly what this meant.

Finally, Nicolas said, "It was a trap. You have brought them right to us." He paused, giving the shape-shifter who still looked like Maria a thoughtful stare, then said, "They will die tonight. You've done well, Courtney."

The skin swallowed nervously and sent a silent prayer to whoever might be watching over them all. A prayer that she hadn't done as well as Nicolas believed, a prayer that Rath would not be killed.

A prayer that everything she had ever worked for was not about to be ruined.

"Don't think for a second that I still trust you," a voice muttered at her side, and Mrs. Banks was staring coolly at her as they rushed through the hall. "I promise you, _daughter_, I'll find out the truth."

"Hm... bad blood between the two of you?" Nasedo mocked.

"Shut it, human," Mrs. Banks spat back.

"Watch it," Courtney hissed. "You might not trust me, but Nicolas does. Do you really want to go against him?"

"Are you really threatening your dear _mother_?" Mrs. Banks asked, lips twisted into a callous smile. "Ah... but then, you never did care for her much, did you?"

"You are not my mother!" Courtney retorted, cheeks flushed red with rage. "Don't you dare presume to know anything about her."

_"No!" Courtney spun around just as the blast exploded from the thin silver tip of the alien gun, and the air shook with heat. She held a hand over her face and stared in horror as her mother collapsed, blood spilling out over her back. The dead woman's eyes glazed over, her last expression one of pain, before her lifeless body had even hit the ground._

__

Courtney turned to the man standing before her. "How dare you...?" she spat, rushing towards him. She hit him with all the strength she could muster, and the soldier fell back, momentarily surprised by the blow.

"Our orders were to kill all the rebels," the soldier said, regaining his footing and seizing Courtney by the arms. "Your mother was a rebel. She has sided with Khivar. His Majesty, King Zan of Antar said..."

"You murdered her!" Courtney sobbed, tears of pain and rage filling her eyes. Her body was shaking, and she struggled against the soldier's grip, but he was stronger and she could not break free. Despite her weaker position, the words continued to spill out of her mouth, "She wasn't a threat to you. She wasn't a threat to anyone, and you just..."

"She worked with Khivar, Courtney," a voice said, and Rath stepped into view. "She was a spy. She was planning on killing King Zan and Queen Ava. I have the proof, if you want to see it."

"You lie!" Courtney spat.

"Hardly," Rath answered. He walked over to the dead woman and pushed her hand aside, revealing a small metal sphere concealed beneath her fingers. "Do you know what this is?"

Courtney took a halting step forward, then froze as recognition filled her features. "That... that is a..."

"Yes," Rath said, picking up the smooth metal device and holding it cautiously in his palm. "It is a very dangerous weapon, Courtney. And look who she had planned to kill."

Courtney took it, then bit back a cry of horror and disbelief. There, in the small writing that flowed over the orb, was a single name.

Zan, King of Antar.

She knew how the device worked. They were rare, almost impossible to find, but she knew. She wasn't sure how her mother had managed to retrieve a piece of Zan's DNA, but it couldn't be that difficult. A single hair would have sufficed. And once the DNA was loaded into the device... it would find Zan, and it would kill him, and everyone else in the vicinity. After it was activated, there was no way to stop it from achieving its goal.

"She was about to activate it when I came," the soldier said, his tone apologetic. "I did not mean for you to witness her death, but I had to stop her. It was the only way. I... I am sorry, my Lady."

Courtney looked at him, then at Rath, and finally at her mother's dead body. Her mind was muddled with a thousand different thoughts, and she wanted desperately to make the confusion and the ache stop. She moved, dropping to her knees by her mother, and buried her head in the folds of her dress, sobbing for what she had just lost, both by her mother's treachery and by the king's orders.

She felt Rath place his hand on her back, a comforting gesture that soothed some of the ache.

"I am sorry," Rath said gently, "this is not how I wanted you to find out."

"You still sided with Rath, though. Even after your mother died. How long did it take you to finally turn on them, Courtney? How long after your mother's death before you stopped embracing the lies of those who had killed her?" Mrs. Banks paused, eyes filled with an ugly light, and said, "Or did you ever stop?"

Courtney didn't answer. Instead, she tightened her grip on Nasedo's arm and pushed forward until she was directly behind Nicolas. There, at least, she knew she would be safe from Mrs. Banks taunts. The other woman might detest her, but nobody was stupid enough to express any doubts in Nicolas' opinions. Not within earshot of the skin leader, anyway. And not as long as his brother sat on the throne of Antar.

* * *

"Place seem familiar to you?" Michael muttered as Max joined him by the side of his car. Across the highway and down a dusty path was the entrance to the old abandoned building where Whitaker had kidnapped Tess.

"What now?" Maria asked after Max answered with a cool nod. She looked at the hybrid king, worried. "What do we do now?"  
Max turned to Michael. "You're sure Courtney and the shape-shifter didn't see you?"

"Positive," Michael answered. "When they stopped, we drove past them, and then circled back through the old highway to the north. You can't see it from here. They should have no way of knowing we're here."

"If we could get in and destroy the husks," Max murmured, casting a calculating gaze towards the building.

"We don't even know if the husks are in there. Are you sure Courtney is a skin? Maybe..."

"There's a giant truck behind the building," Max pointed out dryly. "A U-Haul. Yes. I am sure the husks are here. I don't know if Courtney is a skin or if this is a trap for her by Nasedo. And I don't care, she's not important. We need to reach those husks." His bland dismissal was so out of character that Maria just stared at him in shock.

"How? They're going to have some kind of security," Michael replied logically, shaking his head. "Too risky. We'd be dead before we got anywhere near them."

"Maybe. Maybe not," Max answered. "What we need is a diversion."

"And how are we going to get that?" Maria asked.

Max smiled, eyes lighting up at her question. "I have an idea," he said quietly. He turned, pointing towards the curve of the road that passed next to the half-lit FREDS sign. "The path slopes up there. The road is at an angle."

"So?"

"A small, concentrated explosion would break loose the rocks that form the overhang near the ledge, and cause them to roll down the slope towards the building. It probably would do little more than knock down the exterior wall, but it would cause enough of a distraction for us to use to our advantage."

"Unless they're expecting us," Maria argued.

Max shook his head. "Even so. If they're expecting us to rush in, powers blazing, then an outside attack will come as a suprise. They'll send a few people to investigate..." A contemplative expression came over his features, and he hazarded a guess, "Probably three or four. If they're smart, which we have to assume they are, they'll also send people to secure the entrances. But as long as we are inside the building when that happens, it doesn't matter how many people come out here to investigate."

"How do we get inside?"

"We will have a few seconds from the collision of the avalanche until when the skins will have regained order long enough to send their scouts. All we need is..." He stopped again, giving the building a quick, assessing look. "All we need is to make it from the road to the back entrance." He pointed to the door that lead into what might have once been a parking lot before it became overgrown with desert weeds and scattered with rubble. "That is how we will get in."

"What if they have sensors of some sort?" Maria pressed. "Like... like in the movies, you know? Security systems with all those electronic beams that divide the hallway and sense for movement."

"They won't," Max answered assuredly, not even the slightest hesitation in his voice. "This is not the movies, Maria," he added in the condescending tone that had become typical of him during the past few days. Maria glared at him in response.

"Maxwell?" Michael asked finally, once a silence had fallen over the other two, "how do you know all this?"

Max stopped, surprised by the question. "I..." He faltered, unsure how to answer. How did he know all this? It had been so easy to plan strategies, and yet he knew that he had never been able to do it so deftly in the past. "I don't know," he admitted finally. "I just..." He gestured helplessly towards the road, the rocky overhand, the flashing FREDS sign, and muttered, "It makes sense. It is the best plan."

Michael and Maria exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"Maria, you will need to take your car and drive it further down the road. Then come back and get my car and do the same." Max tossed her the keys, and she caught them, before opening her mouth to protest her lack of involvement. But Max did not give her a chance to speak. Instead, he continued, "We may need to make a quick escape, and I need you to be able to drive in and get us." At the look of frustration on Maria's face, he added, "You are too much of a liability, without gifts to protect yourself. We..." he chanced a quick glance at Michael, "we would not want anything to... _happen_."

There was far too much truth to that statement for Maria to have much of an argument, but she was loathe to sit back and do nothing while Michael and Max walked directly into danger. Particularly since they did not know why Nasedo would be impersonating her, and if she was already in the middle of this, she was not going to just let someone else handle it.

But Michael placed a hand on her shoulder and murmured, "Please. I can't do this... I can't focus, if I have to worry about you."

"I can take care of myself," Maria snapped, although she knew that was a complete lie. She would never be able to survive an alien attack. But she also did not need to be treated like some fragile damsel in distress.

"I don't want anything to happen to you," Michael said, looking away quickly. "I couldn't... I wouldn't be okay with that."

It was an incredibly awkward way to express his feelings, but Maria understood.

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll stay."

"Come on," Max said brusquely, interrupting the moment.

Michael turned and looked back to his friend, still mulling over Max's strange behavior. This plan... it was strategy. It combined the best of politics, of understanding how other people worked and how they were most likely going to move their various assets, with the best of military preparation, of knowing who and where the greatest threat would be. It was the brilliant ability to create ideas in the spur of the moment, to salvage a bad situation and find the silver lining, the loop hole that could be the other side's greatest flaw.

It was also likely to get several skins injured. And, more importantly, the entire plan revolved around destroying the husks, and that would effectively wipeout their enemies. It would kill.

And that... that should have devastated Max. The hybrid king had fallen apart after he was forced to save them all by killing Pierce. Killing a sadistic, cruel, vicious man, one who had planned to dissect Tess and kill the others... Max hadn't ever really been able to forgive himself for that.

So why was he okay with this plan?

"His personality is changing," Maria said quietly. Max had started walking towards the abandoned building, and he was far enough ahead that he would not hear the conversation.

"Yes," Michael agreed heavily. "His thinking... his strategizing... it could be what is going to save us." His voice lowered as he muttered, "But if Max ever gets his other personality back, all these plans, everything he is going to end up doing..." He shook his head. "It will destroy him. Completely."

There was nothing Maria could say to that, so she remained silent, and Michael hurried forward to join Max. For all his worries about Max's personality, he could not deny that the plan worked perfectly, and as the rocks came tumbling down against the building, as they slid unnoticed into the back entrance and paused in the dusty hallway, he wondered once again who had done this to Max, and whether that person had been friend or foe.

"This way," Max whispered, beckoning, and the two of them crept forward. The hallway snaked around a corner, and they moved silently, swiftly, and with only one goal in mind.

Find the husks, and destroy them.

The silence was overwhelming, and Michael found he hardly dared to breath, or even think. He was reaching out with his mind and his senses, trying his best to pick up on any clues, earthly or otherwise, that might lead them in the right direction. He did not like the idea of Maria in the desert by herself, but neither did he want her here where she would likely get hurt. He just wanted this over with, so he could return safely with his not-quite-girlfriend and best friend to their dusty little desert town home.

Max might have found his inner king, but Michael was less and less wanting to be a general.

And then a door to their left and further along in the hallway swung abruptly open, and Max reacted so quickly that the skin who emerged was thrown against the far wall before he could even register the attack. There was only one, and Michael and Max therefore outnumbered him, giving Michael a greater sense of security.

And then the skin looked up, and those dark eyes pierced straight into his mind until he was seeing something else, from some other time and place.

_"Rath, wait! I want to come with you," the little boy cried, stumbling over his own feet in his haste. "Please, wait!"_

_"You're too little, Trae," Rath answered, shaking his head and pushing the boy away from him. "I am not going to play with babies."_

_"I am not a baby!" Trae'yer replied, tears welling in his eyes._

_"Rath, do not speak to your brother like that," their mother said as she passed by them, barely sparing her two sons even a glance. "You are his older brother, you must look out for him."_

Michael stared at Trevor, eyes wide, jaw partially open, unable to comprehend what he had just seen in that flash. As Max lifted his hand to send a lethal bolt of energy at the fallen skin, all Michael could do was breathe the quiet words, "Oh my God."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Second Half of the Story

Due: Not really sure. Hopefully soon.


	27. The Second Half of the Story

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So, I am going away for about a month. I'll be out of the country, so I won't have access to the Internet or even my computer. Which means this story will not be updated until mid-September. I'll try to get the next chapter written soon after I get back, but no promises.

And yes, to anyone who has read the Roswell books and might be wondering, my Trevor is taken from those books. His character will be changed a little to fit this story, but he is still Michael's brother.

And, lastly, I've made up my own version of what it would be like to switch husks. So if it doesn't really match with what we saw on the show... well, what can I say? This is AU.

* * *

Chapter: Twenty-Seven: The Second Half of the Story

As the blast of deadly energy left Max's outstretched palm, Michael found himself reacting purely on instinct. He flicked his wrist towards the energy and it froze, hovering mid-air before the fallen skin. Trevor backed away, nearly crawling on his hands and knees, and Max turned enraged eyes towards his General.

"What did you do that for?"

Michael, voice shaking, answered, "He's... he's my brother."

"Wh-what?" Max asked, sounding both confused and suspicious. He waved his hand at the energy and it fizzled out mid-air, but he did not take his attention away from Trevor as he said pointedly, "He's a skin. Our enemy. How is he your brother?"

"That's why you helped us at Copper Summit," Michael said softly. "That's why you fixed the car. That's why..." He stopped, shaking his head. "No, I don't understand. How can you be my brother if you are working for our enemy?"

Trevor rose to his feet, keeping a wary gaze pinned on Max as he answered, "You should go, Rath. Get out of here. Before it is too late."

"No. We will find the husks, and we will destroy them," Max replied defiantly. To Michael, he said, "He's lying. He wants your sympathy. Don't trust him."

"He's not lying," Michael countered firmly. He did not know how he knew that, but he knew it, with every fiber of his being. Trevor was his brother.

"This is ridiculous," Max snapped, turning to face Michael. "He's about to die, and suddenly you want to save him because you think he's your brother? Could the timing be any more convenient for him? It's a trick!"

"It isn't a trick, your Highness," Trevor sneered, his voice laden with sarcasm and disgust. To Michael, he said in a truly worried tone, "I mean it, Rath. Leave now. Nicolas will discover you are here soon enough, and he will kill you. Again."

"Max... let him go. We will find the husks and destroy them. And if Trevor tries to hurt us, I will kill him myself. But just... let him go."

Max nodded slowly, reluctantly giving in to Michael's request. He knew they did not have time to argue over the details of this strange situation, and if Michael really believed that Trevor was his brother... well, Max realized with a sigh, he could not kill Trevor until this was straightened out a bit more. He would not take the chance that he was causing Michael unnecessary pain.

"Fine." To Trevor, he said fiercely, "You do anything to ruin this for us..." He left the threat hanging.

They proceeded down the hallway in silence, Max never tearing his gaze away from Trevor and Michael too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention to anything except his brother. Trevor, for his part, was worriedly looking between the two, trying to figure out exactly what his fate would be. He did not want to follow them, knowing that in the course of the inevitable fight between Max and Nicolas, he would be forced to take a side. How could he turn against his brother? But how could he turn against everything he believed, everything he had ever fought for?

They rounded the corner and came to a large set of double doors that lead into a storage room. Max walked over to it quickly and pulled open one of the doors. the room was dark, but there were two skins standing guard just beyond the door, and Max barely had a chance to raise a shield before they attacked. The green force-field stood between the two sets of aliens, shimmering with an unearthly light as it absorbed the skins' attack.

"How did you do that?" Michael whispered, surprised. Max had not shown this particular gift before.

"I... I do not know," Max admitted. "I just knew it had to be done." And then, with a concentrated frown, he threw the force-field away from him and towards the skins. They stumbled under the attack as the green shied smashed into them, and then they were nothing more than two piles of shed skin on the floor.

Dead.

Michael slanted a look at Max, but the hybrid king did not even bat an eye.

The three of them walked into the storage room, and Michael's breath caught in his throat. In front of him, lined against the walls, were several glass chambers. Most of them were empty, but a few held husks, exact replicas of the bodies of the skins. They were glowing, almost pulsating with energy.

"Why are so many of the chambers empty?" Max whispered.

"Because the Harvest has already started," Trevor replied. "Your little trick with the crashing boulders worried Nicolas. He sent some of us to find and kill you, and the others were to perform the Harvest and gain their new bodies. And fifty more years on this miserable planet."

"That's your husk," Michael said, pointing to one of the glass chambers. "Why isn't it with the others?"

"Once it is taken out of the chamber, it must be utilized immediately or it will disintegrate," Trevor answered quietly. "Because I was too busy looking for intruders to join in the group Harvest, I must wait. I'll get my new husk later."

Max turned to him, folding his arms over his chest. "You are on Khivar's side. Nicolas' side."

Trevor swallowed uneasily. He looked at Michael, then dropped his gaze to the ground. "I never wanted to hurt you, Rath. I... I tried to keep Nicolas from killing you, but it was too late. I... I'm sorry."

"There are ten husks here. Does that mean there are ten skins who are waiting to perform the Harvest?" Max demanded.

Trevor nodded wordlessly.

Max spun abruptly, raising his hands towards the glass chambers. A bright white light filled the room, a flash that illuminated every corner, pushed away every shadow. The flash was followed by the sounds of glass shattering, metal and stone crumbling to the floor, and Trevor crying out, "NO!" into the echoing silence that followed Max's attack on the husks.

"Max..." Michael started shakily after his eyes adjusted back to the dim light, "why did you..." And then he stopped quite suddenly. Because all the glass chambers, empty or filled, had been destroyed. All save one.

Trevor's mouth fell open as he stared at his still-whole husk, safely contained within its glass cage.

"You are going to take us to the rest of the skins," Max ordered. "And if you don't betray us, then you can come back here and get your husk. Understand?"

Trevor nodded quickly, and followed Max and Michael from the room.

Michael lead the way, eyes sliding through the corridors, searching for any sign of movement, of enemy skins. He could not help but wonder about this alien Zan had once been. To see Max kill two skins and then destroy nine husks without even a second's hesitation... He sighed, letting the breath out slowly. Zan was a king, he knew, and the planet had been at war. It made sense that the king would have resigned himself to having to kill people. Especially when it was the only way to save his family and his followers. It was a war, and people died.

But still... it was unnerving. Once again, the world seemed to have been thrown into all these different shades of gray, and Michael was starting to have doubts about the morality of everything.

Behind Michael, Trevor caught up with Max and said quietly, but with total honestly, "Thank you for not destroying my skin."

Max gave him an unreadable look, then turned to stare at Michael's back as he replied, "I didn't do it for you."

* * *

Courtney's entire body was shaking. The skin was falling from her bones, disintegrating into dust around her feet. But the new husk, completely mature and ready in every single way, was taking its place, sliding over her body and filling her with a rapidly pulsating energy, a feeling of life and strength and vitality that had been sorely missing in the past few days. The husk was more than just a protection against the poisonous atmosphere. It was also a source of power and nutrition for her worn-down body. It would make her stronger.

She opened her eyes and slanted a look at Nicolas. It would rejuvenate him as well.

Nasedo, still holding Maria's shape, was tied up against the far wall. She caught his eyes, and he gave the tiniest nod.

Now or never.

She inched slowly towards the back door. It was hard to move while undergoing the husk-changing process. She also knew she could not risk attracting any attention to herself. She had to do this discreetly for anything to work.

Of course, being discreet had never been one of her stronger points. Which was ironic, since she had spent so many decades as a spy.

_"Do you really think we do not know exactly what you are doing, Courtney?"_

_Courtney looked up sharply, eyes widening as Nicolas entered the room. She rose to her feet gracefully and gave a little bow. "Lord Nicolas. I did not realize you had returned to the Royal City. It is a pleasure to see you again."_

_Nicolas sneered. "Is it, Lady Courtney?" He slammed the door shut behind him and looked around her lavish room. As the daughter of an important ambassador to the King, she had been granted some of the most beautiful quarters in the castle. He curled his lip and said, "Have they really bought your loyalty with such riches? Have you you taken all the General's gifts and forgotten he brought about your mother's death?"_

_Courtney flushed a deep crimson. "I have forgotten nothing, Nicolas!"_

_"Really?" Nicolas mocked. "Rumor has it that Rath has bestowed jewels and pretty dresses upon you? Is that true?" Courtney did not answer, and Nicolas nearly laughed at her furious expression. "You let the sparkle of royalty blind you to their faults. Rath is merely trying to buy your loyalty."_

_Courtney shook her head. "You know nothing, Nicolas. Nothing at all. Now get out!"_

_Nicolas tilted his head to the side. "You have your mother's temper, Courtney. But she was much better at hiding it."_

_Courtney turned away from him, unable to face Nicolas any longer. She knew that he was mistaken, Rath was not trying to buy her loyalty. He was trying to buy her forgiveness. They had been friends before her mother's death, and Rath still felt guilty that she had been forced to watch her mother die, to learn the truth in such a horrid manner. So he bestowed gifts upon her. _

_And perhaps Nicolas was right that she allowed the gifts to blind her to some of the fault's of the Royal Four. Certainly, it was foolish of Rath to treat her in such a manner. Rumors were spreading, and it would be only a matter of time before people believed he did not care for the Princess at all. And, in fact, she knew that he was not in love with her. They had discussed this many times, how he would be trapped in a loveless marriage that would consolidate power for the Royals, but would not make him happy._

_Neither would it make Vilandra happy when it was so clear that she did not love him either._

_She should have stopped Rath from bringing the gifts. But she gloried in the attention. And she was just as much a fool as he was._

_"Ah, but you do see the truth, do you not?" Nicolas said suddenly, his words twisting into her like a knife in the gut. "You see that Zan is not a wise king, that he will destroy this planet. You do not want him on the thrown."_

_"Do not speak such treachery!" Courtney cried, facing Nicolas. "I will never support Khivar's claim to the throne! Never!"_

_"No," Nicolas agreed with a triumphant smirk. "It is Rath you wish to be king."_

_Courtney gasped, mouth falling open. She had been so careful, certain to keep her viewpoints hidden behind a mask of indifference. She did not want anyone to know her traitorous thoughts._

_How had Nicolas so easily seen through her charade?_

She reached the door leading out of the room and closed her eyes, drawing a deep breath. Now her body hurt as the skin sealed itself against her blood and bones. She felt as though she was burning with a raging fire, heat exploding behind her eyes.

She looked back at the other skins and saw them doubled over on their hands and knees or clutching at the wall to remain upright. During the Harvest, they were vulnerable and easily destroyed.

She drew a slow breath.

It had taken her a long time to convince Khivar and Nicolas that she was truly on their side. And in some ways, she doubted she'd ever completely fooled them. But they had trusted her enough, and so she was here, ready to take their trust and use it to destroy them.

She looked back at Nasedo, and he nodded.

Then she flung herself towards the doors, her body hitting the metal. They burst open and she tumbled onto the safety of the floor outside the room just as Nasedo used his gifts to force the ropes from his hands and let a burst of deadly energy fill the room, attacking the vulnerable skins. The energy was nearly blinding in its intensity, and Courtney shut her eyes tightly against the light. She heard the sound of footsteps running towards her, and knew it one of the skins who Nicolas had ordered to guard the room while the others underwent the Harvest. The powerful skin had been so worried that they would be attacked by outside influences that he had left ten skins to patrol the building, looking for intruders.

For all his planning, he had not realized that the greatest danger would come from within the room, from the one person he had believed to be a helpless human.

Courtney rolled over onto her back and stared up at the woman leaning over her.

Mrs. Banks.

The skin who had spent so much time tormenting her while pretending to be her mother loomed overhead, triumph and glee in her eyes as she prepared to attack her supposed daughter.

And then she screamed in pain and disintegrated into skin. Courtney propped herself up on her shoulders and stared into the hallway.

And found herself looking at Michael.

Time seemed to stand still, stretched out into an eternity. Behind Michael, Max was staring down at her with a look of utter distrust, and Trevor was shifting his weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"You're one of them," Michael said softly, seeing the flakes of skin falling to the floor around her.

She groaned in agony and willed the pain away, blinking at Michael with a bewildered expression on her face. "You weren't supposed to come," she coughed, pushing herself into a sitting position. "You... Nasedo came. It wasn't supposed to be either of you."

"What are you talking about?" Max demanded angrily.

"That was Nasedo?" Trevor interrupted, forgetting for the moment that he was no longer in control of the situation. "He shape-shifted to look like Maria DeLuca?"

"How stupid do you think I am, Trevor?" Courtney retorted, shaking her head. "Did you ever truly believe I would bring Maria here to die? How would that help my cause?"

"Well, then she'd be gone and you could go back and let Rath cry on your shoulder," Trevor retorted, his spiteful words causing Courtney to flush darkly. "Isn't that what you want? You dead General back?"

"I thought you were engaged to my sister?" Max said with a perplexed frown, shooting Michael a warning look. "How many people did you sleep with in your past life?"

"I don't care about Michael in that sense," Courtney said, her words directed at both Max and Trevor. "But if you two want to have any hope of escaping here, there are still eight more skins patrolling somewhere."

"I wouldn't worry about them," Trevor muttered darkly, "since your darling General and King destroyed their husks."

"Oh."

Max pointed his hand at Courtney, and she was suddenly thrown against the wall and held there by some invisible force. "You are going to tell me exactly what is going on, and if every word you utter is not the complete truth, you will not live to see sunrise. Do you understand?"

Courtney gave a derisive snort. "Now I'm starting to remember why I disliked Zan so much." The invisible force increased in pressure, and she said quickly, "Alright, fine. You want the truth. Here it is, oh noble King. You were pathetic. We were on the brink of a Golden Age, but then you let it all fall apart, crumble to ruin around you. You couldn't control the different opposing factions, couldn't unite them behind any common belief. War followed. A war you could have prevented if you'd been any leader at all. But you weren't." Her eyes slid sideways to Michael. "Rath could have. But he was far too loyal to you to take the thrown, no matter how much we urged him to do so. He was a fool, and you all died because of it."

"Michael died because of you, Courtney," Trevor interjected, but he lapsed into silence at Max's vicious glare.

"What does he mean?" Michael asked.

Courtney dropped her gaze to the floor. "Khivar and his men attacked the palace. You, Ava... Tess, I mean... and her father were all in the same room when Nicolas entered. Ava was able to use her gifts to allow one of you to escape... she chose her father. You and she were left with Nicolas. He killed you and brought Ava to Khivar. Khivar killed her in front of Zan. And then killed Zan."

"You forgot the part where Vilandra let Khivar into the city to kill her family," Trevor sneered. "And the part where you lead Nicolas directly to Rath!"

"Well, where were you, oh great one?" Courtney retorted. "Too busy serving Khivar to bother saving your own brother?"

"What does he mean? Why did you lead Nicolas to Rath?" Max asked, loosening his invisible grip on Courtney and letting her fall to the ground in a sudden, heavy thud. Her new husk almost split in two at the force of the fall, but it just barely managed to retain its protective covering, and she felt a little relief. The husks was on securely now, and she had another fifty years on Earth.

Assuming she got out of this mess in one piece.

"What he means," a gravelly voice interrupted, "is that she sold you out." Nasedo emerged from the room, eyes dark. He had resumed a different shape, distinct from Maria. Michael faltered for a moment, before he remembered that this shape belonged to Sean.

"I didn't!" Courtney answered hotly, rising to her feet. "Nicolas caught up with me and demanded to know where Rath was. I couldn't stop him. He tried to mind-rape me, but I forced him out of my thoughts. Then he said he'd kill me and I..." She stopped, seeming to realize that she was babbling, caught up in her panic and regret. "I... I broke. I told him. I didn't mean to, but..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

She'd betrayed Rath to save herself. In the end, it had been that betrayal that had allowed her to convince the Khivar that she was on his side. She'd used Rath's death to integrate herself into Nicolas' contingent of soldiers and worked as a spy for the rebels who still believed in the Royal Four.

_"I trusted you, Lady Courtney. I trusted that you were on our side." Larek was fuming as he contemplated the woman standing before him. "I should have known better."_

_"The deaths of the Royal Four were... unfortunate," Courtney said, regarding the other alien calmly._

_"Unfortunate? Zan was my friend and your king!"_

_She could barely keep the disgust from her voice as she answered, "He was the not the one I wanted as king."_

_"No," Larek agreed, turning away from her. "You made that so clear to everyone, did you not? And look what happened as a result? Your meddling in royal affairs led to a complete destruction of the planet you claim to love so much."_

_"King Zan destroyed the planet. I tried to save it, but even I could not undo his damage, not without the General's support."_

_Larek let out a sigh, a slow breath filled with all his frustrations and grief at the recent events that had transpired on Antar. "Zan tried to do too much, and tried to do it far too quickly," he murmured finally, softening just the slightest bit. "What do you want, Lady Courtney?"_

_"You help, Lord Larek," she answered. "The newly created Royal Four are to be sent to Earth. Khivar will not rest until they are dead, and I am sure we both wish to stop that."_

_"I know nothing of your wishes, nor do I think I ever will. And I do not trust any claim you make," Larek answered bitterly._

_Courtney raised an eyebrow. "I know, my Lord. But do you want to see Zan die... again?"_

_"What do you want?" Larek repeated._

_"You are the leader of one of our five feuding planets. And with Zan gone and Antar in shambles, it is your planet that will most certainly have the most power, the most sway, of anything in our system. I need only a few more days to work my way into Khivar's ranks. If you insist on a summit to discuss the fall of the Antarian Royals, it will delay Khivar from sending his followers to Earth. It will buy me enough time to convince Nicolas to send me as well. Once I am there, I will be in a better position to prevent the deaths of your darling Royals."_

_Larek twisted slowly and looked at her, then gave a reluctant nod. "I suppose I could do that, Lady Courtney," he agreed finally._

She'd do anything in the world to save her planet.

Anything.

And Rath was the key, she believed that now more than ever.

"I worked with your mother, Max. Your alien mother. I'm the one who helped her get your DNA and found the scientists who could help create your hybrid selves. I know I did a horrible thing, but I tried to make up for it. I tried to give you a second chance at life."

Michael rubbed his head wearily. Tess had told him that, forced to decide between her loyalties, she would pick her human father and brother over her alien family. And, if Courtney was telling the truth, she had done that once before, saving her father but losing herself and Rath in the process. Were their past lives doomed to repeat themselves, bursting into the present and forcing them all to relive what had already happened once before?

Ava, Courteny, and Vilandra had all contributed to his death. So that was what Nicolas had meant when he taunted Michael about being betrayed by the woman in his life. Ava could hardly be blamed for her actions, he had to concede, and Isabel he could forgive because she was not Vilandra and he knew she would never turn on them like that. But Courtney?

Once again, as he had been able to do when looking at Trevor in the hallway near the husks, he could tell that Courtney was being honest. She was a rebel skin, she was a spy. And she did not want him dead. But did that matter?

Could he trust her?

Should he trust her?

It was in the middle of pondering these thoughts that he realized Trevor was gone.

Max, too, noticed this, but didn't seem to care much. He turned to Nasedo and asked sharply, "What are you doing here?"

"Destroying the skins. They're vulnerable during the time of the Harvest. It was easy." Then his face fell and he said heavily, "But Nicolas escaped. Once again, he managed to elude us. I'm sorry I could not get him as well."

"You expect us to trust anything you say? Why did you come as Maria?"

Nasedo frowned guiltily. "I guess we were not as discreet as we had hoped. There was no time, Max. I didn't know that Courtney was an alien. I did not know that she was a rebel skin until just before we came here. When I figured that out... well, Nicolas had wanted her to bring Maria to the Harvest as a lure for the four of you. We thought if I pretended to be Maria, I might be able to destroy them from the inside. And it worked," he added pointedly.

* * *

"So... you're old enough to practically be Michael's grandmother," Maria said, leaning back in her seat and staring at Courtney with what was most decidedly a gloating expression. "I am loving this right now."

"Maria," Liz murmured in a warning tone, "I'm not sure now is the time."

They were gathered at the Crashdown, despite Liz's repeated concerns that it would be difficult to explain to anyone, including her parents, who happened by to see them why they were all together in a supposedly closed establishment in the middle of the night. But she'd given in eventually.

"So you're a skin? Like the Senator?" Alex mused, staring at her. It had not escaped his notice that Isabel had nearly pulled him out of the group and forced him to sit far away from Courtney, with both Tess and Michael standing between him and the blonde skin. She was clearly not trusted yet, and Isabel seemed determined to keep Alex as far away from the enemy as possible.

"How did you find out about Whitaker?" Courtney asked curiously. "What turned you onto her in the first place? And why did actually think rushing to Copper Summit was a good idea?"

"Hey," Maria snapped, "we'll be the ones asking the questions. Most importantly, why are you obsessed with my good-looking, if badly groomed, boyfriend?"

"Since when are the two of you even dating again?" Tess asked, rolling her eyes as she looked up from her seat. She was lounging against the edge of one of the booths, appearing utterly bored with the entire situation. But she fixed Maria with a questioning look as she added, "You're quite possessive for someone who isn't Michael's girlfriend. But I guess, for all your talk of breaking up and letting Michael do what he needed to do by himself, you never really went through with that. Did you?"

"Can we get back to the part of the conversation where someone explains to us why we're trusting a skin?" Isabel said quickly, jumping in before Maria had a chance to respond. Tess sent Isabel an annoyed look, but lapsed into silence. Maria, on the other hand, looked ready to kill the petite blonde hybrid.

"I told you," Courtney said, lifting her eyes to Michael, "I follow him in the political sense."

"Political?" Liz questioned, puzzled.

"Yeah. She's a political groupie," Max muttered.

"You're just upset because she thinks I'd make a better leader, Maxwell," Michael retorted, raising one eyebrow as if daring Max to contradict him.

"Someone start explaining," Isabel said firmly. "Now."

"There are five feuding worlds," Courtney said, switching her gaze to Isabel. "Antar was rising in power. In a few decades it might have been the most powerful of the planets, able to hold sway over all the others. But your darling brother couldn't keep it all together. Antar fell apart. The Golden Age was lost."

"Fascinating," Tess deadpanned. "Now explain why you're obsessed with Michael."

"He could have lead us, could have kept it all together. But he wouldn't betray Max. He wouldn't take the thrown. Even though it would have saved us." She shook her head slowly, flicking a few strands of golden hair out of her eyes. "Still... my people and I... when we heard that the skins were coming to Earth to find you, we knew we had to come as well. To keep you safe. I've been here for fifty years, just waiting for the right time to introduce myself."

"Michael," Maria said, noting the way Michael was staring at Courtney with a silly grin on his face, "if you can still hear me over the sound of your rapidly inflating ego, please tell me you do not believe this... this Michael-worshiper!"

"How is it possible that anyone in their right mind would want Michael to lead us?" Tess muttered.

Michael slanted her a glare, although it had little heat to it. "Shut up, Tess." She smirked in reply.

"Can we all just take a moment to notice the fact that I was right about Courtney being not-quite-normal?" Maria said, giving Liz and Alex a bright smile. "And you thought I was just paranoid and jealous."

"Oh, we still think you're paranoid and jealous," Alex quipped under his breath, and Maria smacked his arm playfully.

"So, let me get this straight," Liz said finally, summing up what they had learned, "Michael has a brother who may or may not be our enemy. And he disappeared into thin air around the time you were arguing with Courtney and Nasedo. Then Nasedo slipped away as well, presumably to do something alien-related. And Courtney is trying to instigate a coup d'etat against Max, because she thinks Michael should be the king."

"I don't want to kill him," Courtney said, exasperated. "I just want to save my planet."

"And you think Michael is going to do that for you?" Maria asked skeptically.

"You never met Rath. The real Rath. He's... he was a leader. He could have united us all, convinced us to overlook our differences and join together for the good of our planet," Courtney snapped.

"So he was basically an alien version of Martin Luther King?"

"Tess, enough of the sarcasm," Michael hissed. "Let's just focus on the next step. What do we do now?"

"Nothing," Max said firmly. "We've taken care of the skins for now. Nicolas is still a threat, but he will not attack again until he has more soldiers to fight with him. He's not a fool. So for now, we need to focus on appearing as normal as possible." To Isabel, he said, "I know Mom and Dad are suspicious of me. We both need to get our stories straight so they don't become suspicious of you as well."

"What are we doing about her?" Maria asked, jerking her head towards Courtney as though the skin was some form of distasteful bug.

"We'll let her go, for now," Max said. To Courtney, he added, "But don't expect any invitations to hang out with us. You keep your distance."

"Not particularly friendly, is he?" Alex murmured quietly. Liz caught his eyes and looked away sharply, upset. This was not the Max all of them knew.

"Come on, Isabel, I'll drive you home," Max offered, and Isabel smiled tentatively at him. It was the first time he had actually willingly offered to spend any time alone with her since the revelations about Vilandra and his abrupt personality change, and she hurried after him out of the diner, pausing only to kiss Alex briefly on the cheek and whisper, "Good night."

"I liked Max better before," Tess commented dryly, rising to her feet. "Well, unless there is anything else you'd like to share with us, Michael... you know, any more obsessed groupies hanging around... I should probably get back home."

"Go away," Michael huffed in reply, and Tess sent him a sickly sweet smile as she left the diner.

"I'll close up, Liz," Maria suggested. She had not missed the way Liz had grown quiet during the conversation, or how the brunette's eyes had followed Max from the diner, as though wishing he would turn around and smile at her. Like he used to, before...

"Thanks," Liz said gratefully, and she excused herself from the group.

"Alex, can you just..." Maria gestured towards the retreating brunette, and Alex took the hint. He followed Liz as she slipped through the backroom, intent on making sure she was doing alright.

"I'll help you close up," Michael said to Maria. "Courtney, you can go. We'll see you later."

And just like that, Courtney knew she had been dismissed.

As she walked out of the diner, she could not help but feel elated. Contrary to what she had expected early that day when she realized that Nicolas had double-crossed her, she had not failed at her task. In fact, she was closer than ever now. Most of the skins were gone, killed by Nasedo, or soon to die as Max had destroyed their husks. She had not been rejected outright by the Royal Four, and although she doubted that they would accept her easily, they had taken to her presence better than she had feared.

All she needed now was to find someway to reverse what she had done to Max and bring back Rath's personality instead. If she could just get Michael to realize all the potential he had, all the good he could do for Antar...

She looked back at the diner. Through the windows of the Crashdown, she could see Maria and Michael arguing - when were they ever not arguing? - but then as Maria turned to go, Michael caught her arm and said something. And Maria smiled.

It was going to be difficult, Courtney knew. With Rath, they had failed because of his loyalty to Zan. But Michael's loyalty to Max, while still incredibly strong, would not be the greatest obstacle here. No... now it was something entire different.

Maria.

She pondered this for a moment. It was a dilemma, but she had survived one problem. Somehow, she'd find a way around this as well.

She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed a number. After a moment, a voice picked up on the other end.

"Hello, Courtney. What do you have to report?"

"Most of the skins are dead. Nicolas and Trevor survived. I believe the Royal Four may trust me now. Michael does, at least." She paused, then added, "I've made a deal with Nasedo. He is on our side."

There was a silence, then the voice said, "Well done, Courtney."

* * *

Author's note: Alright, so this is sort of a cliff-hanger ending, but at least I finished up the part about the Harvest. I'll be back in a little over a month and able to continue the story once I return. Until then, enjoy the rest of your summer.


	28. Human Traits

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I'm back! This chapter is half fluff, half actual plot. I know the last few chapters focused a lot on Courtney, but she's actually going to disappear for a bit while the pod squad deals with other things. So don't be surprised if she is not mentioned much for a while.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Human Traits

Michael could not help but wonder about Courtney and Trevor. Even if the others seemed content to ignore the presence of those two aliens for the moment, their very names seemed to plague his thoughts, following him everywhere. Courtney, who was so bitter, so angry, about things that had happened in the past. Trevor, who seemed determined to conceal his own secrets and lies. He could not trust either of them, and yet he wanted to believe that they were both good. Both on his side.

And then there was Nasedo and Nicolas. It was as though he had seen the entire spectrum of aliens... the good, the bad, and everything in between.

His mind wandered to Max and Isabel, and then to Tess. The tension between the group seemed to be growing with every passing moment. Just when he thought he and Isabel had patched up all their differences, he started to wonder about her again. Not her loyalty, obviously, but just her. And Tess as well. Tess who held grudges constantly, who never forgot any single slight. Unlike Liz, who seemed all too willing to overlook Max's hurtful attitude towards her right now, who still continued to long for Max's affection... Tess did not do that so easily. Tess did not overlook. Tess did not often forgive. And when she did, it was always a battle against herself.

He knew the feeling. He had felt it many times as well. Forgiveness wasn't easy for them.

He wondered if it was because they were half-alien. He wondered if forgiveness was a human trait.

Because when they did forgive, when they did connect, when they did overlook... That was when everything seemed a little bit easier, a little bit brighter, a little bit happier. That was when this place started feeling more and more like home.

* * *

"I don't want to do this," Liz announced as she followed Maria and Alex from the car towards the house in front of them.

Maria gave her a supportive look. "Come on. It will be fun. Besides, you really need some help seeing what is in your future. You know, for clarity. Peace of mind."

Alex shared a smile with Liz as he asked, "Are you sure you haven't been taking sniffing too much of that cedar oil, Maria?"

Maria huffed impatiently at them. "Just give it a chance. Really, what's the worst that could happen?"

Liz blinked, then replied pointedly, "Someone could actually see me going into this place." She eyed the building a little skeptically. She had never been one to trust in all the strange phenomenons that Maria claimed existed, but now that she knew aliens were real... yet somehow the fact that Max was an alien seemed so much more realistic than that this woman could actually be a psychic.

"Madam Vivian is a very renowned psychic," Maria answered with a sniff.

Liz hid a smile behind one hand. "Of course she is," she agreed quickly, her tone making it quite clear what she thought of Maria's opinion. Maria glared at her, and it took all her restraint not to burst into laughter at the outrage in her best friend's eyes.

They paused outside the house, and then Maria pushed the door open and entered. Liz and Alex followed unhappily, but both with the determination of supporting their friend. Even in her bizarre and illogical fetishes.

In a low voice, Alex said to Liz, "Do you think she might actually be psychic? I mean, with everything we've seen..."

Liz shook her head. "No. I mean... the future isn't set in stone, right? So how could she know what is going to happen unless everything is..." She stopped and frowned.

"Destined?" Alex suggested. Liz winced at the word, and he shrugged apologetically. "All I am saying is that Maria might have a point about this. Why not believe in something supernatural?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "And now you are going to tell me that fairies and unicorns exist as well." She turned away from Alex and glanced around the entry room. It was decorated in a kitschy motif of tarot cards and crystal balls and strange symbols that she did not recognize. Maria had already continued ahead, and was 

now talking to a woman dressed in a flowing black dress with a decorative scarf tied tightly around her mass of wavy hair. Liz could only assume this was Madam Vivian, and she lead Alex forward.

Madam Vivian turned with a wide smile and said, "So, you want your future seen, do you?"

"Yes," Maria said firmly, answering for both her friends.

"Can you imagine what Pam Troy would say if she saw us in here?" Liz mumbled under her breath.

Alex shot back softly, "Never mind Pam Troy. What do you think Tess would say? Or even Isabel?"

"You should not speak so dismissively of these arts," Madam Vivian chided, and Liz flushed darkly, not realizing her words had been loud enough to be heard by the psychic. "Your doubt and disbelief will cloud the readings, and the cards may tell us nothing."

"Oh, that would be bad," Alex agreed. "We will try to be, uh... accepting."

Liz gave him a look. She couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, but she found herself nodding in agreement if only to placate the still simmering Maria.

"Then let us start the reading," Madam Vivian announced, her voice rising in volume as though she were announcing the beginning of some great event. "You will each come into my room one at a time and we will see what the cards say about your future."

Maria was the first to go, and she eagerly followed the psychic. Taking a seat at the table, she watched impatiently as the cards fell into a pattern she could not read. She looked up at Madam Vivian, expecting an answer, but the woman was still looking thoughtfully at the cards.

"There is a boy you love," she said at last. "But he is very... volatile."

"Volatile?" Maria repeated, realizing that did describe Michael perfectly. With a smirk, she asked, "Is that good for sex?"

Madam Vivian looked up. "It won't last."

Maria shook her head. "Hey, look, I'm not planning on tying the knot or anything, but... a couple of months, at least?"

But Madam Vivian shook her head. "It won't last," she said again, firmly this time. "There is something standing in the way. Another girl." She looked up at Maria. "That is all the cards say."

Maria stormed from the room, fuming, and Alex walked past his upset friend and under the string of beads hanging from the doorway. He approached Madam Vivian and slowly took a seat across from her. After a moment of silence, he asked, "So... Is there something great with Isabel in my future?"

Madam Vivian flipped over the first card. "Ah... I see great love."

Alex sat up eagerly. "What kind of love? With who? Isabel?"

"But the road ahead will not be easy for you," Madam Vivian warned, "for you are not the only one after her heart."

Alex frowned. "But she loves me, right?"

"She loves you," Madam Vivian confirmed, and Alex didn't even bother waiting around for the rest of the reading. He had heard all that interested him, and whatever else the cards said was unimportant. Isabel loved him. And he loved her. And who cared if their were obstacles?

Liz was the last, and she folded her hands in her lap and waited patiently for the psychic to tell her about her future. So far, Alex and Maria had confided that both their futures had been about their alien loves, but Liz didn't have anyone right now. Certainly not Max. So where did that leave her? What would her future be? She could already imagine Madam Vivian declaring that she would be an old maid for life, living alone with four dozen cats.

She didn't really like cats. They made her sneeze.

"I've never seen the cards fall like this," Madam Vivian mused, more to herself than to Liz. "There is a boy in your life... but he is not there."

"What?"

"Or, rather, you are not in his. And that controls the future. I cannot explain it, but... Your love is a great leader. A very important man. And you are not with him. And that... that is the future."

"The future is that I won't be with Max?" Liz asked, already feeling the tears welling in her eyes. She tried to will them away, after all it was ridiculous to be crying now. She and Max hadn't been a couple in a very long time, and now he didn't even give her a second glance any more. So why did it hurt to hear someone tell her what she already knew?

"No... the future is controlled by the fact that you are not with this boy. And it is not good. I see... pain. Unhappiness. You ruin everything."

Liz shook her head. "I don't understand. How could me and Max not being together determine the future? I mean... is it just our future it determines, or everyone's future? And how is it bad? Is it bad for everyone, or just us?"

Madam Vivian gave Liz a hard look, and she said in a very serious voice, "For everyone. You... you destroy the world."

"I destroy the world?" Liz repeated. "That's ridiculous." She stood up sharply. There was simply no way that anything this phony psychic was saying could actually be true. So maybe she wasn't going to be with Max in the future. But that she could somehow manage to destroy the world... Lies. Just grand predictions about things that couldn't possibly be true. Obviously, Madam Vivian thought she was just another sucker who could be pulled into her tricks, but Liz saw past the smoke and mirrors.

"It is only ridiculous if you refuse to see what is right there, staring at you," Madam Vivian said softly. "But I see the future. You have ruined it."

But Liz did not hear that last statement. She had already walked from the room. Stopping in front of Maria, she said sourly, "This was a waste of time. She's a cheap fraud." And she stalked from the house, letting the door slam shut behind her.

Alex glanced at Maria, worried. "Did Liz actually just do that? Did she storm from a room? Slam a door? Raise her voice above speaking level?"

Maria had already jumped to her feet, her own problems forgotten, and hurried after her friend. It was unlike Liz to react to anything in such a manner, and it concerned her. What could the psychic have said that would upset Liz so much? Make her lose control of her usually quiet demeanor?

She caught up with Liz on the lawn outside of Madam Vivian's house. The brunette was standing still, staring up at the blue sky, running a hand through her dark hair.

"Chica?"

Liz turned, her expression unreadable. "I destroy the world," she deadpanned.

Maria blinked. "You _what_?"

Liz let out a slow breath. "It doesn't matter," she said finally, although her tone lacked conviction. "She's a fraud anyway."

* * *

"We need to talk."

Tess looked up in surprise and frowned at the Sheriff. "Okay," she agreed hesitantly. "But I'm not sure I like the sound of that."

"Kyle out right now, isn't he?" Jim asked, taking a seat across from Tess at the kitchen table.

Tess nodded. "Yeah. Date with Trudy." She looked down at the hastily made omelet she was eating, then up at Jim. "Do you want me to make you something?" She knew perfectly well that he, like Kyle, lacked any form of cooking ability. At one point she had been forced to ban both men from the kitchen after they had nearly set the stove on fire. Since then, most of the cooking had been left to her.

"No, that's fine," Jim said, waving his hand dismisively. After a pause in which he seemed to be groping for words and Tess was left wondering what exactly was going on, he managed to say, "So... how's everything going?"

"Uh..." Tess faltered, unsure how to answer. "I think my grades are fine. And I haven't gotten into trouble." She tried to wrack her brain for anything that could have happened, but she came up blank. Anyway, maybe it wasn't about her? It was usually Kyle who got into trouble at school or got yelled at by the neighbors. Maybe he had done something? If so, she'd have to tell Jim that she had no idea what it was because, for once, that would actually be the truth.

"Really?" Jim asked, one eyebrow raised. "What about the... um... alien stuff?"

Tess gave Jim a calculating stare. "What do you want to know, specifically?"

"I want to know why you aren't telling me what happened last night," Jim answered bluntly. At Tess' look of feigned ignorance, he said with an annoyed note in his voice, "Tess, a mini-avalanche destroyed the walls around the old FREDS warehouse. And explosion inside left the place covered with dirt and dust and rocks. Now, given that this was the place that Senator Whitaker took you when you were kidnapped, I'm going to suggest that maybe there is more to this than meets the eye. Care to fill in the blanks?"

"I don't know what happened," Tess replied smoothly, rising to her feet. She leveled a steady stare at her adopted father and added truthfully, "I wasn't there." She was about to leave the table when Jim's hand closed on her wrist, tightly holding her in place. She looked at him, waiting, and he stared calmly back.

"Tess, I know you have another family besides me. And I know that you are either worried I will get hurt if I get involved or I will betray you all. I'm hoping you know me well enough to know you don't need to worry about the second concern. And maybe I will get hurt. Maybe _you_ will get hurt. You can't promise me you will stay safe, just like I can't promise you I will escape unscathed. But you know what? I am your father. And it is my business where you are and what is happening to you."

Tess yanked his arm out of his grip. "They aren't after you."

"I don't care," Jim answered, and his tone was such that Tess knew better than to simply walk away. She stared at him for a moment, considering her options. She could tell him the truth about the Harvest, but she had a feeling that after the trip to Copper Summit, he might overreact. Or she could lie, which would most likely permanently damage her relationship with him.

"Jim... there was a fight. Michael and Max were there, I wasn't. We... well, I guess you could say we won."

"Are Max and Michael okay?"

Tess shrugged. "They're fine." Max, she knew, was not going to be fine. When he finally realized all that he had done... But she couldn't dwell on that. Right now, it was more important that they stay alive and one step ahead of the skins. At all costs.

Everything else, they could deal with later.

"You weren't there?" Jim questioned.

"No," Tess answered, and noted the relief that instantly flooded Jim's expression when he determined that she was telling the truth about that. She hesitated, then said firmly, "But had I known what Michael and Max were going to do, I would have gone with them. I would have been there. We're family, Jim, and I can't turn my back on them."

Jim rose to his feet. "You're right," he agreed. "You can't turn your back on your family. And I can't turn my back on _my_ family. So don't ask me too."

* * *

"I'm telling you, Max, something happened!" Brody said jovially, clapping Max on the shoulder. "Something big. And I've got the proof." He stuffed the pages of printer paper under Max's nose and said triumphantly, "Just look at that. What do you see there?"

"Um..." Max studied the paper for a moment, noting the way the lines intersected and departed each other in strange patterns. "Some squigally things?"

"That's a readout of my MEFRA," Brody explained happily, setting the paper down on the table next to Max.

"Your what?" Max asked in complete bewilderment. "What's a mefra?" It sounded like some new Nerf toy, perhaps a type of football or something?

"My micro-electron field-ray adapter," Brody replied, shaking his head. "Come on, Max, keep up with the program, will you? I'm trying to explain something huge!"

"But I don't even know what that machines is or what it does," Max replied with a frown, his eyes moving towards the door to the back room. Brody had never let him into that room, even after all this time, and as a result, he had absolutely no idea what any of the weird technology did. But, he thought logically, even if he had been able to see those machines, he probably still would have had no idea what any of them did as they seemed to be greatly above his level of knowledge.

"It picks up electron rays," Brody said. "Which are the trails electrons make when they break free from their fields. And then it adapts them into computer language I can read. It allows me to determine where extraterrestrial phenomenon might have occurred, and when the event took place. You see, these micro-particles bounce off the moving electrons and create and echo..." He trailed off into some long, complicated technical explanation, and Max began to zone out, knowing he would never actually understand any of this, and then Brody finished loudly, "So you see, something huge happened last night!"

Max jolted upright. "Where? When? Can you tell what it was or who was there?"

"Now you're getting how exciting this is," Brody said with approval. He could see the anxiety on Max's face, although he clearly misinterpreted the reason for it. "And I can tell where it happened and probably a bit about what it was. What type of activity. But no, I won't be able to tell who was there." He shrugged, somewhat apologetically. "Ah, well. At least I have more proof."

The UFO Center was suddenly flooded with light as the door opened and a silloutte appeared at the top of the stairs. Brody turned, looking up at the figure and shading his eyes with one hand. Max turned as well, and found himself strangely pleased to see Isabel standing there.

"Ah, I see your charming sister has come to pay you a visit," Brody said happily, nearly bouncing on the balls of his toes. Go, take a break. Have some fun. You deserve it! Because soon, Max, very soon, we might find one or two of those aliens. And they can explain why they abducted us and how they cured me..." He trailed off, his expression softening a bit as he thought of his daughter, "and maybe they can cure someone else."

And with those last words, he bustled away.

"He's in a good mood," Isabel commented as she walked down the stairs.

Max came closer to her and whispered, "He detected alien activity last night. Probably from the Harvest. But it's okay, he says he can't determine who was there. Just that aliens were there and something happened. Something big."

Isabel bit her lip, but accepted this in silence. It was concerning, but so far Brody had appeared to be a harmless, if incredibly eccentric, young man. He was a good boss and a good father and most likely a decent human being.

"So... any questions from Mom and Dad about last night?" Max asked, breaking into her thoughts.

"No," Isabel replied. "They don't seem so suspicious."

"Either that or they are just not showing it," Max answered, slightly concerned. "Be careful, Izzy. And be alert."

Isabel nodded, warmed by the sound of her nickname. The ride home with Max last night had been tense, but at least no harsh words were exchanged, and she silently prayed that they would be able to quickly mend their differences and move forward. She could take Tess' ire and Michael's cold silence, but the loss of Max, her best friend, her brother, was almost impossible to bear.

"Max..." she started, and then stopped, unsure. But he turned to look at her, and there was something in his eyes that made her press forward, wanting to fill the silence, hoping he would finally listen to what she had to say. "I'm sorry. I really, truly am. I should not have lied to you. To any of you. But I was scared. Terrified."

"Of what, Isabel?" Max asked, cutting into her words. "What did you think would happen if you told us? Did you really think we would turn on you? How could not trust us?"

"I did trust you," Isabel answered honestly. "But I... Max, I _killed_you. Maybe not directly, but it was my fault you died. My fault we all died and I..." She shook her head, words seeming so inadequate to describe the horror that had rose within her at Whitaker's words. That harsh accusation, the stark reality that she was responsible... "And I didn't want to burden you with it. It was my fault, and I was the one who had to suffer the consequences of the truth. Why make it so much harder for you, Michael, and Tess?"

"Because we deserved to know," Max answered honestly. "Because we never do anything unilaterally. We are a team, Isabel, and..."

"You made a unilateral decision to heal Liz," Isabel pointed out quietly. It was not an accusation but a mere statement of fact. "And Michael made a unilateral decision to investigate Atherton's house and Copper Summit. And Liz made a unilateral decision to tell Alex and Maria the truth about us."

Max flinched and turned away from her, walking across the dust cement floor, staring at all the different exhibits he had created for Brody. Everything anyone could ever want to know about aliens... And all of it, he knew, most likely false. Most likely lies. Perhaps a grain of truth in some, but... Conspiracy theories that could never be proved lined the walls, next to charts and graphs and different equations. An eccentric man's study, and alien-believer's paradise, a tourist trap.

"You're supposed to be different," Max said finally.

Isabel nodded. "Yeah... Alex said the same thing," she agreed. "That you're mad because you never thought I would lie to you."

Max smiled ever so slightly. "Alex is a smart man."

"So I get your approval for dating him, then?" Isabel joked. But when Max nodded, she felt a rush of pleasure, and realized with a start that his approval had been so important to her all along, and she had simply not realized it.

"I'm sorry," Max said finally. "I... I suppose I reacted too harshly to what I had learned. But to find out that you lied to me... and Vilandra betrayed Zan in the past..."

Isabel nodded, blinking back the tears. "I know. I... God, Max, I am so sorry for what I did. For getting us all killed."

"Don't be," Max said softly, turning back towards her. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't you. It was Vilandra, and you are _not_ her."

"But I am," Isabel replied, just as softly but with a tone underlined in steel. "I know I am. I know she is there. And that scares me. Terrifies me. Whitaker said... Whitaker said that they want me. Me, Max. Not you, not anyone else. I... Khivar wants me back because he thinks he can bring back Vilandra. And what if he can?"

"He can't," Max said, crossing quickly to Isabel and reaching up to wipe away a few of her tears. "He can't and he won't because we will not let him. I promise you, Izzy, I will not let Khivar have you. Not now, not ever."

* * *

_Ten years later..._

"Why won't you go after Isabel?" Alex hissed angrily, jabbing his finger towards the map. "You know where she is. Khivar practically _told _you!"

"And Khivar is hardly to be trusted," Michael retorted fiercely. "Besides, what good would it do her to get ourselves killed on a suicide mission?"

Alex shook his head, backing away from Michael. His gaze switched to Max, but the hybrid king sat at the desk, blithely ignoring the entire conversation while he focused on the papers spread out before him. Alex, fuming at the other two men, snarled, "Of course not. You wouldn't want to risk your life for her, would you?" And he spun on his heel and stormed away.

Michael nearly put his fist through the wall as Alex walked past him and out of the room. The tension between the two had come to the point where he often had to remind himself that he could not kill this human, no matter how much he may want to. But he could not keep the bitterness from welling inside his chest every time he saw Alex.

Max looked up from the desk as Alex left, barely even registering the fury in Michael's eyes. But then his gaze went to Michael's hands, clenched into tight fists, and he said sharply, "Calm down."

Michael sent him a glare, but did his best to force his temper back under control. "Just once, I'd like to..."

"It doesn't matter what you would or wouldn't like to do, Michael," Max said calmly, rising to his feet, "you are not allowed to pummel Alex. Even if he is being annoying."

"It's more than annoying," Michael growled. "He's downright offensive."

"He's grieving," Max chided softly. "He's lost a lot."

A darkness passed through Michael's eyes. "We've all lost a lot," he answered stonily.

Max exhaled slowly. "True." He looked past Michael to the calendar on the wall. "Do you know what day it is?"

"Uh... Thursday?"

Max gave a fleeting smile, then said, "It is ten years since the Harvest. Ten years and one day." He looked briefly at Michael, then wandered over to the window and stared out at the rest of the compound. "Ten years ago, on this very day, I promised Isabel that I would be able to protect her. That I would never let Khivar get her, never let Vilandra emerge." He paused, a silence filling the air, brutal in its intensity. Then Max turned, eyes haunted, and met Michael's gaze. "I made her a promise, but I wasn't able to keep it, was I? For all my efforts, Vilandra still broke through. I wasn't able to protect her."

"No," Michael agreed. "None of us were."

* * *

Next Chapter: Imperfect Future

Due: Sun 9/21


	29. Imperfect Future

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This is a very short chapter. I really just wrote it because I wanted to give a glimpse of the future, of what the world is like now that Khivar has taken over. The next chapter will take us back to the present, and it will be normal length.

Also, I made Vilandra (the past-life, not the dupe) a bit more evil in my story than she actually was on the show.

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Imperfect Future

_Ten years in the future..._

When the fiery anger finally left Michael's eyes, Alex almost wished it would return. He could stand anger. He could stand rage, fury, wrath. But this emptiness, this hurt and pain and anguish... It left him feeling sick and guilty and frustrated all at the same time.

It had been a very long time since he and Michael saw eye-to-eye on anything. It had been a very long time since they had managed to have any form of conversation that did not end with furious words and shouts and threats. But he still cared about the hybrid general, if only because, in those stormy eyes, he saw a reflection of the one woman he had ever truly loved. Like Max, Michael was a tie to Isabel, his Isabel, now that she was gone.

"I want her back too, Alex," Michael said softly, turning away from the human. "Max and I... we want so desperately to save her from this. But you have to understand our position. We can't just..."

And that was all it took for the temper to flare once more, and any guilt Alex might have been feeling was washed away by the sudden flood of helpless fury that filled every single cell of his body. "No," he said, his words bitter, "I suppose you can't save her, can you?"

Michael stepped back as though he had been slapped.

The argument was alwasy the same, like reheasing steps to a dance. Alex would accuse them of leaving Isabel to her fate, Max and Michael would retort by saying that they just couldn't save her, Alex would reply that they weren't trying hard enough, and everything would almost come to blows.

"Stop it, both of you," a voice interrupted, and a dark-haired woman stepped into the room, green eyes flashing with anger. "You are not helping the situation any by arguing."

Alex looked at her for a moment, then said, "Of course not. Nobody is ever helping the situation. We just sit here and let Khivar destroy everything."

"We did not let this happen," Michael hissed. "We fought him. Or did you forget that, Alex? Did you forget all the times we almost died protecting you? Protecting our base?"

"Did you forget the one time Max turned his back on us?" Alex answered, a memory flashing through his mind. He had sworn to himself a long time ago that, no matter what, he would never use Maria's death against Michael. No matter how angry he became, no matter how much he wanted to hurt the taciturn General, he would never use that day in an argument. Never.

But that promise was forgotten, and as soon as he said the words he found he was far too livid to stop. Sentences came tumbling out, words and phrases backed by years of hiding and fighting and all the grief that came with losing everything and everyone he had ever loved.

"Did you forget that, Michael? Did you forget how Max was too caught up in his own life to realize what was happening to the rest of us? Did you forget how Maria paid the price for your King's selfish blindness?" The image of Maria's body, lifeless, cold, covered in bruises, passed before his eyes. He had not forgotten what had happened, and he certainly had not forgotten the role Max had played in bringing about the death of his best friend.

Michael's face was pale and bloodless, but his eyes smoldered with emotion as he answered, "Of course I have not forgotten that day, Alex. Nor the day Tess died. And who was responsible for that?"

"Stop it!" the dark-haired woman practically screeched. "Stop it, now!"

"As you wish, Serena," Michael sneered, and walked from the room.

Alex sank back onto the sofa and stared about him. The room was nothing more than a bunker, cement walls and bars across the windows to protect them from an attack. Of course, that protection would not be enough if the skins ever figured out just exactly where they were. They were protected by their secrecy more than any physical structure, and he knew that that would only last for a matter of time.

They would not win this war.

Serena glanced at him, admonishment in her eyes. "How could you?" she asked softly, taking a seat across from him on a three-legged stool.

Alex met her gaze and shook his head. "I said what was true," he insisted. The fall-out was not entirely his fault, he knew, although if he were honest with himself, he had played a role in it. But they had fractured and fallen so far, and he was almost positive there was no way they could reform themselves into the group they had once been. With Maria, Liz, and Tess all gone, and Isabel now their enemy, there was nothing left to hold the three original Roswellians together, and every day Michael and Max drifted just a little bit further away from their human one-time friend.

Serena did not answer. He knew she had been working on a plan, although she had been very tight-lipped on what it might be. Her gaze was far away, lost in her own thoughts, and he stared moodily through the thin slits between the bars in the window and wished they could all be made whole again.

* * *

When Liz had left, the first thing Max had felt was anger. How could she just walk out on them after all that had happened? How could she abandon these people when they were in the middle of fighting a war?

The next emotion was guilt. Even after Courtney's little mind trick had worn off and he had become Max Evans once again, he had not paid Liz any attention. He had been far too caught up in his own pain at all the things he had done, all the people he had killed while pretending to be this king from another time and place. And he had sought help from Michael, Isabel, and Tess because they understood what it felt like to know that it was kill or be killed, and they would have to take many more lives before this was all over. And so he had not seen the pain in Liz's eyes or the resignation in her expression. He had not realized just how much he was driving her away...

...until she left.

The third emotion was determination. Determination to bring her back. He was temporarily thwarted by Mr. Parker, who refused to give Max Liz's contact information and made it very clear that his daughter was not going to be returning from her prestigious boarding school any time soon. She would finish her third and fourth years of high school there, go to Harvard, and become and molecular biologist. And nothing, not even pleas from Max, could change Mr. Parker's mind on that.

It was three weeks after Liz had left that he felt the final emotion. Complete, uncontrollable, indescribable anguish.

It was three weeks after Liz had left Roswell that Khivar showed up in the sleepy little desert town, his face filled with ruthless triumph and mocking cruelty, and had carelessly tossed Liz's lifeless body at Max's feet.

* * *

When Max had left, the first emotion Isabel had felt was fear. It had been only about five weeks since the Harvest, and so much had changed in that time. Max had finally returned to his normal personality and had been so consumed by self-loathing for all the things he had done under the influence of his past-life, and Courtney and Trevor had brought chaos into their lives. This, combined with her own concerns about Vilandra, had left her so exhausted and weary, that when Liz had returned, dead, Isabel had been far too numb to think of anything at all. So when Max had left, intent on finding revenge, she had felt fear. How was she supposed to do this without him?

Then came the anger. How dare he leave them all now, right when they needed him the most? Didn't he know that this was a war? Did he see just how important he was, just how much they relied on him?

And then there was there was the worry. He was alone, by himself, caught up in his own grief, pursuing a murderer, a vicious alien killer who would most likely destroy him.

But the final emotion was, once again, fear. Because, with Max off pursuing his own agenda, they were vulnerable. She had spent so much time worrying about what would happen to Max, she never even thought about what would happen to them. And when the skins attacked, when Maria threw herself in front of a burst of energy meant for Michael and died before their very eyes... then she was back to feeling fear.

* * *

When Isabel left, the one and only emotion Alex had felt was despair. It had been six years since the deaths of Liz and Maria, since Max had become a broken, unrecognizable man, since Michael had become embittered and angry, since they had fled Roswell and everything they had ever known for a life of constant fighting and hiding and praying to God for some kind of miracle.

He never knew how Khivar had found them. The attack was swift, sudden... and unstoppable. In the panic, in the frenzy, the only thought that had entered his mind was that he needed to find Isabel... and he did.

Tess was screaming at him to stop, because she had already realized what he had yet to notice - this was not Isabel.

He never knew how Khivar had gotten to her, how he had reawakened the part of her she fought so hard to keep at bay. But too late he had seen the darkness in those eyes.

He should have escaped. He would have, too, had he not been so horrified. Had he not been so sure he could save her. Max and Michael were already fading into the distance, protected by the few alien and human friends who stood beside them in this war, and they were yelling at him to come with them. But he didn't. He went after Isabel instead.

And Isabel - no, Vilandra - turned and waved her hand, a rush of fire exploding towards him with the sole intent to kill...

He had watched in numb horror as Tess pushed him out of the way, as her still body crumpled at his feet, as her eyes glazed over in pain and then shut in death... and as Isabel gave him one last look and then walked away.

With Khivar.

Standing in the ruins of their base, with Tess' dead body at his feet, watching as Isabel left and never once looked back... the one and only emotion Alex had felt was despair.

* * *

Four more years had followed. Four years of fighting. Four years of losing. Four years of watching the world destroyed around them.

Four years of pain and heartache and grief and fear and despair and terror and anger.

Four years...

* * *

Serena found Michael sitting alone on the floor of one of the many abandoned rooms. She paused in the doorway, a sympathetic expression on her face. She had never met Maria, and Michael rarely talked about her. But when he did... She knew he loved her. And she knew that not a single day went by that he did not think about her, miss her, desperately wish he could see her again.

"What do you want?" Michael snapped, glancing up at her with a fierce gaze.

Serena took a seat across from him on the floor. "Alex didn't mean..."

"Didn't he?" Michael interrupted angrily. He refused to meet Serena's gaze, and she let out a small sigh of frustration.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she asked.

"Actually," he replied in a low growl, "I was thinking about Trevor."

Serena knew better than to say anything. He rarely spoke about his brother, and if he wanted to say something now, she wasn't going to get in the way. But his face was blank and his lips remained firmly shut, and they sat in silence for a moment longer before she felt the desire to speak was just too much to ignore.

"What about him?"

Michael looked at her, his eyes darkening into something hard and terrifying. He rose to his feet in a sudden movement and began to pace like a caged tiger. Each step echoed in the stillness, bouncing off the walls. The way his body radiating fury would have frightened her had she not known him as well as she did. But they were close now, closer than he had been to any human save the original three, and she waited for him to put his turbulent thoughts into words.

"I wish he was dead."

Serena digested this cautiously, tearing apart the words and putting them back together, hoping to find something in his simple phrase besides the simmering rage. "Why?" she questioned tentatively, wondering even as she asked the single word if she really wanted to hear the answer.

"He's the enemy," Michael cried, spinning to face Serena. She no longer had any advantage over him, since she was still sitting on the floor and he towered above her. She leaned back into the wall, letting his anger wash through the air. His words came out from between clenched teeth, and she could practically feel the crackling electricity of his pain.

"He's your brother," Serena countered softly, "and he's been trying for a very long time to stay loyal to you."

Michael seemed to sag under the weight of her words. "Not enough," he whispered. "He wasn't trying enough." He looked at her, but she knew he wasn't seeing her. His gaze was unfocused, his mind lost on other, darker, thoughts. "He should have warned us..."

"Which time?" Serena asked pointedly.

"He knew, Serena!" Michael snarled, and this time the anger jumped back into his words with such intensity that Serena started, frightened. For him. Of him. He turned away and started pacing once again, loud steps filled with fervent emotion. "He had to have known about the attacks. Maria, Isabel... even Liz might still be here if he had just warned us..."

It was more complicated than that, they both knew. Trevor would never give his loyalty to Max, ever. There was too much hatred there, too many memories of Zan and the war on Antar, for Trevor ever to truly join their side. But for all his disgust for the hybrid king, there was also never any doubt in Serena's mind that Trevor would have sacrificed himself for Michael in a heartbeat. The bond of brotherhood was too strong, and he could not turn away while Michael was in danger.

And yet the things he had done... and all the things he had failed to do. All the times he hadn't warned them about an upcoming attack...

Michael might have been able to forgive him for Liz's death, or for what had happened to Isabel. He had not been directly responsible for either of those, and he had sworn before them all that he did _not _know they would happen until it was far too late to stop it. But Maria...

"He was too busy fighting that stupid feud with Courtney," Michael said, leaning against the wall as all the fight drained from his body. "He could never let go of his bitterness, never believe that she might be even slightly trustworthy. He knew that the skins were going to attack us then... he _knew_, and he made the choice to go after Courtney instead of warning us. And Maria..." He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to, Serena knew what he was thinking about, knew the painful memories that were moving through his mind. "I loved her."

"I know," Serena answered, even though he hadn't really been speaking to her. "And I think I have an idea for how you can save her."

He looked at her, a mixture of hope and pain reflected in his suddenly clear eyes. "What...?"

Serena smiled at him, and began to outline her idea. "Here's the thing; everything started with Liz. So that's what needs to be changed. And as long as you can get to the Granolith, this will work. Here's what you need to do..."

* * *

Next Chapter: The End of My World (in which we return to the present time)

Due: Sun 9/28


	30. The End of My World

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Sorry for the delay, I hit a bit of writer's block on this chapter. Also, when I refer to Michael in this chapter, he is Future Michael and not Present Michael. Should both of them appear in the next chapter, I will designate them by Present and Future, but for now, Michael is always the Michael from the future.

* * *

Chapter Thirty: The End of My World

Present time...

Liz sat down on the edge of her bed and stared slowly at the mirror across from her. She had done her best to hold everything together, but somehow she couldn't quite rid herself of the feeling that maybe the psychic was right, maybe Madam Vivian had been telling the truth. Maybe, somehow, she was responsible for ruining the lives of everyone she cared about, everything she loved.

Given that she knew secrets that, in the wrong hands, could bring all of her friends into peril, it was not unlikely that she might make a mistake...

Outside her window, there was a crash of thunder, and a flash of lightning illuminated the alley below. She frowned at the inky sky, then turned away and pulled herself back into her bed, wrapping her arms around her legs. She had told Maria and Alex that she did not believe anything the psychic had said, and both seemed to agree to that readily enough. But could she so easily lie to herself? They might have believed her words, but the doubt still remained, lingering in the pit of her stomach, like something heavy and final.

Another crash of distant thunder, followed moments later by a flash of bright lightning. But it was not the severity of the storm outside her window that caught her attention, but rather the passing of a shadow over the glass, and then a figure shoved her window open and toppled through, nearly collapsing onto the ground.

"Michael?"

It was Michael, and yet it wasn't. He was older, his hair longer and unkempt, his eyes haunted by something she could not even begin to decipher. Her first thought was that the person was some sort of shape-shifter, and she inched towards her phone, her eyes never leaving the stranger's pale face.

"Liz..." the not-quite-Michael breathed, and the sound of his voice caught her off-guard. She hesitated, eyes flicking quickly to the phone, and then to the door, before returning to the other man's face.

"Who are you?" she asked finally, her words quiet but forceful.

He looked up at her, lips quirking into a smirk. "Wow, Parker. Didn't think you'd forget me so fast.

"You're not Michael," Liz said, taking a few steps away from him. "You can't possibly be Michael. Because Michael is..."

"I am Michael," he cut her off, rising to his feet quickly and walking towards her. She tried to back away, but he was suddenly at her side, able to move with surprising alacrity, and he caught her hand before she could pick up her phone. "I'm from the future. About ten years or so. And I need your help."

"The future?" Liz echoed, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's crazy. Look, whoever you are, I think you should..."

"In about thirty seconds, Maria is going to call you," Michael said, glancing at the clock on her wall.

"How do you know that?" Liz asked suspiciously.

"Because she and I will have just gotten into a fight. She's worried that I'm going to cheat on her with some other girl, although she can't tell me why she's worried about it, and then we're going to yell at each other until she leaves in tears. She's going to call you, and then later you're going to call me and tell me I'm being an idiot. And you're going to explain about what that psychic Maria was so obsessed with told her, and I'm suddenly going to understand why Maria is so convinced another woman will break up our relationship."

"You know about that?" Liz asked, but before Michael could answer, the air was suddenly filled with the chiming ring of her phone. She gave Michael a calculating look, but answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Chica!"

"Maria, what's wrong?" Liz asked, hearing the tears in her friends voice even as she let her mind wander back to Michael. He was not looking at her anymore, but rather staring past her. She followed his gaze, and saw that his eyes had landed on a picture of her and Maria resting on her dresser, propped up against the wall. The look in his eyes unnerved her, and she wandered what he was remembering.

"Michael and I got into a fight," Maria began, her voice wavering between upset, frustrated, and angry. "He won't take anything I say seriously."

"What did you say to him?" Liz asked cautiously, knowing already what the answer would be.

"I was worried about him and another girl."

"What other girl?"

"The one the psychic warned us about!"

"The psychic was a phony, Maria. Come on, we already talked about this. You don't have to worry."

"What about Courtney, Liz? Or... I don't know, even Isabel! Both of them wanted him in his past life. What makes you think..."

"Maria," Liz interrupted, refusing to let Maria continue her rant, "listen to me. You know Michael isn't interested in Courtney. He went to that factory to fight the skins because he wanted to protect you, _not _her. And Isabel... that's just... I mean, think about it. Out of the six of us, Alex and Isabel are the only ones who have actually had a decent relationship in the past few months. Isabel is not going to go pursuing Michael."

"I know, but..."

"No. No buts," Liz protested.

There was a pause, then Maria commented dryly, "Wow, Lizze, you've gotten authoritative."

Liz didn't answer right away. Her concentration had drifted back to the conversation with Maria, and so she had barely noticed as Michael came up behind her, leaning his head towards the phone, desperate to catch each hint of Maria's voice. Again, the look in his eyes unnerved her, but this time she could identify the emotions that flickered in his stormy gaze. There was pain and grief and longing. And underneath it all, hatred.

"Liz? Chica?"

"Yeah, I'm here, Maria. Um... what did Michael say when you argued with him?"

"He said if I didn't trust him, then maybe we shouldn't even bother trying to have a relationship."

Michael winced as he heard the words, and whispered to Liz, "Tell her I love her."

"He loves you," Liz dutifully repeated, her skin tingling with the sensation of Michael's closeness. She did not like him in such tight proximity, even though somehow she was fairly certain that this actually was Michael. But every bit of logic and rational was telling her that she couldn't trust her instincts or her gut because, really, how could this be Michael? Time travel was impossible...

Wasn't it?

She took a few steps away from the hybrid General and continued the conversation with Maria.

"So, what happened exactly in the fight? How did it get to the point where he is telling you that he wants to break up?"

"I don't know. I mean, one minute we were just talking, and then... Oh, God, I don't even know how it got like this, Liz. I was just so... worried. I mean, he might not be interested in Courtney, but still..."

After a few more minutes of insisting to Maria that she was overreacting and that she should just let Michael cool off until tomorrow and go back to talk to him them, Liz hung up the phone and turned to her enigmatic and still not-quite-trustworthy house guest. She scrutinized him carefully, taking in every aspect of his appearance, every hint or clue she could find in the lines of his face. If he was telling the truth, if he really was from the future, then she did not want to know what that future was like. What kind of times could make someone look so haunted, so desperate, so anguished? What could have happened to erase the happiness so completely from his life?

"Okay," she said finally, "let's suppose I believe you. What are you even doing here?"

Michael settled himself onto her bed, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and frowning at her. "I'm trying to save the future. Our future. And the entire world."

"How did you get here?"

"The Granolith," Michael explained. "It can do a lot of very amazing things, one of which is to allow someone to travel through time. I don't know all the specifics, something about the time and space continuum and fractured rays and something else..." He shrugged apologetically, and added, "Serena was the one who figured it all out. She's the scientist in the group."

Liz inhaled sharply, a pang of jealousy filling her heart. She was supposed to be the scientist of the group, the girl with aspirations for molecular biology and Harvard. Whoever this Serena was, what gave her the right to take over as the scientist?

"Who is Serena?" she asked, trying to disguise the bitterness.

If Michael heard the hidden emotion, he did not comment on it. He looked away, not meeting her eyes, and answered, "A friend. In the future."

"Oh... um, alright. So... you took the Granolith back in time to save the future."

"Yeah," Michael answered in a choked whisper.

"So we should call a group meeting," Liz suggested, her mind jumping to the first possible course of action that crossed her confused thoughts. "You can explain this to the others, and we can..."

"No!" Michael's outburst was loud, sudden, and sharp. Liz flinched, and he looked instantly contrite, but a desperation glimmered in his eyes even as he rose to his feet and turned away from her. "No," he said again, this time in a softer voice. "We can't."

"Why not?"

He let out a slow breath, and when he spoke, it was clear that he was choosing his words carefully. "I can't repeat some of this information to certain people."

Liz wrinkled her nose slightly. "What do you mean? Don't you trust us?"

"I...yes." Again, Michael paused as though trying to think of how to answer. "It's not that, it's just..."

Liz watched him begin to pace. The hesitancy in his voice, the way he thought through everything before saying a single word, was so unlike the Michael she knew. What had happened to change his behavior, to push him away from the rash, impatient, sometimes reckless person he once was?

"Just what?" she demanded.

"I can't see me. Something about both of us being in the same place, I... I don't know. Serena just said to make sure I stayed away from my past self, or I'd end up erasing me."

"Okay," Liz murmured, accepting that bit of information. "What about Max and Isabel? Or Tess?"

Michael looked at her again, a sardonic smile pulling at the corners of his lips. "What I'm going to tell you, Liz, you have to promise me you will never tell to Isabel. _Ever_."

"Why?"

He was suddenly in front of her, his hands tightening around her upper arms until it nearly hurt, his face inches away from her own. "Promise me."

"Michael..."

"Promise me you won't tell her, Liz! Promise me."

"You're hurting me!"

He let go of her as though his hands had been burned and stepped away, and the fierce and almost wild light in his eyes was gone. His face was devoid of all expression as he turned away, walking back across the room. He did not apologize for his actions, and as Liz slowly rubbed her hands up and down her arms, she felt a sudden thrill of fear. She had not been this afraid of the aliens since she had first discovered who they were and just what they were capable of doing. But back then, both Michael and Tess had terrified her, and she was starting to remember just what that had felt like.

But it was Michael. Michael would never try to hurt her, no matter what.

Right?

"She can't know," he said again in a low voice. "Isabel can't know."

"Fine," Liz answered, "I won't tell her. But... why not? Why are you so afraid of that?"

"Because if I succeed in this, if my future never happens, then... then I don't want her to know what happened to her. What she did to us... what _he _made her do. I couldn't... I could never be so cruel as to let her live with the knowledge of..." He trailed off and shook his head, as though shaking away a memory. "And if I don't succeed," he added softly, "then anything I may reveal to her about the future could end up in the wrong hands."

Liz longed to ask who the _he _in Michael's statement was, who had been able to harm Isabel so greatly. But some sixth sense stopped her from asking the question, and she had the feeling that Michael would reveal the answers soon enough. So she let the subject of Isabel slide for the moment, and asked, "And what about Max? Why can't you tell him?"

"Max will tell Isabel. He won't want to, but... in the end, she'll be able to tell that he is keeping secrets from her, and eventually he will break and tell her everything to keep her from thinking that he distrusts her. I remember this year, Liz, and I know what is going to happen in the next few months. Max and Isabel are trying to repair what was broken by Courtney's little mind-trick, and..."

"_Courtney _did that?" Liz interrupted, outraged. "To Max? Made him like Zan?"

Michael answered with a trace of ironic humor, "She said she was only trying to help us. And she did, actually. In more ways then one. Becoming Zan will benefit Max in some ways..." But then he stopped, seeming to stumble across some other thought, and his gaze dropped to the ground. "But... it will break him, too." Liz opened her mouth to press for details, but Michael continued speaking, ignoring her protesting words as she tried to glean more information than he was truly willing to divulge. "Alex, I... he and I do not really... get along... in the future. Too much has happened, and I... I'd rather not see him right now. That leaves you, Tess, and Maria."

"So why me?"

"Because you are the focal point of this entire plan," Michael replied simply. "I was going to have to explain it to you anyway, but I don't... Tess might be able to help you, but I doubt it. What you are going to need to do... she's not the one you want to ask for aid."

"And Maria...?"

His eyes flicked up to her face, and then away. He said nothing, and in the silence that fell between the two, Liz could hear the unspoken fears. She wondered what exactly had happened to Maria, but found that she didn't really want to know. It was enough to have irrevocably changed Michael, to have twisted him to the point that he was afraid to see her again, to have to be in her presence, and that knowledge was bad enough.

"I love... loved... her," Michael murmured, and Liz swallowed back a bitter taste of fear and grief.

Loved. Past tense. She did not want to know what had happened.

"So... how am I the focal point of your plan?"

Michael sank back onto her bed, his eyes darkening with bitterness as he answered her question. "The world falls apart. Completely. We've lost almost everything, and Khivar... he practically wins. But everything... the way our lives get ruined... it is a pattern. A pattern that starts with you."

Thoughts of Madam Vivian passed through her mind, thoughts of the prediction that she would bring about the end of the world. "What... wh-what did I do?" she asked breathlessly, feeling a fear rising in her chest, nearly suffocating her. Had she somehow inadvertently put all her friends in danger? Had she made a wrong choice, believed a wrong person? Had she betrayed them all?

Michael stared at her as he replied, "You _died_."

Liz felt as though the blood in her veins had turned to ice. Everything slowed down and sped up at the same time, and it seemed suddenly as though Michael was speaking from somewhere far away, as though a thin veil of cotton or gauze separated her from the rest of the world. How could she have died?

"In the next weeks, things will get much worse between you and Max. You'll leave, wanting to get away from Max, convincing yourself that he belongs with Tess, or, at least, that he does not belong with you. That you are only holding him back. But once you're gone... Khivar will find you. Kill you. And our first meeting with that traitorous bastard of a king will be when he delivers your lifeless body to us."

Liz gasped in shock, tears pricking at her eyes.

"Before the year is over, you will die, and Max will just completely... fall apart. You don't realize this now, but you... you're everything to Max. Without you, he can't... can't do anything. Can't lead or fight or even... even just survive You die, and the world spirals into darkness..." He stopped, suddenly unable to speak any further.

* * *

Michael watched impatiently as Liz slipped out the door of the room. He had known coming back from the future would be difficult, but somehow he had not expected it to be this hard.

Liz had taken everything pretty well. He could see the horror in her eyes when he spoke of her death, and with a grim smile he realized that horror would only get worse once he explained all that had happened after she had died. But he hadn't even been able to start that conversation, because Liz, caught up in all that she had learned, had muttered some excuse about needing to use the bathroom, and stepped by him before he could think to stop her.

He walked over to the dresser and reached out one hand, his fingers hovering in the air over the photo of Liz and Maria. Maria was smiling rather abrasively, her trademark grin turned partially away from the camera. Liz, it was obvious, was refraining from rolling her eyes at whoever had taken the picture, and Michael had a suspicion that it was most likely Alex behind the lens.

It was strange, speaking to Liz, seeing her so alive. His memories of Liz were always tainted by anger and frustration at what her death had caused, and even though he knew he could not blame her for all that had happened, he could not quite bring himself to forgive her for it either. Max, when he spoke of Liz, always recalled the Liz they had known the year before this one, the bright, stubborn, determined girl who would not back down from danger, even when that danger was alien. But Michael... he remembered this Liz, the one who had been so hurt by Max that she had lost herself completely, and had run from everyone and everything. They were two completely different people, and for this crazy plan of Serena's to work at all, they needed the other Liz back.

He dropped his arm to his side and switched his gaze to the half of the photo containing Maria. He knew every line of her face, every smile, every gesture, every look in her eyes. After her death, he'd started seeing her in random places, like a ghost that would not leave him alone. He'd spoken to her, and she had spoken back, and he had been so content to lose himself in his own imagination...

But reality always came back, forcing dreams aside, and as the war continued, his thoughts of Maria began to fade until she was just a slight memory that tingled at the edges of his awareness, constantly reminding him in a subtle and indirect way that something was missing from his life.

And now he was here.

So close to Maria.

And all he wanted was to see her again...

He turned away from the picture with a determined sigh. He knew he could not see Maria, could not go and speak to her. He did not have the luxury of wasting time on trivial matters such as that, and he knew that if he were to see Maria, he would lose all his drive to finish this task, and instead spend all his time in the past just with her.

Besides, if he was successful, then Maria would not die, and all of this would be a moot point anyway.

Liz had been gone a while. He bit back the urge to go searching for her, knowing that he could not take the chance of being seen by anyone else. It would be difficult to explain to Jeff and Nancy Parker how he had suddenly aged ten years overnight.

He ran a hand through his hair and thought about Liz for a moment, then pushed his thoughts away from her as well. Instead, his mind wandered the other others, landing, as it often did, on Isabel.

Contrary to whatever Liz might think about his reaction earlier, he did not distrust Isabel at all. It was Vilandra who had earned his suspicions and dislike, and he knew that Isabel was not Vilandra. Somewhere inside that body, Isabel was trapped, having to watch Vilandra use her powers and her life to end the world, and for her, Michael could feel nothing but pity and grief. She was as dead to them as everyone else now, unable to be saved, no matter what Alex might believe. Khivar was too cautious with her, too unwilling to risk her life and her safety. Any attempt they could make to free her would only end in more unnecessary deaths.

So they had abandoned Isabel to her fate, and let Vilandra roam free, and for that, Michael knew he would always feel the bubbling sensation of guilt in his stomach.

He only hoped this would save her, too.

His thoughts were interrupted by Liz, who reappeared in the doorway. He watched her closely, but her expression did not betray her thoughts as she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. "Maria's dead, isn't she?" the brunette said bluntly.

"Yes," Michael answered, doing his best to keep the image of her lifeless eyes from his mind.

"And Max? Alex? Isabel? Tess?"

Michael looked away, over towards the window. The thunder and lightning had stopped now, but the sky was full of storm clouds, and the night was nearly oppressing in its darkness. "Tess is dead. Alex and Max are alive. Isabel is... not herself." Then, just to drive the point home even more, he added, "Your parents are dead as well. So is Diane Evans, Amy DeLuca, and Kyle Valenti. Jim might be alive, but if so, we don't know where. We haven't had contact with him since Tess... Same with Philip Evans. We don't know..."

Liz took a breath, inhaling slowly. "Tell me what happened," she said at last, "and tell me what I need to do to stop it from happening again."

* * *

Next Chapter: History and That Whole Repetition Thing

Due: Sun 10/12


	31. HIstory and That Whole Repetition Thing

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Once again _so _for the delay. It wasn't even writer's block, it was Internet and computer problems... Again, the Michael in this chapter is Future Michael. Present Michael will not appear until the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-One: History and That Whole Repetition Thing

"You need to patch things up with Max."

Liz found herself irrationally annoyed at how simply Michael said it, as though it would take nothing more than a few words to save her rapidly crumbling relationship with the hybrid king.

"And how exactly do you think I should go about doing that? I don't know what you remember about this current Max, but he is pretty obsessed with being a king. And Tess."

Michael gave Liz a sharp look, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against her wall. "It was always about Tess for you, wasn't it? From day one..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Liz demanded hotly.

"You didn't like Tess. She was the one you were afraid of when you first discovered the truth about us. She was the one you kept telling Max you didn't trust. And then, just when you finally figure out how to deal with her, it turns out that she's Max's wife from the past, and you get insecure and jealous. Tess was always... for you, she was always a problem. _Always_."

"Well, you know what? She didn't exactly make it easy for me!"

Michael snorted, shaking his head. "Of course she didn't. She's Tess. What did you expect?"

Liz inhaled slowly, looking past Michael towards the window, towards the inky night sky. She had expected nothing from Tess when she first discovered the identity of the four aliens. She had known Tess long enough to know that her icy personality would not simply melt, and Michael was right that she had always felt a little wrong-footed around the petite blonde. But she had always been one who tried to see the good in people, and there most certainly was good in Tess, it just took a little longer to find than with the other three.

So the insecurity she felt now had nothing to do with Tess... and everything to do with the way that Max acted around her.

"He loves her."

Michael didn't even bother softening the answer, "With all his heart."

She snapped her gaze back to his face. "Then how can you ask me to..."

"Because," Michael answered before she could finish the question, "he isn't in love with her. And you should know that. When he looks at her..."

"It is as though she is the only person in the room," Liz snapped bitterly, anger showing plainly on her face. Michael might think it was just a small matter of a few words and some more effort on her part, but it was so much more than that. How could he believe that she would have just given up on Max if she hadn't seen with her own eyes how much he didn't need her anymore?

"Now you're just being melodramatic. And idiotic," Michael remarked casually, dropping his arms to his side. "Does he look at her the way he looked at you? The way you looked at him? The way I looked at Maria?"

Liz let a slight smile tug at the corner of her lips. "Are you admitting to being mushy and sentimental?"

"Why not?" Michael answered with a matching grin. "It's not like anyone would believe you if you told them that. I think my secret is safe."

Liz ran a hand through her hair and sat down on the edge of her bed, trying to remember the more recent interactions between Max and Tess. It was obvious that before Courtney played her little mind-trick, there was no romantic chemistry between the two. But with Zan's influence... And yet, Liz thought as she tilted her head to the side and regarded Michael shrewdly, it was true that it was not always love she had seen in his eyes. Sometimes it was admiration or adoration. Amusement, of course, and an eagerness to please. But love...?

"We learned a lot about our past lives," Michael said, walking over to Liz and taking a seat next to her on the bed. "Isabel and I were in an unhappily arranged betrothal. We didn't dislike each other, but we also weren't in love. I tried to be considerate, she tried to be patient, but then... Khivar came along, and my steady, but rather boring, presence could not keep Isabel from falling for him. And she did fall. Hard."

"I would hardly have ever described you as boring," Liz commented slowly, trying to imagine Michael in this other life.

"Rath was different. He was a General. I've... I've become more like him over the years. I've had to, with all the fighting, the war... But I'm still not him."

"Do you know what Vilandra was like?" Liz asked. She knew eventually the conversation would settle on Zan and Ava, but she wanted to delay that for a few minutes. And she was curious about Vilandra, about someone who could betray her family without any hesitation. Or had she even known what she was doing?

"Hm... a lot like Isabel. Wanted to fit in, wanted to be well-liked. But she was young and idealistic. And far too much of a romantic for her own good. I don't think it was that difficult for Khivar to use her. Manipulate her. They say she felt some grief after Zan died... but I don't know if she ever mourned for Rath or Ava." His eyes hardened, and he gave Liz a fierce look. "Isabel might have some of Vilandra's characteristics, but she is _not _Vilandra."

"...but Khivar still got to her..." It had not taken Liz long to figure out just what Michael had been referring to with his cryptic comments about Isabel. The loss, the pain, the fury... it could only mean one thing. And when he did not immediately contradict her statement, she knew she had guessed correctly.

He lowered his gaze, nodding slowly. It was clear he was having trouble speaking, the words catching in his throat even as he tried to say them. "He did. We... we weren't prepared. And... history has a funny way of taking you by surprising and repeating itself..." He rubbed the back of his head absently, his eyes unfocused, clearly remembering his own past.

"She... Vilandra... she killed Tess."

Liz gaped in numb horror and wondered how Michael could have possibly survived seeing one of his family members murder another. But then she remembered that she was dead, and Maria was dead, and the world had gone to hell, and figured that Michael had learned how to survive with a lot of tragedies already, so that Tess' death would have been just one more to add to the ever-growing list.

"I'm sorry," Liz said. "I know... I know it sounds really pathetic, but... I'm sorry."

"Me, too," Michael whispered.

"So..." Liz took a deep breath and prepared herself to ask the question, both because she knew she needed to know the answer and because she wanted to bring Michael's mind away from the more painful subject of Isabel's fate, "tell me about Ava?"

"Pretty much in every way exactly like Tess is now," Michael said with a chuckle. "Actually, when I first started getting flashes of her... I mean, real memories that showed what she was like... it was sort of creepy how exactly like Tess she was. Because Rath and Zan were so different from us, and then Ava was... well, Ava was Tess. Passionate, stubborn, arrogant, temperamental, but essentially a good person, trying to keep her family and her planet safe in a time of war."

Liz accepted this silently.

"Zan... idolized her. Or hated her. It was one of those things... they were either best friends or worst enemies. No in between, nothing in moderation. But... Zan was not in love with Ava. It was a political match, and a good one at that. Ava made a good Queen, and it solidified Zan's power... for a time. It was easy to convince the people of Antar that it was a loving marriage. As I said, there were disagreements. The Queen's temper was famed throughout the planet, and everyone knew how much of a pushover Zan could be when it came to her, but... They were not in love."

Liz wrapped her arms around herself and murmured, "He goes to her for advice."

"And always will," Michael admitted slowly. "Some things don't change. Zan went to Vilandra for comfort, and Max goes to Isabel for the same. Zan and Rath discussed matters of the army, of Khivar, or politics. Just like Max and I do. But it was always Ava that Zan turned to for advice about the more difficult moral ambiguities. And Max will go to Tess for that. He will turn to you as well, he's done that in the past. But... history repeats itself. We can't escape who we were in our past lives, not completely anyway."

"Were Rath and Ava friends?"

Michael shook his head, laughter sparkling in his eyes. It did not quite erase the darkness from his gaze, but his expression grew just a little lighter. "Not in the least. Ava was friends with Zan and Vilandra, but Rath...? No, they didn't really get along." He rose to his feet and turned to face Liz seriously. "I don't know what to say to you, how to convince you that you need to give Max another chance. But... you do. You just... you have to keep him together. And you have no reason to worry about Tess. None at all."

"And you're telling me that I can somehow save the world by doing this?"

Michael grinned. "No. It's going to take a little more than just your love to save the world. But that's alright, I'm here to give you some other pertinent information."

"When did your vocabulary become so advanced?" Liz quipped.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Hey, not all of us can be Harvard-bound molecular biologists, Parker, but that doesn't mean I don't have some language skills."

"So what were you going to tell me about the future?"

"First... Trevor." Michael sighed, his face a picture of bubbling resentment. "You have to convince me... the, uh, past me... that we can't trust him."

"Why can't we trust him? And how exactly am I going to convince you of that?"

Michael hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. This was not a subject he wished to discuss with anyone, least of all someone like Liz, who had not lived long enough to witness what Trevor had done, or rather, what he had failed to do. "He and Courtney both want to help us. Sort-of. But they're too busy fighting each other to actually help, and... he knew about the attack on Maria. He didn't tell us because he was too busy trying to get rid of our blonde rebel skin to care."

"I... I'm sorry," Liz paused, regrouped her thoughts, then asked gently, "And Courtney? Is she trustworthy?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. She might be an asset..."

Liz knew better than to push the subject, but she desperately wanted to know if he and Courtney had become close during their time fighting the skins. It was not that she believed he would betray Maria, but there was no denying the fact that Courtney had somehow wormed her way into Michael's life without the hybrid General even really noticing, and that bothered Liz more than she was really willing to admit.

Instead, she questioned, "So should I just tell your past self all of this stuff?"

"Oh, my past self wouldn't believe you for a second," Michael answered, waving one hand in a careless dismissal of her suggestion. "You're going to have to figure out another way to convince me."

"Any ideas?"

"Not really, Parker."

"Great," she muttered sarcastically. "Just great. How will I even know if I've succeeded?"

"Well, if the future changes enough, I'll fade away. Because this me won't exist anymore. Or something like that..." Michael trailed off with an unabashed shrug. "I'm just going by what Serena told me. I don't know the logistics of it all."

"Fine. Anything else I should know?"

"Yeah," Michael said heavily, "don't trust Nasedo."

* * *

Alex reached casually for the newspaper, flipping it open to the front page as he pushed the slice of toast back and forth on his plate. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he knew he needed to eat something for breakfast. All thoughts of food, however, were pushed from his mind as he stared at the front article in the local section and nearly choked.

_Neighbors Question Police Efforts in House Explosion._

His eyes were drawn quickly to the photograph, one that showed the Crawfords' house in Copper Summit, or, rather, what was left of it after the battle between the hybrids and their skin enemies had nearly decimated the entire place. The picture was grainy, but it was still easy enough to see the debris strewn across the yard and the yellow police tape stretched in a barrier around the perimeter.

Alex quickly scanned the article, reading in growing horror as the reporter depicted the anger and frustration of the Crawfords' neighbors. The police, they claimed, refused to question the only known witness to the explosion, one Maria DeLuca. And it was this refusal to act that had sparked outrage and a bubbling controversy among the small town's inhabitants. The Crawfords were liked well-enough that the town would not let their supposed deaths go uninvestigated.

Alex felt a small amount of guilt. In all the problems that had arisen since the events at Copper Summit, he had all but forgotten about the reporters that occasionally still trailed Maria about, looking for answers. The problem had died down some, and he had actually had the naive hope that it would fade with time. Obviously, that was not the case, and as the police continued to find no leads to this strange explosion, Maria became increasingly a 'person of interest.'

Without eve thinking, Alex dropped the newspaper beside his plate of half-eaten toast, grabbed his coat, and rushed towards the door. He needed to talk to Maria.

* * *

Isabel was not surprised to find Alex already at Maria's house when she knocked on the door and accepted Amy's invitation to enter. Her boyfriend was sitting on the sofa, looking pale and worn, worry clearly evident on every line of his face. Maria was sitting across from him, staring at nothing in particular, and that look of utter helplessness likewise came as no surprise to the hybrid Princess.

What did surprise her, however, was to find Amy refusing to leave them alone. She, too, had seen the newspaper, and now she wanted answers.

"Let's start with something simple, Maria," Amy said as Isabel took a seat next to Alex, "like why you were in Copper Summit in the first place."

"Uh..." Maria shifted uncomfortably. "I... well, you see... it was... um..."

"It's okay, Maria," Isabel said softly, silently praying that she would be able to talk their way out of this particular problem, "you can tell your mother the truth."

Maria gave her a blank look.

"The truth," Isabel repeated with a pointed glare. "She was young once, I'm sure she knows what it is like to want a getaway with your boyfriend. And... I mean, you guys were being careful, right? Using... uh, protection...?"

"You _what_?" Amy practically snarled, her face growing red with both anger and dislike. "You're... you're sleeping with him?"

"Mom, it's not..." Maria hesitated, seeing the look on her mother's face. She floundered for a moment, but Isabel had given her an opening that could potentially keep them from needing to reveal the truth, and she was not about to waste it, no matter how much it upset her mother. "I just... Michael and I were going to go away for the day. To do something romantic. It wasn't necessarily going to involve... um... you know..."

"Sex, Maria? If you're doing it, you should be able to say it," Amy snapped irritably.

"Right. Yeah." Maria drew a breath, squirming a little under her mother's penetrating glare. "Anyway, we... well, we didn't actually plan on going to Copper Summit. See, we were driving that way because there is this really cool little... uh, diner... and, um... a park with waterfalls and everything. And we wanted to go there. But our car was having some problems, so we made a detour to stop in Copper Summit and have a mechanic check it out. And, while we were there, we ran into Nicolas Crawford, who... um, he worked on Senator Whitaker's campaign. So Liz knew him. And I'd met him once. He introduced us to his parents, but then he had to go, but they invited us for lunch, and we couldn't say no, so..."

Isabel closed her eyes briefly. It was quite possibly the most ludicrous story she had ever heard, but it was the only one that would make any sense in the given situation, and she had to give Maria credit for managing to come up with it on such short notice.

"Then what happened?" Amy asked. The flush had left her face, but her eyes were still shining with something akin to rage. Isabel felt a pang of sympathy for Michael, and wondered who would warn him. She had never seen Amy DeLuca truly angry, but she had no doubt that the woman could become a force to be reckoned with if she felt her daughter was being used or in any way taken advantage of by Michael.

"I'm not sure. Some kind of explosion from the basement."

"Why wasn't Michael there at that point?" Amy demanded, pointing towards the newspaper spread across the coffee table. "They say you were the only one left. Why did he just abandon you when..."

"He didn't abandon me," Maria protested.

"Then where was he?"

"Uh..."

"That's sort of my fault," Alex said, quickly jumping into the conversation when it became clear that Maria was stuck as to how to explain Michael's absence from the newspaper. "I had told Michael that he should surprise Maria with... uh... romantic stuff... as much as possible. He was just following my advice when he left the lunch early to buy her some flowers."

Maria shot Alex a grateful smile.

"Hey, wait a minute," Amy said suddenly, frowning at Maria. "When I asked you about this before, you swore to me that you and Michael hadn't..."

Maria flushed darkly. The previous and only conversation she had had with her mother about this subject had been more oriented towards her manipulation of Jim Valenti, and so they had only briefly touched upon the issue of her relationship with Michael. But she had sworn to her mother that she and her sort-of boyfriend were not having sex, and her mother had accepted that without questions.

This was not going to end well.

But there was only one thing she could really say.

"I lied."

"_Maria_!"

"I'm sorry," Maria murmured miserably. "I just... it was an awkward conversation to start with, and... we were careful, Mom. I promise."

"That's not the point. You are too young to be having sex. And you should not be lying to me about it!"

Maria rose to her feet. "I'm not too young! You had sex at my age, and obviously you weren't as careful about it, or else I wouldn't be here!"

Amy froze.

Too late, Maria remembered exactly how she had been conceived. "Mom, I didn't mean..."

Amy caught Maria's arm, her hand tightening around her daughter's pale skin, hard enough to cause Maria to wince. "Did you say no?" Amy demanded, her entire face darkening. "Did you tell him to stop?"

"No... Mom, it wasn't like you... it wasn't like you and my biological father... It was... consensual. I didn't mean to..."

Amy let go of Maria's arm and let out a slow breath. "If he hurt you, I will track him down and kill him and make damn sure no one _ever _finds his body."

"He didn't hurt me, Mom," Maria murmured, rubbing her arm slowly. "I... it was a bad comparison. I didn't mean... it wasn't the same. It was... we both made the decision."

Amy nodded. "Okay. Okay." And she walked out of the room.

Maria flopped back in the chair, tears of frustration pricking at her eyes. She glanced over at Isabel, whose mouth had fallen over in surprise. Realization was dawning in the hybrid's eyes, but to her credit she said nothing about the subject. Instead, she muttered, "Well, I think that got her off our backs. For now."

"We need to deal with the reporters," Maria murmured numbly.

"Should we go to your room and talk there?" Alex offered.

"Right."

They followed Maria towards her room. Alex, however, reached out and caught Isabel's arm, a look of warning in his eyes. "Isabel..."

"Who knows?"

Alex hesitated. "Liz. Maybe Michael."

"Sean was a... rapist?"

"No. Sean was not her father. Not biologically, anyway."

"Oh."

"Isabel..."

"Relax, Alex. No one is going to hear anything about it from me. I promise."

Inside Maria's room, Alex took a seat on the bed, Isabel next to him. Maria sank onto the floor, leaning against the opposite wall, and stared quietly at her friends. She looked distracted and distraught, as though she wanted to go back and talk to her mother, to apologize for what she had said, to try to make everything alright again. But there was nothing she could say at the moment, and she knew she had to give her mother at least thirty minutes to pull herself together. So until then, they needed to focus on the other problem at hand.

"Nasedo said he had a way to fix this, to get me out of the newspaper," Maria murmured.

"You want to trust him?" Isabel asked skeptically. Maria had been one of the most vocal against Nasedo, and it was strange that she would change her mind now. And yet, at the same time, the shape-shifter might be the only one with a plan for fixing this.

"No. But do we have any other choice?" Maria blinked a few times, then looked at Isabel for a moment, a contemplative expression on her features. "Have you... have you ever spoken to Tess about... the... uh, white room?"

Isabel paled visibly, but shook her head with slow deliberation. "No. Tess refused to tell us what it was like. You remember that."

"Yeah," Maria said heavily, "I do." She pulled her legs into her chest and leaned her chin on her knees. "Nasedo told me... that if I can't get out of the newspaper, the FBI might become suspicious. And... if they come back, one of you could end up in the white room again."

"And by one of us," Alex filled in softly, "you mean Michael."

Maria nodded. "It's just... when I was intent on investigating Courtney, Michael said that he was going to come with me because if I was actually right about Courtney being a threat, then I would be in danger, and he was going to make sure to protect me. He didn't actually believe me about Courtney, but..." She did not finish the thought, but she did not need to. Isabel and Alex both understood what she was saying, and what she was afraid would happen.

Michael would put aside his own beliefs about anything and everything as long as he needed to, as long as Maria was in danger. Which meant that if the FBI targeted Maria...

"So we have to decide between Nasedo and the FBI? Great, just great," Isabel muttered, shaking her head.

"It's not much of a choice. We _know _we can't trust the FBI. With Nasedo..."

"I don't really think we can trust him either," Maria interjected, giving Alex a pointed look.

He acquiesced to her statement with a slight nod, but continued nonetheless, "We have to choose one. I don't see a third option."

That was really all there was to it. It was not a matter of finding an alternative path, because they did not have the time to spend on what could be a completely fruitless wild goose chase for an impossible solution. It was one or the other, Nasedo or the FBI.

"What side do you think the others would take?" Alex murmured.

Maria did not even need to think about the question. "Michael would choose Nasedo. He told me as much when I first mentioned the plan to him. I know he changed his mind some when he argued with Nasedo, but I also know he isn't going to be siding with the FBI." She did have to pause while considering Liz, but she said finally, "I don't think Liz would have an opinion one way or another. She certainly would not trust Nasedo, and she might hope that there is a way of getting me out of this mess before the FBI come to investigate, but... no, I don't think she'd choose for certain either way."

"Max... as long as he's got some Zan in him... would pick Nasedo," Isabel added. "And Tess... well, she remembers the white room. She's not going to take the chance that one of us ends up there... no matter what."

"So it seems to be a consensus to Nasedo."

"Yeah."

"Why do I have the feeling that doing this will be equivalent to selling our souls to the devil?" Maria asked wearily.

Isabel gave a dry chuckle. "Because it is. I think Max should be the one to contact Nasedo. Do you want me to call him?" Maria and Alex both nodded, a little reluctantly, and Isabel pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed a number.

"Isabel, it's like three in the morning on a _Saturday_!"

Isabel smiled slightly as she heard Max's disgruntled voice at the end of the line. "First of all, its actually more around eight-thirty in the morning. And second, we have a problem."

"Yeah, we do have a problem. You woke me up at this incredibly unreasonable hour on a Saturday."

"The Czechoslovakian-type of problem."

There was a silence, then, "What? Is someone hurt?"

"Not yet. But given that those residents of Copper Summit want the police to question Maria in relation to the explosion that killed Walt Crawford... I'm thinking it won't be that long until someone gets hurt."

"Where are you?"

"Maria's. We've been talking about Nasedo. He might be our only option. At the very least, we should..."

"...hear him out," Max finished, and even though she could not see him, Isabel could tell that he was nodding slowly as he thought this over. "You're right. You want me to contact him?"

"Yeah."

"Aright. And Isabel...?"

"Yes?"

There was another silence, then, "Be careful."

"You, too."

There was a click as Max hung up the phone. Although she was relieved that she and Max were at least on relatively friendly terms now, that thought currently brought little relief. Max had warned her to be careful, but she knew it wasn't just the FBI and the reporters he was worried about. Nicolas was still somewhere, and she was still a target. She doubted his fears would ever completely fade, doubted that he would ever stop wondering if maybe, just maybe, Khivar would get to her.

And if she was honest with herself, she had to admit that she would never stop fearing that as well.


	32. Cells

Title: This Brilliant Dance

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: In this chapter, there are a few references to things we leaned about Nasedo in _This Brilliant Dance_. Mostly what was explained in the prologue. But just in case you've forgotten, Nasedo killed the real protector of the Royal Four and took her place so that he would have better access to the hybrids.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Two: Cells

Max stared blankly at the redhead before him. She looked to be in her early twenties, and her skin was covered with freckles. Her hair was swept back from her face in a messy bun, a few loose strands falling over dark eyes.

It was the last shape he would have ever expected from Nasedo.

But Nasedo just smiled serenely at him, and Max had the very distinct impression that he was being mocked.

"This is a rather nosy town," Nasedo remarked casually, taking a seat beside Max on the park bench, "so I need to continually shift forms. People get suspicious if they see the same stranger lingering about for an extended period of time." He shifted his weight forward, peering at Max with an unsettlingly girlish smile. "You wanted to see me?"

"How do you know that?" Max inquired, feeling a little wrong-footed. He did not like the way Nasedo always seemed to know if they needed help, always seemed to be one step ahead of them.

"I told you," Nasedo replied, sounding a little exasperated, "it's my job."

"That's not good enough, not anymore," Max retorted heatedly. "I want to know specifics. I'm tired of your evasions." He faced Nasedo, refusing to let himself be intimidated by the shape-shifter's knowledge of power. "Answer the question."

Nasedo hesitated, a thin smirk playing around the corners of his lips. This teenager before him was no longer the unsure, diffident child who had been so uneasy about the discovery of his origins. This was a man, ready to take control of his life, to fiercely lead others, to demand respect and expect instant obedience from his subjects. This was Zan, and it had yet to be seen whether or not the change was for the better.

"When the four of you were... created... those of us responsible for your safety built a warning signal into your pods. It was meant to alert us if you were in danger. We had to keep you safe from both Khivar and humans until you were hatched." Nasedo paused again, collecting his thoughts. "I... I do not know how the crash affected the four of you. The signal was supposed to work only when you were in your pods, but somehow it seemed to extend past that. I could always sense when you were in danger, even while I was captured... in the white room..."

Max nodded slowly, looking away. The park stretched out around him, an expanse of green that was mostly empty save for a few early risers who had decided to enjoy the Saturday morning. One or two of the park's other visitors sent curious looks his way, but there was nothing particularly remarkable about either himself or Nasedo's current shape, and so the gazes did not linger for more than a few seconds.

It did little to ease his concern, however. Even though he knew that no one could overhear the conversation, it was strange to be speaking so openly about alien matters, and here, in broad daylight.

"You were part of the team that brought us to Earth?" Max said finally, turning back to Nasedo.

"Yes."

"What happened to the others?"

Nasedo shrugged, his face blank, all emotion gone from his eyes. "They're dead," he answered simply, bluntly. "Khivar and the skins killed most of them."

"Courtney was part of the group," Max said slowly, rubbing his eyes with the palm of one hand. "She helped create us, get us safely off the planet..."

Nasedo grimaced, but did not bother to answer. He had not denied the story when Courtney had explained it to them, nor would he now. His dislike of her was entirely personal, but on a professional level, she was an asset and a powerful ally. He would do nothing to risk that partnership, not while he was still stuck on this planet, waiting on the whims of four hybrid teenagers.

"You really want Khivar dead, don't you?" Max asked shrewdly, not knowing exactly why that realization had come to mind, but seeming to sense that it was important. He had no doubt that Nasedo's first aim would always involve destroying the skin king, and he might very well be ready to sacrifice the others to achieve his goal.

But Nasedo saw that suspicion reflected in Max's eyes, and said, "I do. And I know that the four of you are our best hope. I fight with you in this battle."

That, Max thought silently, was the truth.

"And so you were the one who was chosen to protect us on Earth?"

An infinitesimal pause. "Yes."

And that, Max thought silently, was definitely _not _the truth.

He ran a hand through his hair. They knew that Nasedo had never been entirely honest with them. He kept his knowledge locked tightly within his mind, refusing to give more than the necessary details at any one moment, refusing to show his entire hand. But while Nasedo was certainly dishonest, he was not a skin. He was not an ally of Khivar's. He was not one of the many people who had conspired to kill them in the past.

In a choice between the FBI and Nasedo...

Max knew who he would choose.

"We need your help with the reporters, with the police."

"With the rumors originating from Copper Summit?" Nasedo guessed. "And you are willing to listen to my plan?"

"I am."

_

* * *

_

"The world could be so much better, Lonnie. Why do you not see that?"

_She turned away from Khivar, refusing to listen to his pleading. He was charming, full of life and laughter and passion, able to stir strange emotions in her heart. She and Ava had once commented on how handsome he and his brother were, and Vilandra smiled softly as she remembered that friendly exchange.  
_

_Of course, that was back before Ava had married Zan and become Queen. Before the planet had found itself at the brink of civil war. Before she had fallen in love with the enemy.  
_

_"I see that you want me to turn against my family," she said finally.  
_

_"I love you."  
_

_She looked at him, unable to stop her eyes from traveling to his face. She held his gaze, her heart beating frantically. She loved him, and yet she could not say those words, could not bring herself to utter the statement that would be a final betrayal of all that she held dear.  
_

_She did not love Rath, did not like the relationship that was being forced upon her, and here was Khivar, offering excitement and ardent fervor. She could not betray Zan, but how could she turn away from what was being given?  
_

_"Khivar..."  
_

_"All I want is for you to..."  
_

_"I know what you want. I cannot give you my brother's throne."  
_

_He caught her hand, his eyes burning deep into her own. "Lonnie, Princess, I do not want that. I only want to save us. Can you not see this world is crumbling to pieces? Can you not see how much we have lost?"  
_

_"It is not Zan's fault."  
_

_"Your brother might not have caused the problems, but neither did he try to stop them," Khivar countered ruthlessly, stepping away from her. "Is it so wrong that I wish to save my people?" He folded his arms over his chest. "If I must disagree with your brother, then that is what I will do. But I would make a wiser ruler than he would. And you, my love, would make a far wiser Queen."  
_

_Vilandra bit her lip, near tears. "I..."  
_

_"Tell me that you disagree, Lonnie. Tell me that Ava is better than you, that she and Zan are better than us. Tell me that you do no love me!"  
_

_"I..." She faltered, then cried desperately, "I can't!" She couldn't say she didn't love him, not when every fiber of her being was screaming at her to throw herself into his arms. But even more than that, the tiny part of her that longed for recognition was flattered by his words. Would she have made a better queen that Ava? She did not know. The Queen had been groomed from a very young age for the job, and so she was quite apt at ruling. But... Vilandra was the princess, and she too had been taught how to lead a planet. What made Zan better than Khivar? What made Ava better than her?  
_

_Khivar stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "I love you, Lonnie. And think of what we could do. Together."  
_

_"You are asking me to..."  
_

_"...to do what is best for the planet, for your people," Khivar pressed. "We are at the brink of greatness, but we are also at the brink of civil war. It is up to us to decide which way the world will fall. Your brother is too concerned with his own power, his own influence, to notice..."  
_

_"My brother loves this planet!"  
_

_Khivar held onto her arms even as she tried to pull away. "Not as much as he cares about himself. Look at what he has done to you, forcing you to keep going forward with a loveless betrothal simply because it will help solidify his own stability as King."_

_"I..."  
_

_"He won't even listen to what I have to say. He refuses to give my ideas a fair hearing. How is that just? How is it right?"_

_"Khivar..."_

_"You said you love me," Khivar whispered. "How can you not trust me? How can you not see that I only want to save us?"  
_

The flash ended as abruptly as it had begun, and Isabel drew back from Alex, her eyes wide with horror. One hand hovered in front of her lips, terrified by what she had seen, what Alex might have seen as well.

"Isabel?"

"I... I have to go..."

And without a backwards glance for either her stunned boyfriend or the bewildered Maria, she turned and fled from the house.

* * *

Michael stretched languidly and stared around the apartment. The bright morning sun poured through the window, illuminating the dust that hung in the air. The place was neither clean nor orderly, but it was the first thing that had ever been truly his.

Which was why he was so disconcerted to find Isabel sitting on his sofa, staring at him.

"How did you get in?" he demanded, flustered, before kicking himself for the stupidity of the question. She would have simply used her gifts to unlock his front door. When she didn't even bother responding, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you to wake up. What took you so long?"

"Well," he drawled pointedly, "it is Saturday." But again, she did not seem to be listening, and he paused, taking in her pale face and distracted expression. "What's wrong?" he pressed with growing unease.

That question brought a choked laugh from the stunning blonde. She looked away and answered bitterly, "What isn't?"

The unease turned to panic. "Max? Tess? Did something..."

"No." She rose to her feet. "They're fine. But Maria might be in a lot of trouble over Copper Summit, Max is off making a deal selling all our souls to the devil to try to save her, Amy DeLuca thinks you're sleeping with Maria, and I suddenly started vividly remembering betraying you all to Khivar."

"Amy thinks _what_?"

Isabel sent a withering look his way. "_That's_ the problem you're going to focus on?"

He at least had the decency to blush. Turning his attention to her other problems, his first instinct was to demand answers about Maria. What had happened? Was she alright? Was she scared? But Isabel was looking at him with her large eyes, with an expression of bewildered fear, and he knew he was stuck between his girlfriend and someone he had always thought of as a sister.

This was not good.

There was really no possible way he could not speak to Isabel, however, not with her standing expectantly before him. With a heavy sigh and sinking feeling that he was somehow being forced to choose her over Maria, he said slowly, "What exactly do you remember?"

"He convinced me..." Isabel murmured, pulling absently on a strand of hair. "It wasn't that difficult. I tried to convince myself that I... that I was saving the world, but... but I think some part of me just wanted... power. I was naive, young... too vain, too arrogant."

Michael remained silent, trying to think. He wondered vaguely why girls kept coming to him with their problems. First Tess and her fears of being torn between two families, and now Isabel...?

Who did they think he was? Max?

"Michael?" Isabel's timid voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Was it a flash?"

She nodded, sinking abruptly onto the sofa once more. "It just... came. While I was... uh..." A dark crimson flush worked its way up her cheeks.

Michael grinned despite the seriousness of the situation. "With Alex?" he asked suggestively.

She glared in response. But then the glare faded, and she leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. "Oh, God..."

"Isabel," Michael started awkwardly, floundering for the right words, "it couldn't have been that bad..."

"It was!" she interrupted fervently. "I was... I was friends with Tess. She was my best friend, practically a sister, and Khivar still... still managed to turn me against her. And I _let _him. Just like I let him turn me against Max. My own brother, and I got him killed!"

He took a seat beside her. "Isabel, listen to yourself. Listen to what you just said. You said you turned on Tess and betrayed Max."

"I _did_."

"No," he answered just as stubbornly, "_you _didn't. _Vilandra _turned on _Ava _and betrayed _Zan_. That's different."

"Is it?" Isabel replied softly.

Michael did not answer. He knew perfectly well that he would never be able to convince her of anything until he was ready to believe. But even so, he was not concerned that she would betray them. The very fact that she was so afraid of Vilandra was what set her apart from her Antarian counterpart.

Instead, he asked, "So... why exactly does Ms. DeLuca think I am having sex with her daughter?"

"Okay, don't be mad..." she began.

"Izzy." The warning was evident in his voice.

"She thinks that... well, because Maria and I... sort of told her... and Alex kind of... agreed..."

"Amy and Alex were talking about _sex_?"

"No! Well, yes, but..."

"About _me _having sex?"

"We were trying to help Maria!"

"By telling Amy that her teenage daughter is having sex?"

"_No_. We were worried about the FBI."

"Your plan to stop the FBI revolves around talking to Amy DeLuca about sex?"

"Michael!"

"What?" Michael shot back, annoyed.

Isabel groaned and rubbed her eyes. "The citizens of Copper Summit are demanding that the police investigate Maria's presence at the Crawfords' home prior to the explosion. It's all over the newspaper. Maria's mother was asking questions, and we had to tell her _something_."

Michael shook his head wearily. It still didn't make sense, but his frustrated confusion was now being drowned out by his concern for Maria.

"Is that why Max is making the deal with Nasedo?"

"Yes. We really didn't have any other plan."

Michael swallowed uneasily, unhappily. "You made a decision of that magnitude without telling me?" he demanded, torn between fury at being left out and relief that they were all trying to save Maria.

"Yes," Isabel replied bitterly, harshly, "because we were trying to clean up the mess you made when _you _ran off to Copper Summit without telling _us_."

There was no good way to respond to that, Michael knew, so he said nothing. That did not stop him from silently seething, however, at the thought that they had made plans involving Maria's safety without consulting him.

"I need to talk to her," he muttered finally.

"You can't," Isabel countered.

"What? Why not?"

She rolled her eyes at him and explained patiently, "Michael, Amy DeLuca thinks you've seduced her daughter. What do you imagine she will do if you show up at her door?"

Michael groaned.

* * *

"Why now?" Liz asked curiously, peering out the window into the morning light. "Why did you come back to this particular day?"

The future version of her best friend's sort-of boyfriend stared back at her, a contemplatively expression gracing his features. "Something happens today," he said finally. "We;re so caught up with all these other problems... with Maria and the reporters, with Isabel and her visions... and we don't see it happen. We don't realize that it is important until... until it is too late. Until Max is already... lost."

"What happens?" Liz asked, fear clenching a tight fist around her heart.

"The beginning of the end. For all of us."

* * *

"Max, can you stack these boxes by the door?" Brody asked, his good-natured expression replaced by a look of frenzy as he rushed around the UFO Center, trying to get things under control. "And lift those papers... no, not _those_... the ones there... by the other table... yes, right... okay..."

Max hurried back and forth, trying his best to follow Brody's instructions as his feet slipped over the wet floor. A pipe had broken during the course of the night, spewing lukewarm water over the ground, and the eccentric owner had arrived that morning to find the place nearly flooded, all his hard work in danger of being destroyed. A frantic phone call to Max had brought his part-time assistant rushing over to help out on a Saturday morning, and if Max seemed more distracted than usual, if his mind was constantly drifting away into different thoughts, Brody did not notice.

"Alright... that's good..." He paused, wiping a hand over his forehead. "Alright..."

Max struggled to lift a box filled with old newspaper clippings and discarded magazines from where it sat in the middle of the room. He had already lugged three others across the floor, taking them to higher ground. But every time he successfully salvaged something from the mess, Brody found yet another vital artifact that needed to be thoroughly dried and preserved. Although he appreciated his boss' attention to detail, the incessant amount of work was beginning to grate on his nerves.

Oblivious to all this, Sydney Davis sat on a small stool in the corner, gleefully running her feet over the floor, watching as the water lapped up along the sides of her sandals and giggling as it squished between her toes. She, too, had been dragged to the Center when her babysitter had called in sick, but she did not mind. It simply meant more time with her father, and she could never be unhappy about that.

Brody paused once to ruffle her hair as he walked by, and she smiled up at him. "Why's it all wet, Daddy?" she asked in a high-pitched squeak.

"A pipe broke," Brody explained patiently. "It spilled water on the floor. It isn't supposed to do that, and it's bad for all of Daddy's work." He glanced towards the back room where all his priceless technology was stored. Most of it had avoided any damage at all, but the computer would need to be replaced, and that was going to be a pain. Setting up a new network and creating adequate protection for his software and data was always a challenge, but he knew he should at least be grateful that everything had been faithfully recorded and saved off-site so nothing too vital had been lost.

"I think it is fun!" Sydney announced in reply.

"Maybe for you," Brody responded, giving her another smile. "But not for me."

"Or me," Max muttered under his breath, trying to keep his voice low enough so that he could not be overheard by the other two. He did not want to sound too bitter about being here, even if his mind was still on Nasedo and Maria. But Brody was a valuable ally, someone who had the technology to pick up alien happenings and the innocence to assume that Max was just another normal human. It would not do to alienate him now.

And, anyway, he had sounded so desperate on the phone... and Max did genuinely like him. And his daughter.

As Brody moved on to the next set of items to be salvaged, Max paused by Sydney, crouching at her side. "You're not too cold?" he asked, noticing that the water had splashed up onto her legs.

She shook her head, wide eyes staring at him. "No... I'm all okay." She rested one hand on her arm, fingers running over the skin. Max followed the movement with his eyes, frowning as he noticed the pale blue and purple bruises that spotted the inside of her elbow.

"What happened?"

"It's just an owie," Sydney answered with a little shrug. "Must have banged it against something."

She seemed unconcerned, and Max, presuming that it must not be bothering her, stepped away, returning to the boxes still needing to be moved. He hefted one into the air, resting it against his chest. This box was filled with photographs of alien activity, of crop circles and weird mists and silver hand-prints. He had looked through the pictures more than once, wondering if they were all real, wondering if every strange shape burnt into various fields was just as legitimate as the silver hand-prints that adorned dead bodies. How many more aliens were out there? Where, and for how long? And, most importantly, what side were they on?

But unbeknown to any of them, something far more deadly than enemy aliens was in the room, and already making its first move against its unfortunate victim. Deep inside a young girl's bone marrow, cells that had remained relatively stable over the past few months had already started reverting to their cancerous ways, pumping overproduced immature white and red blood cells into the blood-stream, wearing down the body's defenses. Arteries and veins were beginning to strain against the unnatural load of cells, splitting in places, leaking into the body and causing a few pale blue bruises to form against the skin.

Already, the cancer was coming back, reclaiming what it had lost, fighting against the medication and therapies, demanding control.

Already, the cancer was winning.

* * *

Next Chapter: All The Broken Pieces

Due: Fri 11/28


	33. All The Broken Pieces

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This chapter makes many references to Max's first attempt to heal Sydney in This Brilliant Dance. He tries to heal her cancer, but succeeds only in curing an infection she has. When he asks Nasedo, Nasedo says that it was because Sydney was meant to die. This chapter finally gives an explanation for what really happened… But you have to read all the way to the end, and it is kind of long, so… yeah. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Three: All the Broken Pieces

When the phone rang, Michael already knew who it was. That should not have surprised Liz, he was from the future after all. But the grim look in his eyes was enough to tell her that everything was about to spiral out of control, and so when she lifted the receiver and heard Isabel's frantic voice at the other end, she almost broke down and told the hybrid Princess everything.

Instead, she listened as Isabel said breathlessly, "Liz! I just spoke to Max. He went back to the hospital. Brody's daughter is sick again, and he wants to…"

"On my way," Liz said without even bothering listening to the rest of the explanation. Isabel prattled on about Sydney and Max and Brody and aliens, but Liz just hung up the phone, grabbed her sweater, and walked to the door.

At the edge of her room, she paused and looked back at Michael. "Will I see you again?"

Michael shook his head. "If this works, I will just fade away. My future won't exist anymore. Remember what I told you, Parker. Remember who you can trust, and who you can't."

Liz nodded. "I do," she whispered, feeling a strange sadness she could not quite identify. She had never been close to Michael, not like she was to Max, Maria, and Alex, but there was something about this future version of the taciturn alien that made her heart bleed. Or perhaps it was just the fact that he seemed so resigned to his fate, to just disappearing, fading into nothing as the future changed.

She thought about his future, though, and the haunted look in his eyes, and knew that this really was for the best.

After Liz left, with another slight nod of her head as goodbye, Michael turned and walked over to the window. It seemed strange that it had been less than a single day since he had left the future, but, in fact, he had only been here in this time for a little over twelve hours. Hopefully those twelve hours had been enough. Liz was smart and determined and she understood just how important this was… but still, would that be enough to change the course of history?

He could only hope.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. If he remembered this day correctly, and he was sure he did, then Liz and Isabel would meet up in the hospital in a few minutes, and the present version of himself would join them within the hour. He didn't know what Tess would be doing now, she had not been informed about any of these events until much later. But Alex and Maria would still be at Maria's house, talking, trying to figure out some way to put all the broken pieces of their lives back together.

He took a deep breath, gathered together all his courage, and pulled open Liz's window, prepared to climb out into the warm Saturday air.

He had one thing left to do.

_

* * *

Sydney Davis. Sweet kid. She'll pass out, though, right in front of Max. Just sort of crumple to the ground. From there, everything gets a whole lot worse._

The words echoed in Liz's head as she pushed open the double doors and stepped into the waiting room of the hospital. They were Michael's words, Michael's explanation for how everything would turn up-side down, destroying itself without warning. With those thoughts in mind, her eyes instinctively searched through the various faces until they landed on Isabel.

The tall blonde turned upon seeing Liz, her entire body sagging with relief. "Liz!" she hurried to the brunette's side. "You have to talk him out of this."

"Have you called the others?"

Isabel nodded. "I left a message for Michael. I saw him this morning, but he said he had some errands to run when I left, so I don't know when he's going to get the call. I can try again later…" She paused, glancing around anxiously, then lowered her voice. "I spoke to Alex, but he needs to stay with Maria to work on those issues."

Liz blinked. "Issues?"

"The reporters? The paper? Didn't you see?" Isabel demanded, surprised.

But Liz shook her head wordlessly, knowing there was no way she could explain what had really occupied so much of her time. Still… she wracked her brain, trying to remember if Michael had even alluded to a problem with Maria and reporters. But she was still reeling from everything else that she had learned that it made it difficult to remember every detail.

"Oh… well, everything is fine," Isabel said, even as her voice betrayed the lie. But she pressed on, the quiver of her tone fading, "Nasedo will take care of it. As long as Max doesn't do anything stupid."

"Nasedo?" Liz echoed, paling. They weren't supposed to trust him. Isn't that what Michael had warned her about, trusting this shape-shifter who clearly had his own agenda? Was she supposed to stop that as well?

Isabel didn't seem to notice Liz's concern, and continued, "I called and left a message for Tess as well, but she didn't answer. I don't know what is going on with her. And we don't have time to wait. Max is going to…"

…_attempt to heal Sydney. His failure to cure her the year before still weighs heavily on his shoulders, particularly since he is still being influenced by Zan's personality. He won't listen to reason, won't stop at anything. He will risk his life, and all of our secrets, to save the girl._

Liz glanced around the waiting room once more, repeating Michael's warning in her mind. Max wasn't here, which meant he had probably already tried to sneak past the security guards and was just waiting for the right moment to perform his miracle.

"If Tess was here," Liz began, "she'd at least be able to hide him. Keep the others from seeing what he is doing."

"We don't have time to find her!" Isabel snapped back, her tone becoming harsh as fear got the better of her. Liz brushed it off, not caring too much about the other girl's temper. She, too, was near panic, but unlike Isabel, she knew just how bad things could get. And it was so much worse than just exposure.

If she did not stop this now, it could very well cost them all their lives.

"Where is he?"

"Talking to Brody Davis," Isabel answered, gesturing with one hand towards a door marked "Hospital Personnel Only." Liz looked in the direction she had indicated, and Isabel added, "But we can't get in there. They won't let me through, and I don't know how to…"

"We need to reach Max," Liz interrupted. "So we need to find another way."

Isabel turned, glancing at another hallway. "The main entrance to the hospital is that way," she murmured, pointing. "That's how we got in when Michael was in the hospital last year. The hallways are all connected. But they might have security cameras or guards or…"

"Then we are just two girls trying to find our brother and friend," Liz answered. "Let's go."

_The thing is, he won't be able to heal Sydney. He'll fail, and she'll get sicker and sicker. And then she'll die. And bit by bit, that will undo him. Until he loses Zan and becomes fully Max again. And completely falls apart._

_I don't understand. Why can't he heal her?_

_Because he isn't meant to._

It didn't make any sense to her, and she wasn't going to accept it. Not from Michael, not from anyone. It was ridiculous to presume that some people were simply meant to die at a specific point in time. She didn't know if she believed in God or not, but she certainly did not believe that any child should be deprived of the chance to grow up.

Still, Michael had told her that this would happen, had warned her that there was nothing she could do. And he'd already lived through this once, so how could he be wrong?

The thoughts plagued her as she followed Isabel through the labyrinth of white-washed hallways, reflecting on the irony that she had been to the hospital more times in the past year than she had in the decade-and-a-half years prior to that. First because of Maria's mother, then Michael, then the first time Max had tried to heal Sydney… and now this.

Isabel stopped suddenly, frozen in place as she stared blankly at in front of her. Max was standing just a few paces away, deep in conversation with Brody. They were arguing about something, and Liz took a few steps forward but was stopped as Isabel reached out and rested a hand on her arm.

She looked at the tall blonde, confusion in her eyes. "Isabel?"

"How do we talk him out of this?" Isabel whispered, swallowing anxiously.

Liz shrugged, but walked forward determinedly. "We just do."

_Sydney isn't going to die right away. She has some time. Human medicine can help, you know._

_It didn't help in your past, though, did it? You said she died._

_Things will be different. I can't… I can't explain all of it to you, Liz, but you need to trust me. If Max tries to heal Sydney, it will only bring about her death and our destruction faster. You have to stop it, have to stop Max._

"Max?"

He turned and looked at the two girls, his eyes widening slightly. Brody, standing next to him, turned as well, frowning a little at the interruption. His expression softened slightly when he saw Isabel's pale features and Liz's concerned look, which the brunette waitress could only assume meant that he thought their fear was for his daughter.

If only he knew what she was trying to do at that very moment…

"Isabel. Liz. What are you…?" Max started, but Isabel cut him off.

"We need to talk," she said, her gaze flicking to Brody for a moment. She cast him an apologetic smile and added, "How is Sydney?"

Brody did not answer the question, just stared back at her as the shutters fell over his eyes, hiding his emotions. "Go, Max," he said shortly to his assistant. "We don't need your help anymore."

"I don't want to just leave you two," Max protested, staring past Brody towards the room that Liz presumed was currently occupied by Sydney. "You might need something…"

"Mr. Davis?" A nurse stepped out of the room, her crisp white uniform rustling. She cast a sweet smile towards the terrified father and said, "Do you have a moment? Dr. Landon will be with you shortly, but I just want to go over a few details…" She trailed off, glancing at Max, Isabel, and Liz. "Is this a bad time?"

"No, it's fine," Brody said, carelessly dismissing the three teenagers, his only concern for his daughter. "How is she? Sydney? Is she…?"

"She's resting. Why don't you walk with me for a moment?"

_I don't get it. You still haven't explained why Max couldn't heal her._

_His gifts don't work like that, Parker. He just… he can't, alright? He doesn't have the ability to do so. It's… it's a limit… He just can't._

"Max?" Liz repeated. He wasn't looking at her, was still staring hard at Brody's disappearing back as his boss walked away with the nurse.

"I need to…"

"No," Isabel and Liz said at the same time, both practically jumping at him. "Max, think about this," Isabel continued, pleading with him, trying desperately to force him to see reason. "You will ruin everything if you do this. There are cameras, doctors, nurses… even Brody!"

"Sydney is dying," Max hissed in response, lowering his voice. With a fervent glance around to make sure they were not being overheard, he continued, "What is the point in being a healer if I can't heal? If I can't save a kid? She's innocent, she doesn't deserve…"

"No, she doesn't deserve this," Isabel snapped, cutting in before Max could finish. "But neither do we. Are you going to risk all our lives and safety attempting to save someone you couldn't save before?"

Max stepped back as though she had physically attacked him, his eyes going wide with pain at her harsh words. "I have to try," he said stubbornly. "I won't just give up on her."

"No. You will just give up on us."

"Max, she's right," Liz murmured, stepping closer to her one-time boyfriend. "You know you can't do this. It's not just your own safety you are risking. What about Isabel, Michael, Tess? Maria, Alex, and I?" She swallowed back the bitter taste that filled her mouth at the callous words she was uttering, and yet weren't they also true? "I don't want Sydney to die either, but this isn't the way to save her. Let medicine do its job."

"And if it doesn't? If she dies? What then?"

"If you get caught?" Isabel threw back at him. "What then?"

"I won't get caught."

"Of course you will," Liz countered, shaking her head. "You didn't even think to bring Tess along to keep others from seeing you. And you didn't call Michael for backup. Max, you aren't thinking clearly enough to be making this decision…"

"I am a healer and it is my decision!"

"It's more than that," Isabel whispered. "It affects all of us."

Max turned sharply away, stalking towards Sydney's room. Isabel and Liz followed, both clearly terrified that he might lose his mind completely and do something irrational and dangerous.

The room was quiet except for the steadily beeping heart monitor and the hum of the machinery keeping the patient alive. Sydney was lying on the bed, tubes snaking around her, needles poking into her arms. Her hair splayed out over the pillows, contrasting sharply with the white sheets. Her pales lips were just barely parted, her eyes shut tight, her chest rising and falling with every struggling breath.

Max stood by her side, one hand resting gently on the edge of the bed, the other hanging limply at his side. He was staring at her, and something in his eyes was changing, shifting. "Sydney," he murmured, his voice little more than a gentle puff of air, an almost inaudible sigh. "She knows," he continued, never taking his eyes from her face. "She knows who we are, knows that I helped her before. She told me that once… told me that our secrets was safe. That she'd never tell. She's so… trusting. Innocent… Beautiful."

"Max, listen to me…"

But Isabel's words seemed to fall on deaf ears as Max raised his hand, his expression strangely vacant, as though unaware of what he was doing. But he continued to move until his fingers brushed against her chest, hovering just over the heart.

_Liz, listen to me. Tell Max Sydney has a chance, that the cancer won't kill her. Tell him that his actions will destroy us. Lie to him, guilt-trip him, give him hope… I don't care. But do whatever you need to do to make sure that he does not attempt to heal Sydney. Because the moment he makes that connection with her, we are all lost._

"Max, stop it!" Liz reached forward, snatching his hand, pulling him away from Sydney at the same moment that Brody, two doctors, and the same nurse from earlier appeared in the doorway. Everyone stopped moving, frozen in a tableau of surprise.

Then Brody demanded, "What is going on?"

"Nothing, Mr. Davis," Liz said swiftly. "We just wanted to see Sydney… Max is so very worried, you know…" Brody still looked suspicious, and in an undertone Liz said to Isabel, "Take care of them. Tell them anything."

Isabel gave a barely perceptible nod and stepped forward. "Mr. Davis, I don't know if you remember me, I'm Isabel Evans…" As she prattled on, expressing her sympathies and asking if there was anything they could do to help, doing her best to smooth over the situation and erase any possible suspicions, Liz tightened her grip on Max and dragged him from the room.

The nurse and the doctors stepped aside to let them pass, but not without bewildered looks of their own.

Out in the hallway, Max tore himself from Liz's grip and said, "What did you do that for? I could have healed her!"

She gaped at him. "Did you not see the nurse and doctors right there, Max? You would have exposed us. You would have ruined everything."

"I had it under control!"

"No, you didn't!"

He turned away from her and began storming through the hospital halls, and she followed behind him, racing to keep up with his furious pace.

"Max!" A few steps away from the waiting room, she slipped in front of him, forcing him to stop. She could not let him walk out of the hospital without understanding, without agreeing that he could not come back and try to save Sydney. This was her only chance to save the future, to fix everything, and she had to get through to him. She had to make him understand.

But he did not want to listen. "Leave me alone, Liz."

"No," Liz said angrily. "Max, do you remember what Tess looked like after the white room? Do you remember that look in her eyes, the way she wouldn't quite meet your gaze? Do you remember how she refused to let you heal her because she did not want you to see the flashes, to know what had happened to her?"

The Zan in him reacted to her words in a thoroughly predictable manner. His lips parted, but no words came out, and his eyes flashed with dark fury at the thought of what had been done to Tess.

"Do you want that to happen again?" Liz asked pointedly.

Max hesitated. "It wouldn't have… I wouldn't have let it."

"How? You weren't able to save her before. For all your efforts, the FBI still got Tess."

He turned to her in anger. "Are you accusing me of failing her? I would never leave Tess to be hurt. I would always do everything in my power to protect her."

"Then why did you just try to heal Sydney? Why did you just nearly show your gifts to a nurse, two doctors, and your boss?"

Again, Max did not answer right away. At last, he said, "I won't just let her die."

"You are not responsible for every person on the planet," Liz retorted.

He gave her a sad smile. "Aren't I?"

Liz was momentarily thrown, wondering how she was supposed to respond to that. It was true, he was responsible for an entire planet of people. And because the war on Antar had followed him to Earth, he was also responsible for the lives of the humans caught up in this battle.

She opted to switch tactics. "What would happen if that exposure brought the FBI back, Max? You know we can't fight the FBI and the skins at the same time. We wouldn't be prepared. How would we protect Isabel if Khivar came for her? You know he wants her. We all know that."

And in the future he would get her, unless somehow they could stop that future from coming to pass.

Max opened his mouth to speak. Something shifted in his eyes once again, a light seeming to grow and then fade. He shook his head, as though clearing confused thoughts, but the strange sensation did not pass, and it was reflected clearly in his bewildered expression.

"You promised Isabel you would protect her. Is this your way of keeping her safe?"

"No…"

"And Michael. Michael, who you have had to save from Hank, from Nicolas, from his own reckless actions. What will happen to him when the FBI comes? When the skins come? He is already worried about issues with Courtney and Trevor… and after everything that happened at the Harvest…"

"The Harvest," Max repeated in a low tone, his words laced with horror. "The husks… I destroyed them."

"Yes, you did. To protect us. Michael, Isabel, Tess. Maria, Alex, and myself. But what now, Max? Will you bring the FBI back onto our trail? Will you send us to the white room? You don't know the specifics of what happened to Tess. But you saw what she was like. You saw how seeing what she went through was enough to convince Kyle to let her literally _erase_ his memory. Will you do that to us? Will you force that horror upon us?"

"Liz…"

"What is the white room like, I wonder?"

He stepped around her, looking sick and disgruntled. Pushing through the doors into the waiting room, he stalked past all the worried family members and friends waiting for news of their loves ones and left the hospital, walking out into the parking lot, into the hot sun.

Liz followed.

"Sydney has a chance, Max," she whispered, praying that it was true. Michael had said things might be different, and maybe they would, she didn't know. She had to trust Michael, though, had to trust that he knew what he was saying, that he had meant every word. That this was the right path.

And she did trust Michael. She trusted all of them.

Even Max.

She just had to force him to see that he wasn't thinking clearly.

"How can you be sure?"

"How can you be sure that you could have healed her this time?"

"I could have. If you hadn't distracted me when you first came…" He stopped suddenly, staring down at his shadow. His expression was unreadable, but she did not like what she thought she might be seeing in his eyes. It was something hard and dark and enigmatic.

"So this is it?" she asked. "You choose between us, and you choose Sydney?"

"I can't let another person die. I've already… so many skins… their husks…" He shook his head, upset. "I am the king, I…"

"And as King you make all decisions without consulting anyone?" Liz demanded scathingly. "Is that how it is working now? You ignore me, you push Isabel away from you, and you don't include Michael or Tess in your plans?"

"No. That is not the type of person I am!"

"Isn't it?"

"No!"

"Sydney has a chance, Max. She has medicine. Chemotherapy, radiation, medication, bone marrow transplants. I don't know if they will work. And since you couldn't heal her before, I don't know why you think you can now. But I do know some things, Max. And I know that the FBI and the skins would destroy all of us. Already, they have come very close to succeeding at that. Is that what you want?"

And then it happened. For a brief second, she felt as though she was staring at a weirdly familiar stranger, at someone she only partially recognized. It was the feeling she had had since Max first became influenced by Zan, since he first became this king, this person she no longer truly understood.

And then… she was staring at Max. Not Zan. _Max_.

His eyes lightened, his face softened, his entire body seemed to relax. The aura of power around him faded, the coldness replaced with warmth, the calculating alien part becoming just a bit more human.

And then he all but crumpled.

"Oh, God… what have I done?" he whispered.

And she saw, reflected in his eyes, the memories of carelessly destroying the husks and killing the skins at the Harvest, of arguing with Isabel, of snapping at Liz, herself, and at Maria and Alex… The memories of his attitude towards humans… towards Kyle, towards his _parents_…

"Max? Max, talk to me."

"No… I need to talk to… Isabel," Max muttered, looking around. "Need to talk to… she'll understand."

She probably would, Liz reflected. Isabel knew what it was like to have another person inside her, to be terrified that one day that person would take control again and would do things… things that she, Isabel, would never be able to live with.

But Isabel was not there. Isabel was too busy trying to cover their tracks, trying to prevent anyone from asking questions.

"She needs to take care of Brody and the doctors," Liz answered firmly. "She's busy."

"Michael? Tess?"

Feeling a little annoyed, Liz snapped, "They're not here, Max. I don't know where they are. They're not here, but _I_ am."

He gave her a look, a confused, lost, hurt look. She frowned slightly, taking a step towards him and then hesitating. This was Max again, she could see it so clearly in his eyes. He'd been losing Zan, little by little. It had been evident in the way he'd acted around Isabel most of all, how he'd finally started warming up to her… and now it was her that he wanted to talk to, his sister that he needed.

But Isabel wasn't here. Liz inhaled slowly, remembering Michael's warnings, remembering the future she had to save.

"Max, come on… talk to me," Liz said softly, reaching for him.

"I can't," Max answered, speaking just as softly, but in a tone underlined with hard steel. "You don't understand, Liz. You _can't_."

"I know," Liz agreed readily enough. She couldn't understand, probably would never be able to comprehend what any of this was like for him. "But I can listen."

He moved away from her, walking further into the parking lot. The sun beat down on them, hot and unyielding. Liz followed, but he wasn't looking at her anymore, and she wondered for a moment if he even remembered that she was there.

"There's a war going on," Liz said, refusing to the let the silence fall, refusing to let him walk away. "And you have to fight it. But I'm fighting it, too, Max. Don't you see that?"

"You shouldn't, Liz. Don't _you_ see _that_?" Max retorted, whipping around to face her once more as the anger brought some color back into his face. His eyes flashed darkly, "Don't you get it? You can't help us. You can't help _me_! This isn't your fight."

She caught his arm, pulling him towards her. "I've had plenty of chances to walk away, Max. I'm not doing it. I'm not leaving you."

He yanked away from her, nearly stumbling backwards. "Liz, stop it. Stop acting like you understand…"

"I told you I don't understand," Liz interrupted before the conversation could go any further. "I told you that once already. This isn't about understanding. It's about not leaving. I'm not going anywhere, I told you that as well."

"Liz…" He was almost pleading, but the touch of frustration and fury was still there glimmering in his eyes. "Just drop it, okay? I have my own problems, I can't deal with yours, too."

"Our problems are the same, Max!"

"No, they're not. But you can't understand that, can you?" Max shot back, almost sneering. "You act like you are part of this. Don't you see that you're _not_?"

"I am. I only want to help you," Liz replied evenly, trying not to let her hurt show as his cold words seemed almost to dampen her resolve.

Max turned away from her once more. "You really want to help me?" he muttered, his back to her. "Fine. Find me someone who actually can help me. Find Michael, Isabel, or Tess."

"Why?" Liz snapped, moving quickly forward, stepping around him so that he was facing her once more. "Why, Max? What can they do that I can't? Fight Khivar? Is that one your plan is? To somehow hunt down this alien king and kill him? How, Max? You don't even know where he is!"

Max glowered at her, but she kept going, the words bubbling up into her throat and spilling out before she could truly think through what she was saying. All she knew was that she needed to make him listen to her, no matter what.

"Or was it Nicolas you were going to hunt down? You don't know where he is, either. You could go after Courtney, although I think someone might notice if she suddenly died. She is a student here, you know. So, that leaves Trevor. What are going to do, recruit Michael to kill his own brother?"

Max flinched at her sarcastic tone but did not look away.

"So what can Michael, Isabel, and Tess do for you that I can't?" Softening her voice, she continued, "Max, I know this is a war. I know that there are times that I really won't be able to help you. I know that in some fights I might be more of a liability than an asset. But this _isn't_ one of those times."

"Liz, I just… can't," he repeated, the same vague excuse again.

"What are you so afraid of?" she asked. "Why are you so determined to stay away from me?"

"I…" He faltered, suddenly sounding unsure, and the fight seemed to drain out of him. "I just want you to leave me alone, Liz."

"Do you?" she pressed, lips thinning into a straight line. "Do you really?" This was harder than she'd thought it would be. But Michael had told her that she had to keep fighting, that Max really did want her to stay and talk to him. That he had only pushed her away because he was hurt and confused and because some part of him wanted to protect her, some part of him still thought he was a threat to her safety and her happiness.

Didn't he realize that he _was_ her happiness?

He lowered his gaze, sighing. "Liz, it isn't that simple…"

"Tell me you really want me to go away," Liz demanded. "Tell me you don't want to be with me. Tell me you don't love me."

"I don't love you," he whispered in a barely audible voice, and even Liz, with no alien gifts whatsoever, could easily tell he was lying.

She smiled slightly. "Try saying it like you actually mean it."

"Liz…"

On a whim, she did the first thing that came to mind. Stepping forward, she leaned forward and kissed him, waiting until he kissed her back.

And the world erupted into a kaleidoscope of colors behind her close eyes.

The flash was not vivid. Unlike the others she had experienced, she could not see shapes or people or actions. Instead, it was a rush of emotions, of feelings that bombarded her from all sides. It was pain, and loss, and fear, and panic, and rage, and determination, and stubbornness, and wonder, and excitement, and love, and sweetly torturous hope.

Max pulled back, and one look in his eyes was enough to tell her that he had experienced the same thing. He just stood there, looking a little shell-shocked, and then asked, "What do I do now, Liz?"

She drew a shaky breath, fighting back the urge to cry out in triumph. He was finally turning to her for help again. And although she knew that this was not the end of their problems, that the rest of the future still needed to be saved, that she'd have to continue fighting for herself, for Max, for her friends… still, she suddenly felt so much more hopeful than she had at any point since the end of the last school year, since before Destiny and Agent Pierce had torn her world apart.

"It's not what you are going to do that matters, Max," she answered. "It's what _we_ are going to do. All of us." She took his hand in her own, squeezing lightly, "Together."

* * *

The future version of Michael paced slowly back and forth on the partially-hidden side-yard by Maria's house. He stayed close to the overgrown tree branches that blocked him from view of anyone who might be on the street or sidewalk. He did not want to be recognized by anyone, would not have been able to explain exactly who he was if he had been caught. Coming here had been incredibly stupid, but in his mind, it was worth the risk.

He tilted his head back, gazing up at Maria's window.

He could see her silhouette as she stood near the window, gazing out at the sky. He knew Alex was with her at the moment, knew the human boy was probably trying to offer any kind of comfort that he could. Michael sighed, wishing it could have been him there are not Alex, wishing he could have found the words to tell her how much he missed her when she was gone.

He rubbed his eyes wearily and thought back to what he had told Liz. It wasn't true, of course, not the last part. Not the part about Sydney supposedly being meant to die.

He still felt guilty lying to Liz. Mostly, because he knew she believed him. Or, maybe not that she believed him, but that if even she disagreed with what he was saying, she was still going to follow his advice, still trust that he wasn't blatantly lying to her.

Trust. They were all so young and innocent in this time. They still trusted so easily, so much more easily than they would in the future.

He looked up at Maria's window again, watched as she stepped backward, the curtain falling over the glass, until all he could see was her shadow.

He sighed.

Sydney would die, he was not lying about that. But not because Max could not heal her. Because he _could_ heal her, and because he _did_.

The curtain fluttered momentarily, and Alex's head appeared. Then he pulled back inside the room, and Michael was left once again staring at the drapes, wishing he could speak to Maria. Wishing he could tell her...

Something. Anything. That he missed her.

He blinked a few times, trying to clear his head, trying to push away the thoughts. He wasn't doing this for himself, he was doing it for another version, a person he might have been able to become, had things been different. He was trying to save the world so that _that_ Michael could be with Maria.

And he, himself, would be nothing at all.

With a resolute shake of his head, he turned his thoughts back to Liz and wondered how she was doing. Was she succeeding?

It had taken them nearly a year to figure out the truth about Sydeny, and it was a strange truth. And it had taken so long because they had been asking all the wrong questions. They hadn't looked at the patterns, hadn't figured out the connections until… Well, even when they had discovered the truth, it had been far too late. The world had spiraled into darkness.

Maria was back at the window. He watched her carefully, watched as she leaned against the glass and stared with a vacant expression at the world just outside her house. He knew none of this was easy for her, knew just how much she had been opposed to the idea of asking Nasedo for help. In the days that would follow, she would doubt herself over and over, would wonder if perhaps they had been wrong.

It was necessary to go to Nasedo now. But very soon he would prove that he could not be trusted, and at least Liz had been warned. At least she knew… and so, together, she and Maria would be able to guide the others away from making the wrong decision, from putting their faith in a madman.

He wished he could have given more specifics, but what could he tell Liz? He didn't know Nasedo's master plan. They had never learned, never quite figured out what he wanted from them. All they did know was that he did have a master plan, that he was working on his own agenda. He might not support Khivar, but that did not necessarily make him an ally. They had to be careful.

Something twisted in his chest, a sudden feeling of lightheadedness rushed to his temples. He nearly fell, but caught himself just in time. Was this it? Was the end finally happening? Had Liz succeeded?

"I'm sorry," he murmured aloud, an apology that would never reach the brunette. He was sorry for so many things, not the least of which was the fact that he had thrust the weight of the world onto her shoulders.

Still…

He had no choice. This had to be done. For good or ill, he had to make sure history did not repeat itself.

Still staring at Maria, he let his mind wander to another place and time, and to yet another person they had been unable to save.

_Max was standing in front of the grave, staring at it blankly. His expression, so devoid of anything, scared Michael. It had been a long time since he had seen Max look so lost, so painfully confused, as he did right at that moment._

"_I should have been able to save her," Max whispered finally. "I should have known… we should have seen it coming…"_

"_There was no way… it wasn't your fault, Max," Isabel murmured from where she stood a few spaces behind him. She, too, was looking at the grave, her eyes fixed on the slab of granite with the single named carved into it. Her expression was guarded, as though if she thought too hard about what had happened, she might completely fall apart._

_Michael turned from the two siblings and looked at the gravestone. Sydney's name stood out starkly against the dark gray._

_The first time Max had tried to heal her, he had only been able to cure the infection, not the underlying cancer that left her so prone to viruses and bacteria. It had been through no fault of his own, but rather due to the simple fact that he had not understood how to heal her._

_In retrospect, it was an oversight they should not have made. After all, Michael knew that it took a different type of concentration to make something explode as it did to slow down the molecules, to make something freeze in midair. Tess knew that entering the mind of someone who was willing to be manipulated was incredibly different from trying to fight against a person who stubbornly refused to be mind-warped. Isabel knew that dream-walking a person who was asleep was not in anyway the same as dream-walking someone who had been drugged, or who was in a coma, or who was actually fully conscious._

_So why would healing be any different?_

_Up until that point, he had been able to heal injuries. Mend broken bones, knit together torn muscles, erase bruises, heal cuts. And he had only ever done it in the people that he had a connection to, in Isabel, Michael, and Tess who all shared his same origins, and in Liz, who someone seemed to share part of his soul._

_Sydney was different. He didn't know what he was doing, and so he had blindly stumbled through the process, managing, rather miraculously, to heal the infection, but failing at the far more complicated matter of the cancer._

_And then… then he had a second chance. And this time… this time he had Zan's influence. Zan, who knew how to determine different types of healing. Zan, who instinctively understood how to make the right connections with a person, how to reach directly into their spirit and bring them back to life. So he had healed Sydney, and in doing so had connected with her, had witnessed her innocent optimism, her hopes and dreams, her emotions… everything. That was the problem with flashes, it gave the healer a chance to see directly into someone's soul… and to become connected._

_And that connection could ruin everything._

"_I should have found a way to save her," Max said in a hollow voice, turning towards Michael. "I should have found a way."_

Once again, Maria moved away from the window. Michael slumped back against the tree, shaking his head, trying to ignore the memories of Sydney, of the grave, of that dismal day when he had suddenly realized that they were losing.

Because the connection with Sydney had been more than just a chance for Max to understand this person, to become protective of her. He'd loved her, the way a parent loves a child.

Nasedo knew she could be healed, but he had not wanted the others to know that. He had wanted them to think she was destined to die. He had not wanted this connection. And though Michael despised the shape-shifter for many other things, he could not fault him for this.

Because Khivar had possessed the child, had used Sydney's body as his vessel while he targeted the others… And nearly succeeded in killing them. Brody had died, killed by his own daughter. And then Sydney had turned on Michael and Diane Evans, who were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and to save his mother and his best friend, Max had been forced to attack Sydney.

To kill her.

And _that_ was why he had fallen apart.

Michael remembered clearly what it had been like to watch it all unfold before his very eyes. To watch Max fall. They all tried their best to help him, but it was Tess who had bluntly stated the stark truth, the simple sentence that had been the inspiration for this entire crazy, chaotic, risky trip through time.

_We can't help him. Liz might have been able to, if she was still alive. But she's not, and Max… her death was already destroying him. Add Sydney's, and he's just… lost._

They needed Liz. Someone else who had shared flashes with Max, who understood the connections that formed when to souls seemed to stare straight into each other.

And now, with any luck, they would have Liz. She wouldn't leave, she wouldn't die.

But was that enough?

_Michael stared in surprise at the figure that had appeared in the doorway of the room. He had not spoken to Alex since their previous argument, since Serena had suggested this time-travel plan. But here Alex was, several hours later, looking like he actually wanted to talk._

"_Serena told me you're working on a plan," Alex said quietly._

"_I am," Michael answered sharply, eyes narrowed. "What of it?"_

_Alex drew a slow breath. "What are you going to do about Sydney Davis?"_

_Michael said nothing._

"_Can you guarantee that you can stop Khivar from possessing her?" Alex pressed. "Can you promise that Max will not be forced to kill her? Do you know any way of stopping that connection, of preventing it from forming?"_

"_You think this is a bad plan?" Michael sneered. "That I can't succeed? At least I am doing something. At least I am still fighting!"_

_Alex shook his head, anger flaring momentarily into his eyes. "You're living in a dream world, Michael. How is this plan going to solve anything? Even if you do manage to save Liz, unless you can keep Sydney from becoming possessed, you are only going to delay the inevitable."_

"_Liz can help Max…"_

"_Are you sure?" Alex interrupted. "Are you absolutely positive about that? Are you willing to bet the entire future on Max's ability to get over killing someone who thought of as his own?"_

"_What would you suggest I do? Convince Max not to heal her? Let Sydney just die?"_

"_Or you could not go back in time," Alex answered pointedly. "Anyway, Sydney is dead no matter what."_

"_That isn't true!"_

"_Isn't it? The whole reason Khivar possessed her was because he knew Max had healed her, knew that the connection had been formed, knew that it would destroy him to have to fight her. The minute Max healed her, her fate was already set. Can you honestly say you could stop Khivar? Can you?"_

_Michael refused to answer the question, but his silence was indication enough of the truth._

_No, he could not honestly promise to stop Khivar._

In the next few years, there would be many breakthroughs with cancer treatments. If Sydney could just stay alive a little longer, there was a chance for her. But if Max healed her… like Alex said, if the hybrid king did that, she would already be lost.

Alex had never meant to imply that they not try to save Sydney. It was a conclusion Michael had come to on his own, and making it had torn him apart. It was why he had lied to Liz, why he could not tell her the truth. Because he knew just how difficult it was to make this decision… and he was not going to force that upon her. He would be the one to make the decision, and he alone would understand the consequences. It was not fair to himself or to Liz, but… no, he could not force her to make this difficult choice.

"Sydney has a chance," he whispered. And he had to believe that, had to believe that she might survive. How else could he live with his actions?

How could he justify doing nothing while an innocent child suffered? And yet… how could he not do everything in his power to save the world? The _entire_ world. It was not just a matter of his own survival, not anymore. No, now he had two planets full of people to worry about, and…

And he was just glad that no one he loved was forced to make these kinds of decisions.

Again, there was a rush of dizziness, a sudden feeling of floating, and he snapped his gaze back to Maria.

"I love you," he whispered.

Courtney's mind-trick with Max would wear off soon. It was coincidental that it had coincided with the day he healed Sydney, that much Michael had been able to learn from Courtney before she died. Was he back to being Max now? Was he falling apart in horror at all that he had done, all the skins he had killed during the Harvest when he destroyed their husks, all the ways he had pushed his friends and his sister away from him, all the ways he had treated his parents? Was Liz helping him? Was she finally standing up and refusing to be pushed away?

Was she succeeding?

He sent a fervent prayer to whatever being was watching over him, a prayer that he had done the right thing, that the world might just be saved.

He turned his gaze back to Maria.

And even as his body began to fade before his very eyes, even as the world around him grew blurry and spun out of focus, he kept his eyes on Maria, watching her with intensity, so that she was the last thing he saw before he ceased to exist.

* * *

And we have now officially left my End of the World plotline. After all this angstyness, the next chapter is going to be a lot more fluff. And it is already half-written, so it should be up soon.

Next Chapter: For Your Love

Due: Sun 12/7


	34. For Your Love

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So, this chapter is short (and hopefully sweet). Basically, it is just a giant conventional couples happy moment so that we can all get over the angst of the past several chapters.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Four: For Your Love

"Okay," Liz said as she pushed open the door to Max's room and entered, her arms laden with papers and books, "where do you want to start? Marrow or chemotherapy?"

"Uh… what?" Max asked, looking at her blankly. He'd been sitting on the edge of his bed, staring through the half-open window at the early light of Sunday morning, wondering how he was possibly going to make it through the week. He had not expected Liz to show up, and certainly had not expected her to start talking gibberish about things he didn't understand.

"New therapies," Liz said. "Experimental, but promising. I did a little bit of research, and there are some medical centers doing some cutting edge stuff. In Boston, Seattle, Baltimore… there's also one in Italy. Do you think Brody and Sydney would want to go to Italy?"

"New therapies?" Max repeated, not understanding. "What new therapies?"

Liz frowned. "Did you just wake up or something?" she asked. "Your Mom said you'd been up for a few hours, so I didn't worry about waking you, but you seem… out of it?"

"Liz, what are you doing here?"

"I just told you," Liz answered, dropping the books and papers onto his bed, "I'm helping you research new therapies."

"For Sydney?"

"Yes. Experimental. You know, FDA trials, NIH research… that sort of thing."

He looked at the papers on his bed, reaching tentatively for one. A quick glance at the title was enough to tell him that he would not be able to understand anything in the article, but Liz seemed to think this would help.

He looked back at her beaming expression.

"Why?" he whispered. "You… you got up on a Sunday morning to research cancer treatments?"

"I told you, Max. We're in this together. You needed help." She gave him a quick smirk and added teasingly, "You won't understand any of the big words in the articles without me, you know."

Max laughed softly, before sobering. He remembered Isabel's hurt expression when he lashed out at her, remembered the horror in Tess' eyes when he hit Kyle, remembered the smash of glass and swirling skin as he destroyed the husks… and he remembered how Liz had looked at him with so much bewildered grief when he turned to Tess instead of her.

But Liz was still here, still standing next to him.

Because they were in this together.

He picked up one of the books and flipped it open to a page she had marked. "So… what is all this?"

Liz slid onto the bed next to him, leaning against his side as she reached across his to point to various words. "This is a type of allogenic bone marrow transplant. Allogenic means someone else donated the marrow.…"

* * *

The knocking on the door did not come as a surprise to Jim Valenti. After all, Tess and Kyle hung out with their friends a lot on the weekends, even if it usually was not at their own house. So he crossed to the door without thinking about it, without wondering who it could be, and was therefore stunned almost speechless when he found Amy DeLuca standing on his steps.

"Amy. Uh… hi."

"Hi," Amy said in a would-be casual voice. "How are you?"

"Uh… good. You?"

"Good."

There was a moment of awkward silence during which Jim tried in vain to grope for something to say. But all words seemed to have left him, and the only thing he could think about was that the last time he had spoken to Amy, she had been furious at him due to Maria and Michael's trip to Copper Summit, and he thought they might have been officially over.

Only she was here, now, and that was an indication that they weren't over.

Wasn't it?

"Can I come in?" Amy asked hesitantly.

"Oh. Right. Yes." He stepped aside hurriedly, gesturing for her to enter. "Would you like breakfast? I… well, I don't have much to offer you. Tess isn't up yet, and she's really the only one in the house who can cook. I have cereal. And orange juice."

"Thank you, Jim. But I'm fine. I just wanted to talk."

"Oh. Okay." He walked over to the sofa which was covered in Kyle's laundry and tried to clear a place to sit. Finally, he settled for scooping up all of Kyle's shirts and boxers and tossing them on a chair near the door to the kitchen. "Please, sit down," he said with a small smile.

Amy took a seat on the sofa, resting her hands in her lap. "Thank you. I… I think I may owe you an apology."

"No," Jim countered, sitting down next to her, "you had every right to be upset. I should never have lied to you about Maria's whereabouts."

"Maria shouldn't have asked you to," Amy replied.

Jim didn't really know what else to say to that, so he remained quiet for a moment, trying to think of his options. There was no point in continuing to discuss what had happened, not if Amy was willing to move past it. So, tentatively, he said, "Maybe we could just… forget about what happened?"

"Not forget," Amy answered grimly, "because… well, we should have a plan for what we do if one of our children asks the other to cover for them… but I'm not so upset anymore. We could just… move on."

"I'd like that," Jim answered, thinking of everything that had happened to them over the past several months. Their secret dating discovered by Maria and then made widely public after the car accident that sent Amy into a coma and brought Sean to Roswell… Sean, who turned out to have been killed, and the imposter in his place really a possibly-not-trustworthy shape-shifting alien… the revelation that Tess was not who she said she was, that Maria knew all about it, and then Jim couldn't tell anyone, not even his own son…

A lot had happened. And he did want to move on. From all of it.

Amy smiled, placing a hand on his cheek and leaning in to kiss him. Just as their lips met, however, Amy's eyes widened and she pulled back sharply, her gaze travelling over his head.

Jim turned and saw Kyle standing in the hallway, wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, his hair sticking up in strange directions, a mixture of sleepiness and vague disgust in his eyes.

"I knew I should not have gotten out of bed yet," the jock muttered to himself as he turned and walked back towards his room, shaking his head in an attempt to dislodge the image of Jim and Amy kissing from his brain.

Amy giggled, and Jim shook his head with a dry chuckle and said, "I guess we'll have to be a little more careful next time."

* * *

"So… you and Maria are going on a double date with Alex and I?" Isabel asked, holding the phone to her ear as she studied her reflection in the mirror and tried to decide whether or not she liked her outfit. The red shirt was low-cut, but maybe it was too low-cut? It went well with the black pants, of course, but everything went well with black pants. And she wanted to look nice, but not like she was expecting anything to happen…

"Yes," came Michael's grumbled reply from the other end of the phone line.

"But you're not dating Maria. Or are you? I'm so confused," Isabel answered as she decided that, really, the shirt was far too low-cut for a lunch date and she would need to wear something else. She walked back to her closet, switching the phone to her other hand and frowning in contemplation at her shirts.

"I'm not. Well, sort-of. It's complicated," was Michael's answer.

Isabel grinned to herself. "So, basically, she sprung this whole thing on you and you were agreeing before you even realized it? What happened to the rebellious, won't-let-a-girl-push-me-around Michael that we all knew and loved?"

Even without seeing Michael, she knew he was glowering at her comment. "Isabel…" There was a warning in his voice.

Isabel pulled a light blue shirt from its hanger and proceeded to change tops, still clutching the phone to her ear in a complex, one-handed maneuver which could only be accomplished by those who had a lot of practice talking on the phone while getting dressed. Turning back to the mirror, she nodded, more pleased with her choice. The shirt would do.

Although, it did mean she had to change her shoes…

"Well, I think it is very sweet of you to agree," Isabel said, knowing her words were just infuriating Michael even more. But it was sweet of him to agree to this, partly because it was, in fact, intended to make Maria feel better.

The entire idea, she knew, had been Alex's. He was worried about her, probably because she had freaked out after kissing him, although she did not know yet if he realized what she had seen in that flash. She hoped not, hoped he had not witnessed Vilandra's actions.

He was also worried about Maria, worried about her argument with her mother, worried about the reporters, worried about the repercussions of the deal with Nasedo. And he miraculously actually understood girls, something that Isabel found so strangely remarkable, given that they seemed to be a completely foreign subject to Michael and, to some extent, even to Max. So he had had known that a double date would cheer them both us, and had known that Maria could easily convince Michael to come along before the hybrid General remembered that he _didn't_ want to go on a date…

And so they were going out to lunch on a double date.

She looked down at her shoes. The gold sandals had gone well with the red shirt, but the blue shirt called more for silver or black. She looked back at her closet, a smile lighting up her face as her eyes landed on her lacy black sandals.

Of course, that would mean a different purse.

"Are you going to bring Maria flowers?" Isabel asked, reaching down with one hand to pull of her gold shoes.

"No. Why?"

"Well… that usually is what you do on a date…"

"It's not even a real date. It's… it's like… it's _lunch_."

"Lunch can be a date, Michael," Isabel said sternly, pulling out the black sandals. "Maria thinks it is a date." She slipped her feet into them, tying the lace strands around her ankles, and gave a satisfied nod.

Now she just had to figure out the purse.

Oh, and the jewelry. She'd forgotten about jewelry.

"Whatever," was Michael's exasperated reply. "If Maria wants flowers, she can go pick her own."

Isabel felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she imagined Maria's reaction to that comment. She crossed the room to her desk, pulling out one of the drawers and sifting through its contents until she found the necklace she wanted. Balancing the phone between her ear and her shoulder, she used both hands to fasten the beaded string around her neck as she answered, "Has that worked for you in the past?"

"Does it matter?"

"Do you want to start a fight? Give her one more reason to break up with you?" Isabel countered logically.

Michael snorted. "We're not even dating!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Michael. One of these days, it might actually come true." Once again, she studied her reflection in the mirror, finally pleased with her outfit. A purse would not be too difficult to find, and she had the small black one as a last-resort if need be. A few quick sweeps of mascara, some lip gloss, and she would be ready to go.

"Have you spoken to Tess?"

Isabel blinked, surprised by the change in subject. "Uh... yeah. I talked to her a little while ago to give her an update on the stuff with Maria. I know Max was going to talk to her about Nasedo's plan. And she knows he's back to being Max again, instead of Zan. But I don't think anyone told her that Max actually wanted to heal Sydney."

"Probably for the best. Do Maria or Alex know?"

"No. And they're not going to." Isabel licked her dry lips, frowning. She and Liz had decided not to tell anyone the specifics of what had happened. If Max wanted to tell the others, he could, but it was his decision to make, on not theirs. After all, no harm had come from it, and the knowledge of what he had almost done would only serve to further annoy Tess and upset Maria and Alex. There was no reason to share details until absolutely necessary, and at this point, it just didn't seem like it would do anyone any good.

"Fine." A pause, then, "It really isn't a date, Isabel."

Isabel just laughed.

* * *

The lunch that may or may not have been a date progressed smoothly enough in the beginning. Alex arrived with flowers for Isabel and Michael, rather begrudgingly, pushed a bouquet of lilies into Maria's outstretched arms. The blonde pixie took them with a look of surprise and then happiness, and Isabel had to fight to keep a smirk from gracing her expression. She caught Michael's eye and lifted one eyebrow questioningly, and he sent her a glare in reply and turned away.

They had planned to eat in a small restaurant on Main Street not frequented by Roswell High students, and were consequently rather surprised to find that they were not the only ones who had chosen that location for lunch. Upon entering the restaurant, they discovered that Kyle and Trudy had decided to have lunch their as well. Kyle looked up at them with a annoyed frown, clearly not liking the fact that others had opted for the same restaurant, but Trudy gave them a friendly smile and a little wave.

"Hey, Isabel, Alex."

Isabel smiled in reply. "Hello, Trudy. How are you?"

Trudy slid her hand forward, fingers interlocking with Kyle's. "Good," she answered, cheeks flushed slightly. "And you?"

"Alright," Isabel replied. She slanted a look at Alex and added, "Is the food here good? I've never been before, but Alex said he likes it a lot."

"You have good taste, then," Trudy complemented, turning to Alex. "Do you come here a lot?"

"My parents like it," Alex answered honestly. "i've come with them before. A few times."

"That's nice," Kyle interrupted before the conversation could continue any longer. "We don't want to keep you from lunch, however..." Although his words were polite, the smile on his face was rather fixed and the tone of his voice made it clear that his comment was meant as a dismissal. Maria bridled instantly, but Isabel, who had no desire to see a fight started, quickly took the initiative.

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your lunch," she said, while simultaneously placing a hand on Alex's arm and leading him away from Kyle and Trudy. Michael and Maria followed, although not before Maria sent a heated glare at the popular couple. Trudy shifted a little uncomfortably under Maria's gaze, but Kyle just ignored it and turned his attention back to his girlfriend.

"Arrogant, measly little..." Maria huffed under her breath.

"Give him a break," Isabel cut in with a tired shrug. "Yeah, Kyle can be a jerk, but Trudy is nice enough." Alex pulled out her chair for her, and she slid gratefully into the seat. "Thank you, Alex."

Maria waited with a pointed look for Michael to do the same, and after a moment of exchanging blank stares, Michael finally reached over and yanked out her chair. The action was abrupt enough to almost knock her off her feet, and she stumbled backwards, reaching out to catch the table for support. Michael just smiled blithely at her frustrated muttering, but she sank into the chair at last. Michael and Alex then seated themselves, and Isabel shook her head in amusement and exasperation. She loved Michael, she really did, but sometimes he was just so... clueless.

Of course, whether or not that clueless attitude was on purpose, she had not yet determined.

"So, I hear we have a pop quiz in history tomorrow," Alex said to break the uneasy silence. He took a sip of his water as they all opened the menus and began to peer at the choices.

"How do you know about it?" Maria asked curiously. "Aren't pop quizes supposed to be a surprise?"

Alex gave an enigmatic grin. "I have my ways."

"Is the turkey sandwich good?" Isabel questioned, glancing up briefly at Alex.

"You don't like turkey," Michael remarked.

"That's true," Isabel agreed after a moment of contemplation. "I just thought maybe if it was really good, I might like it."

"It doesn't matter how good it is. You just don't like turkey."

"Do you know what foods I like?" Maria demanded, giving Michael a curious look.

The hybrid general tore his attention away from Isabel and raised both eyebrows at Maria. "Why would I know what foods you like?" he retorted, confusion written all over his face.

"Why do you know what foods Isabel likes?" Maria countered.

Alex put down his menu. "Why don't you like turkey?" he asked Isabel.

"Too dry," Isabel replied. Then, looking over at Maria, she added, "Michael has known me for a while. A very long while. I've probably complained about Thanksgiving to him before. I don't like the turkey."

"Or the pumpkin pie," Michael added. "Or the mashed potatoes. Or cranberries."

"Do you like anything about Thanksgiving?" Alex questioned, now looking somewhat agahst at the fact that his girlfriend apparently did not like one of the quintessential American holidays.

"I like being thankful," Isabel defended herself.

"Why do you know all of Isabel's food preferences and none of mine?" Maria asked, ignoring the conversation about Thanksgiving and focusing instead of Michael's rather strangely extensive knowledge of Isabel's eating habits.

"Well, I don't know _all _of them," Michael answered with a shrug. "How could I? Isabel changes her mind all the time."

"It is a woman's prerogative," Isabel murmured.

"I can't believe you don't like pumpkin pie!" Alex said, shaking his head, looking stunned.

"It's not that big a deal, Alex."

"No, it isn't," Maria agreed, still glowering at Michael.

"Do you know all of my food preferences?" Michael asked with a hiss.

Maria flicked a strand of hair out of her eyes and answered haughtily, "I know you don't like pastrami. Or carrots. Or strawberries. Or rye bread. Now, go ahead, Michael. Name four foods I don't like."

It was a challenge, and both Isabel and Alex fell silent, forgetting their own argument over the relative merits of pumpkin pie. Michael flicked his gaze away from Maria and looked down at his menu, and Isabel held her breath, wondering if things were about to dissolve before her eyes. Alex was already pondering the different ways he could intervene, and then Michael spoke.

"Broccoli, soggy onion rings, Cherry Coke, and mint ice cream."

There was a pause, a hesitation of sorts, and then Maria said, "Oh. Well... yeah."

And, just for good measure, Michael added, "Plus sprouts. There, that's five foods you don't like."

The four turned silently back to their menus, letting the argument be forgotten, and Maria gave Michael a tiny smile which he returned with his own trademark smirk.

Then Alex put his menu down and said, "So... why exactly don't you like pumpkin pie, Isabel? No, really, I just don't get it. Doesn't everyone like pumpkin pie? At least all Americans..."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Last Loose Ends

Due: Sun 12/14


	35. The Last Loose Ends

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This chapter refers to Grant Sorenson and the skeleton he found in the desert that Isabel discovered was believed to not be entirely human. That particular plot line is still going, and will be addressed in the next few chapters…

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Last Loose Ends

Nasedo slid into the seat with practiced ease and let his gaze wander around the office. He had not expected to be so cordially greeted by the mayor of Roswell, but he supposed he could not really be surprised. After all, they were on the same side now, weren't they?

"Courtney informs me that you have agreed to join forces with us," the mayor said casually, folding his hands on the smooth surface of his desk and eyeing the shape-shifter with a scrutinizing stare.

"I have," Nasedo agreed. "We both want to bring down Khivar."

The mayor laughed, a cold sound that would have sent shivers down the spine of a lesser man. But Nasedo just smiled back, refusing to be intimidated by anyone, least of all a skin.

"I think you want more than just that," the mayor said.

"And you don't?" Nasedo countered, raising his eyebrows. "I find that rather difficult to believe." He looked towards the window, frowning at the sun that shone through the clear glass. "How long did it take Nicolas to become suspicious of you?"

The mayor shrugged carelessly. "Fifty years. And she would never had learned that we were not on his side if you hadn't ruined everything with your work as Pierce. They started asking too many questions, and then when Whitaker was killed…"

Nasedo shook his head and looked back at the mayor. "It was never my intention to ruin your plans, but I couldn't very well let the FBI kill the Royal Four. Anyway, I apologize if I made things more difficult for you. I trust that Courtney is still in place, though. Her cover has not been blown?"

"Not yet. They still believe she is one of them."

"And… Trevor, I believe he calls himself now? Where does he stand?"

The mayor rose to his feet and pushed himself away from his desk. "Still a supporter of Khivar. _That_ was never going to change. But his loyalty to his brother is strong as well. He may still be of some use to us."

"Be careful. He is clever enough to know when he is being used. He might not be as easy to manipulate as you would like to believe," Nasedo warned.

The mayor gave a cool smile in response. "I can handle him." He walked around the desk and paused in front of Nasedo and leaned back against his own desk. "But I doubt you came here to discuss Trevor. What do you need?"

"To get Maria DeLuca out of trouble."

The mayor snorted in dislike. "Why bother? She's a threat to everything we have worked to achieve. It is better for all of us if she is removed from the equation."

"Perhaps. But this is not a good way to remove her. The Royal Four are too invested in her, they care too much. They will do all they can to save her, even at the risk to their own lives. The general in particular…"

"Rath."

"Will not easily stand aside and allow her to come to harm. If our goal is to protect him, we must protect her as well."

"Are you sure you are not speaking out of some other intent?" the mayor asked snidely. 'After all, you did pretend to be her father for a long period of time, did you not? Perhaps you are not as immune to these emotions as you would like to believe?"

Nasedo grimaced at the implied accusation. "I am not doing this out of any love for her, trust me," he retorted, flushing slightly. "But I know these hybrids better than you do." He placed his hands on the arms of his chair and pushed himself into a standing position so that he was now the same height as the mayor. "Do not make the mistake of assuming that you are dealing with Rath. This is Michael and he is different."

The mayor nodded slowly. "Fine. Suppose I agree. What do you want from me?"

"I need to get rid of the reporters. And the only way to do that is to give them a different story to chase. A better story. One that hopefully will tie together all of our lose ends and give us some relief from this constant danger."

"And what will that require."

"A little help from our favorite FBI agent."

The mayor paused, apparently considering this. Then he nodded slowly and surmised, "You think bringing Pierce into the picture will somehow point the reporters in a different direction."

"Well, he has been discredited as a complete nutcase," Nasedo answered. "And the real Agent Piece would not just accept that and move on. He'd still be lurking around, ready to prove that he was right. Honestly, the rest of the FBI is probably wondering why he hasn't made a move yet. They all think he's crazy, and crazy people do crazy things."

"And what will this crazy person have done?"

"Blown up a house."

The mayor let out a low whistle. "And how are you going to spin that tale?"

"It isn't as challenging as you seem to think," Nasedo answered calmly. "Pierce is a paranoid lunatic. He got upset that his story wasn't believed and decided to seek revenge against those he thought had ruined him."

"The Crawfords…"

"Well, Senator Whitaker certainly wasn't a strong proponent of his when he came before the Senate hearing. It would not be that difficult to leak to the press a story about bad blood between the two. After that, all it would take was one or two more… incidents. And then the tale's told and we're in the clear."

"What sort of incidents?" the mayor questioned, his tone indicating he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Well, Whitaker wasn't the only Senator who spoke out against him…"

The mayor laughed again, the same chilling laugh. He inclined his head thoughtfully, as though truly thinking over the idea, but it was obvious that he had already agreed with it. "That's just crazy enough to work."

"And don't I know it." Nasedo sank back into his seat, no longer feeling the need to stand facing the other alien. He'd proven his point well enough, and he knew the rebel skins would respect him for it. They needed him, needed someone with inside knowledge of the Royal Four, and right then, Courtney wasn't cutting it.

He had told Max his plan, and the hybrid king had agreed with some reluctance, clearly not convinced it would work. He'd also made the shape-shifter promise to do everything in his power to keep casualties to a minimum. And Nasedo would do that as well as he could, but a few people might need to die for this to work. And that didn't bother him in the slightest.

He'd also neglected to mention to Max that the mayor was a rebel skin. He knew the four hybrids were suspicious of the mayor, but he saw no reason to add to their knowledge. It was always good to know something others didn't, and so he also had no intention of mentioning to the mayor that the hybrids were on to him. Let everyone think they knew the most… he could use that to his advantage if need be.

"You still have not explained what you need from me."

That statement brought Nasedo back to the present conversation, and he pulled himself from his thoughts and focused on the mayor. "The FBI is going to be horrified by the bad publicity. They get a pretty lousy name as it is, and this is just going to make things worse. They'll be too busy cleaning up after Pierce and trying to separate themselves from his actions to give much thought to aliens. It will be the final straw for them. After the events of last May and June… they'll leave New Mexico, and they won't come back."

The mayor accepted this with a silent nod, then added, "As long as they have no proof that there are aliens here… which they don't at the moment… they won't be able to afford sticking around."

"Exactly," Nasedo said grimly. "But I'm worried about the Special Unit. Without Pierce, they might not have a leader, but that doesn't mean they will just give up. They don't answer to anyone right now, and that makes them dangerous."

"I would imagine with all the bad publicity, most of them will leave the Unit."

"Most of them already had. The others will leave shortly after this story breaks." Nasedo reached in his pocket and withdrew a folded sheet of paper. He carefully opened it, smoothing down the ridges, and said, "All of them will leave, except for these four. They're the ones who will stay, who will continue hunting for aliens. They are a threat."

"What do you want me to do?" the mayor asked, taking the slip of paper and scanning the four names.

Nasedo met his gaze and said bluntly, "Eliminate the threat."

The mayor's lips quirked upwards into a sly smile. "Consider it done."

"Thank you."

The mayor walked back around the desk and sat down. "Was there anything else?"

"One other thing. Grant Sorenson."

The mayor leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand, elbows propped up against the table. "What about him?"

"Well… he is a bit of a threat as well, isn't he?"

The mayor tilted his head to the side. "Perhaps. But he is useful for now. He can tell me about the skeleton. I have not lost any of my skins, and the Royal Four are all alive, but this skeleton seems to indicate that someone of alien nature died in the desert, and I would be negligent to not find out who, how, and why."

"And when Sorenson outlives his usefulness?" Nasedo pressed.

The mayor smiled coolly, "Don't worry, I won't leave any loose ends."

* * *

"What are you doing?" Maria asked as she set a plate of onion rings in front of Max.

He looked up, tawny eyes fixing on her, and she felt the tiniest bit of relief that those eyes had returned to their previous softness. When Liz had told her that Max was back, she had not fully believed it, but now… Now, she could see the truth before her.

"Studying," Max answered, holding up the book. "We're supposed to read this for history. Remember?"

Maria glanced at the book and frowned, trying to recall any history assignment she might have received. "Oh… uh, that's the one on JFK, right?" With a careless shrug, she explained, "I don't really do any of the reading. Besides, it isn't like we don't know a lot about JFK."

"It's about the Cold War," Max corrected.

"About JFK's role in the Cold War."

"Well… yeah."

"So it is about JFK. Like I said."

Max sighed and glanced around the Crashdown, figuring he should have known better than to start this sort of debate with Maria. His eyes landed on Liz, who was standing with her back to him, taking orders from a couple who were sitting in a booth, so intertwined with each other that it was difficult to see where one ended and the other began. Liz was looking a little disgusted by the extremely public display of gratuitous affection, but was doing her best to cover.

He smiled slightly to himself as he watched her.

She was one of the only good things left in his life. Thoughts of dead skins flickered through his mind, and his own cold and callous words echoed like a broken recording in the silence. He could not forget, no matter how hard he tried, all the people he had hurt, all the unforgivable things he had done.

But Liz had forgiven him. He'd tried so hard to push her away, and instead of letting him… she'd pushed back.

"Oh, so you're back to being a stalker again," Maria commented, following his gaze. "I suppose you're going to sit here every afternoon staring at Liz with your love-sick, little-lost-puppy eyes?" She rolled her eyes. "I should have seen that one coming."

"Thank you, Maria," Max said sarcastically. "You know how to make a person feel loved."

"Hey, you want perfect lovey-doveyness, go to Liz. Oh. Wait. You already have her."

He looked back at the book. "I should get back to reading," he said a little pointedly. "And don't you have other customers to help?"

Maria smirked at his obvious attempt to get rid of her and said, "They can wait." Her protective nature was not quite allowing her to walk away from Max, to trust that he was truly back to himself. He had hurt Liz too much, and Maria was nothing if not defensive of her friends. Particularly the love-sick ones who did not seem to have enough common sense to walk away.

"Right," Max muttered. "Great."

"Why are you so determined to read the book? It's just homework, it's no big deal."

Max nearly laughed aloud at Maria's comment, but answered her readily enough. "I think JFK is interesting. He had a lot of really difficult decisions to make. How did he know what to do during the Cold War? I mean, we could have ended up at nuclear war so many times…"

"Yeah," Maria drawled, "and you have so much in common with him." She lowered her voice to a whisper and continued, "You're both responsible for others' welfare, you both dealt with war… and hey, you both screwed over the women who loved you to chase after blonde tramps."

Max blinked. "Did you just call Marilyn Monroe a tramp?"

"Well, she did screw JFK while he was married to Jackie."

Max blinked again, then said, "Wait! Did you just call _Tess_ a tramp?"

Maria shrugged. "What if I did?" she challenged, before sashaying away.

Max watched her go for a moment, and then Liz was suddenly at his side, leaning over and snatching one of his onion rings. He turned to her, the confusion and outrage in his eyes melting into a gentle smile, and she leaned against the booth and smiled back at him.

"What did I miss?" she asked, gesturing towards Maria with one hand.

"Apparently, you're Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis."

"Oh… uh… okay."

* * *

Tess had been called a lot of names in her short life, and very few of them were pleasant or kind. But no one had ever called her clueless, and so when she learned that Max was finally Max, and that Nasedo was taking care of the problems regarding Maria's continued presence in the newspaper, and that Jim and Amy had been kissing in her living room… she knew that there was a lot more to the story than she had been told.

Still, if it meant that their lives were even just the tiniest bit safer, she didn't need to know the details. After all, as much as she was loathe to admit the point, she did know they could trust each other, and if something was truly wrong, someone would have told her. And perhaps last year that would not have been enough for her. Perhaps last year she would have demanded explanations, tried her best to make sure she knew all the details of everything. But that was last year, before everything had somehow turned so completely upside-down. Last year, when she still believed that there was a chance she could hold on to the life she had lived for ten years, when she was still willing to fight tooth and nail to keep the status quo from changing.

Things were different now.

It had taken a significant inner battle to avoid the temptation to call Max and demand answers. She would not lie to herself and pretend this change had been easy. It wasn't, she was still working on it all the time. But at least she was working, and if it made everyone a little bit happier… well, she couldn't complain.

Of course, if whatever had happened ended up affecting either Kyle or Jim, then all bets were off. Then she still wanted to know every detail of everything, because nobody, not even the other three hybrids, messed with her family and didn't have to justify it to her.

These thoughts were swirling around in her mind as she leaned against the kitchen counter and stared through the window at the darkening sky. It was the end of another Sunday, and tomorrow school would start all over again. If Nasedo was successful, there would be no more of the occasional reporters asking questions about Maria. If Max was truly himself again, there would be no more of the embarrassing scenes and difficult rumors to endure and explain. Everything might just go back to normal…

…or, at least, as normal as it ever was in their lives.

"Tess?"

She turned away from the counter and raised an eyebrow at Jim. "Yes?"

"Amy and I are going out for dinner. I trust I can leave you and Kyle here and come back to a house that has not been entirely destroyed?"

Tess smirked. "We'll do our best not to burn the place down."

"Good. If Kyle asks, which he probably won't, just tell him I'm out with Amy and will be back later tonight," Jim instructed with a goofy smile.

Tess nodded. "No problem." She liked that he was smiling, that he looked happy. She had no doubt that Maria was probably pleased about the mended rift as well, even if it did mean that the two blondes would be forced to spend more time together.

That thought made Tess grimace a little as Jim disappeared into the living room. The last thing she wanted was to be related to the DeLuca family. But it was probably too late to change anything at this point. Well, as long as they didn't start celebrating Christmas together like one big, happy, dysfunctional family…

The sound of Jim opening the front door brought a completely different thought to mind, something she had not thought about in a few weeks. With everything else that had been going on, the original problems of the school year had been forgotten. But now that she was relishing in this relative peace and quiet…

"Jim?" she called, walking into the living room.

He paused with the front door open, a coat in his hand. "Yes?"

"Do you know what happened to that archeologist? Grant something-or-other?"

Jim frowned. "Uh… no. The construction at that site is still postponed. Maybe indefinitely. Last time I checked, Sorenson was still meeting with the mayor about it."

"Oh. Okay." She hadn't really expected anything different, but the mayor was known to either be a skin or to associate with skins, so the fact that he was talking to Grant Sorenson could not be good.

"Is this something to be worried about?" Jim asked with a worried frown.

Tess forced a reassuring smile. "Probably not."

Except that it was something to worry about. Because Grant had told Isabel that there was some suspicion about the skeleton he found not being human. Because the mayor had been working with Senator Whitaker on something that seemed alien-related. Because the night Tess and Michael had broken into the mayor's office, they had discovered that perhaps they weren't as good at hiding in plain sight as they had thought.

"Are you sure?" Jim pressed.

"I'll let you know if it becomes a problem," she promised, knowing full well that it might not be a promise she could keep.

After Jim had gone, she returned to the kitchen and stared again at the sky, her mind now filled with questions about Grant, the mayor, the skeleton, and the skins.

So much for peace and quiet.

* * *

Monday morning came quietly, with appropriate grumbling from all the students who had no desire to return to their studies. But all thoughts of academics seemed to fade, chased away by the notice tacked up to the bulletin board outside the main office.

"We're doing a school play?" Maria asked with a groan. Turning to Liz, she asked, "Did you know that we even had a drama department?"

"You get extra credit for being in it," Liz pointed out, nodding towards the bottom of the announcement. "It's jointly sponsored by the English department. That could be useful."

"Aren't you currently getting an A in English?" Maria countered.

"Well… you never know. I might fail the next paper."

Maria snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, right."

Alex abruptly materialized by their side, nodding to the announcement. "Auditions are on Wednesday. Are you guys considering…"

"No!"

"Maybe…"

Alex grinned as he looked back and forth between his two friends. Maria seemed absolutely appalled by the entire idea, but Liz was truly considering it, obviously tempted by the extra-credit.

"I don't know, Maria," Alex remarked, "you might get a chance to sing."

"It's Othello. There is no singing in Shakespeare."

"Just betrayal and jealousy and murder and death…"

Maria rolled her eyes. "Sounds wonderful," she deadpanned, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you're not even considering it," Liz challenged. "You love being on a stage."

"And I can't believe you are thinking about this because you want extra credit. You do realize that you can't actually get above an A in any class, right?" Maria shot back.

"I'm working for the set crew," Alex offered. "Doing lights and the other technology stuff. I think it is going to be fun, and I get extra credit in English without even having to do anything related to English."

"Way to work the system, Alex," Maria laughed.

"Come on, Maria. It will be fun," Alex pleaded, giving her his best pout. "We can spend time together. You can be on stage most likely getting killed… I think everyone in this play dies… and I can be in the sound booth watching you die. It will be great!"

"You scare me sometimes, Alex."

"_Him_, scary?" a voice asked, and then Michael had pushed through the crowd of students who had gathered and was standing next to Maria. "Not possible."

"Want to be in a school play?" Alex suggested.

Michael stared at him, mouth falling open. Then he turned to Maria and said, "I get the scary part now."

"I'll take that as a no," Alex muttered, sighing. "You really are no fun."

"Well, yeah… because standing on a stage trying to remember pointless words written by somebody else while everyone stares at you waiting for you to mess up so they can laugh…"

"Paranoid, much?" Maria interrupted Michael.

"Whatever," he answered. "I'm not doing a play."

"You could show your school pride that way," Liz suggested.

Michael gave her an incredulous stare. "I don't have any school pride."

"Oh. Well, I suppose that could be an issue…"

"Come on, Maria," Alex cut in, turning the attention back to the pixie blonde. "You know you want to do this. It will be fun and you love being on a stage."

"There's no singing in Othello, Alex," Maria repeated dryly. "And I don't think they have guitar-playing either."

"Well, you don't have to sing. Or play the guitar. All you have to do is…"

"Embarrass yourself in front of the entire school?" Michael supplied. "I think I'd rather fail English. I'm out of here." And he turned and pushed his way through the students milling about in the hall.

Maria watched him go, then turned to Alex and said, "I agree with him."

"No, you don't," Alex retorted.

She blinked. "You can't tell me who I do or don't agree with," she argued, a little surprised.

"But you love acting."

"Not for school."

"What's the difference?"

"Well… one is for school, and the other… isn't."

"Well said, Maria."

"Shut up, Alex."

"I think we should all do it," Liz said suddenly, her eyes lighting up. "The three of us. Alex on tech and Maria and I on stage. It will be great. Something for just the three of us. You know, so we can hang out like we used to before everything got so… complicated."

"One of the Czechs might join," Maria countered.

Liz raised her eyebrows. "Which one?"

It was a good point, Maria and Alex reflected silently. Michael had made his position very clear, and no one even needed to ask Tess to know what she would think of the idea. Isabel was unlikely to do it, particularly if Tess and her group didn't participate. And Max… well, he was always unpredictable, but theater was not one of his passions, and so he'd probably not even consider it unless someone suggested it. Which no one would, because Michael, Tess, and Isabel would all think it ridiculous.

"Fine," Maria grumbled. "I'll go to auditions on Wednesday. Who knows, it might actually be fun…"

"I think she's being sarcastic," Liz murmured to Alex.

Alex laughed and answered, "Really? What gave it away?"

"The way she is glaring at us now as though she would kill us if she thought she could get away with it. The tone of her voice, her body language. The fact that she already told us she didn't want to do it…"

"That was a rhetorical question, Liz."

"Oh."

* * *

Next Chapter: Image of Perfection

Due: Sun 12/21


	36. Image of Perfection

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Merry Christmas everyone!

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Six: Image of Perfection

It took Liz less than a minute to figure out that something was wrong. Max and Michael were standing together, talking about something in hushed whispers, and Isabel was leaning against the lockers next to them, her gaze wandering back and forth across the hallway. Most of the students did not even bother paying attention to the three, unless it was perhaps to wonder why Isabel was still hanging out with her brother and Michael instead of with Tess and her friends. That particular story - of Isabel's miraculous rise to the realms of the popular - had not yet died down even though it had been nearly a year. It was strange, the things high school students would find to use as gossip.

But Liz did pay attention to the three, and saw the way Max's eyebrows came together, knitted into a look of concern. The way Michael and Isabel exchanged pointed looks when they thought Max was not looking.

She took a few steps towards Max, and found her way suddenly blocked by Tess.

"Nasedo, disguised as Agent Pierce, just killed two Senators. Max is flipping out because he gave Nasedo the go ahead to do this, and now he's having doubts," the blonde hissed in a low murmur. "Fix it."

Liz gaped. "Fix it? How?"

Tess rolled her eyes. "You're his girlfriend. Talk to him. Do that whole... compassionate, I love you, you're still a good person, blah, blah, blah... thing."

And just like that, she was gone, drifting back into the crowd and disappearing down the length of the hallway.

Liz turned and met Max's gaze. His shoulders were slumped forward, and his entire body seemed near to crumbling in on itself. His expression was confused, lost even... But his eyes never wavered from her face.

She walked forward with determination, not entirely sure what she would say. It was hard to console someone for giving allowing an alien killer to take two lives. What would she say? What _could _she say that would make up for what he had done? He was still a good person, and she knew that. The real question was did he know that as well?

"Hey, Liz," Isabel greeted her. "I'm going to... uh... go to... class..." She threw a pointed look at Michael, and the two of them hurried away, leaving Max and Liz alone in the hallway. The brunette waitress watched them walk away with a mixture of amusement and frustration. Clearly, like Tess, they thought she would somehow be able to fix this. But she had no idea where to even begin, particularly since she was never privy to the details of the deal with Nasedo anyway.

"Hey," Max greeted, giving her a tired smile.

"Hey," Liz answered. "What's up?"

"Did you see the paper this morning?" Max asked. "Two Senators were killed in their homes in Washington DC. Looked like some kind of break in. The press is blaming an internal unit within the FBI," Max answered, not bothering to lower his voice.

Liz accepted this in silence. She knew no one would ever wonder why they were interested in politics given that she was often seen as a geek by most of the student body. So as long as they didn't mention Pierce, aliens, or Maria, this was a perfectly safe topic. On the other hand, the fact that they could openly talk about these deaths did nothing to help her figure out what to say or how to deal with the fall-out of this plan.

"The senators had families, you know," Max added. "I... wives and children. Parents. Brothers and sisters. And now..." He stopped, shrugged.

Liz lowered her voice and whispered, "Not your fault."

"Isn't it?" Max countered, lowering his voice as well. He caught Liz by the arm, pulling her through the crowded hallway towards the eraser room where they would be able to talk in private. Closing the door behind him, he squinted through the dim light and continued, "I told Nasedo he could go ahead with this plan. I told him it was okay."

"Did you know that he was going to kill the senators?" Liz countered.

"No..." Max admitted, a little reluctantly. "No, Nasedo just said attacks..." He trailed off with a weary sigh and added, "But I should have known. This is Nasedo we're talking about. He has no soul and we both know he'd never leave any loose ends. Of course he was going to kill them."

Liz took his hands in her own. "Max, listen to me. This is not your fault. You could not possibly have known what Nasedo would or would not do. In fact, for all we know, Nasedo would have killed them anyway. Do you really think he always goes to you for permission before carrying through with one of his plans? _You _did not do this, you did _not _kill those two men. Nasedo did."

"That's what Isabel said," Max replied bitterly. "But don't you understand, Liz? This is my fault. There blood is on my hands. I'm the king, I'm supposed to be able to protect people. I have to be able to do that, to save people... or else..." He stopped again, and did not finish the thought.

But Liz, sensing that this was the crux of the problem, pressed gently, "Or else what, Max?"

"Or else I am no better than him," Max murmured, his answer barely audible. He leaned back against the shelves of supplies and closed his eyes, taking a slow breath. "If I don't do this, I am no better than him."

"Who? Nasedo? Khivar?"

"No. Zan."

Whatever she had expected Max to say, that was not it. But perhaps she should have known it was coming, given that Max was still so upset about the things he had done while under the influence of his alien half. She licked her dry lips and said, "What do you mean?" hoping that his answer might illuminate the problem, and perhaps offer some sort of solution.

"Zan kills without caring," Max answered. "Not... not without reason. It is a war, and he is fighting to protect his planet and his people... But... he doesn't care about collateral damage. He tells himself that it is necessary, that people will die in a war, and that it will be worth it if he can stopKhivar. He doesn't even _care_." His breath was coming in shaky rasps and tears pooled in his now open eyes, but did not fall. "I don't want to be him."

"You aren't him," Liz replied forcefully. She wished there was more she could say, but it was difficult to come up with a logical argument for what was such a strange situation. How could she convince him that he was notZan when he was, in fact, made up partially of the alien king's DNA?

And then there was the issue of war. In some ways, Zan was right. It was a war, and people did die, and that could not be changed. If Max let himself get caught up in emotional torment every time he wasn't able to save someone, he would fall apart. Sydney's cancer would be the least of their problems because, no matter what, Max would be headed down a self-destructive path. On the other hand, if Max were to simply stop caring about all the unnecessary death, if he started view life as a commodity, aprivilege and not a right... well, then he would no long be Max.

"You don't understand," Max said, and there was no accusation in his voice, no dismissal, no anger. Just the stark truth that Liz did not understand what it was like to have another presence buried deep within, another soul that could start taking control, start influencing his thoughts, emotions, and actions. "You've never knowingly played with people's lives, made decisions about their future without any regard for their feelings. You've never viewed people as just things to be manipulated, or discarded as necessary. You're a good person. A perfect person, really."

That statement stopped Liz cold. Because she did know what it was like to completely alter someone's future. That was, after all, exactly what she had done by following the advice of the Michael from the future. She had been given something precious - knowledge of a future that would now never come to pass - and had used it to interfere in the lives of others. It had been for the right reasons, had been because she only wanted to save her friends and this planet, to stop them from being destroyed byKhivar... But she _had _done it, and she hadn't even bothered to tell anyone.

The bell rang, signalling the start of class, and before Liz could think of anything else to say, Max mumbled something about needing to get to class and slipped by her, disappearing out the door.

* * *

Alex took a bite of his apple and studied Liz for a moment, noticing the way her gaze kept flickering around the quad. She looked nervous about something, or upset, maybe, but he wasn't sure what could have bothered her so much. As far as he knew, her relationship with Max was finally on the mend, Maria was out of trouble, and school was going well. But there was no denying the worried expression that lingered in her eyes.

"Liz? Are you alright?"

Dark brown eyes looked sharply at him, one eyebrow raised questioningly. "I'm fine, Alex," she answered, but even as she said the words a dull pink blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks, belying her statement.

"Really?" he asked cautiously, wondering if he was treading on thin ice. Liz, at least, did not have Maria's temper and so was less likely to lose it at him in response to his questions. On the other hand, she still might not be thrilled that he was pushing for answers... but he _was _worried. She was his friend, after all, and people were supposed to look out for their friends.

"Yeah. Really." She gave a half-shrug and turned her attention back to her lunch.

Alex scanned the quad for any sign of Maria or Max, but neither had ventured from the school yet. Michael, too, was not there, but Isabel and Tess were eating at the far picnic benches, chattering happily with Trudy, Kyle, Cliff, and Jessica. He'd been invited to join them, and when he'd turned down the invitation he'd been forced to deal with Isabel's tempting pout. But Liz had looked so upset and he needed to find out why.

"Liz... for someone who manages to keep the whole alien royalty thing a secret from the entire world every single day, you are remarkably bad at lying."

She laughed a little, but the laughter did not reach her eyes. Looking down, she said, "I don't really want to talk about it, Alex."

"Are you sure we can't help?" Alex murmured, leaning forward. He placed the apple on top of his brown paper bag and stared hard at her, wondering what was going through her mind.

But she just shook her head. "You can't help Alex. I know you can't. It's not... it's over now anyway."

"What's over?"

Liz pushed her lunch away and rose to her feet. "Just having some problems with Max. Well, Max is having the problems, and I am trying to help. It's just... hard, you know? He keeps thinking that I am perfect, but I... I just wish I could tell him, make him understand..."

Now Alex was growing really worried. "Liz? You're not making any sense. At all."

She shoved the remains of her lunch back into her paper bag and answered, "Don't worry about it, Alex. It's nothing."

Alex watched her hurry away, making a mental note to himself to check with Maria at the earliest possible moment. Maybe the pixie blonde knew what was going on with their friend. And if not... well, he'd snoop around if he had to. But something _was _wrong, and he wasn't going to let Liz pretend otherwise.

* * *

Chris slid his arm around Tess' waist and gave her a broad smile. "Hello, beautiful."

She narrowed blue eyes at him. "That smile and that tone only ever mean that you want something, Chris. What is it?" she asked, shutting her locker and turning to face him. It was the end of yet another school day, and she was tired. She wanted nothing more than to go home, take a bath, and sleep until the end of the school year.

"Maybe all I want is to see my girlfriend?" Chris suggested.

Tess rolled her eyes. "No chance I'm believing that."

"Okay, so maybe I had a teensy favor to ask..."

"Which is?"

"Kyle wanted to do something nice for Trudy. And he asked me what I thought. And I told him that he should just buy her flowers or something. And he wanted to know what kind. And I told him I'd think about it. Only... I don't know what type of flower he should buy her. So I'm asking you."

If possible, Tess' eyes became even more narrowed, and now clouded with suspicion as well. "You want more than that," she said, her voice filled with certainty. She swung her backpack onto her shoulders and said pointedly, "Spit it out, Chris."

"Uh... well... Kyle and I sort of made a bet. About who could... you know... buy flowers... uh, for Trudy. And I told him I'd buy the flowers this afternoon."

"You're buying flowers for my brother's girlfriend?"

"No! Well, sort of. It's complicated."

"Obviously," Tess drawled. "Should I be upset that you're not buying flowers for me?"

Chris looked taken aback. "Do you want flowers?"

"Does any girl ever not want flowers?" Tess countered. "Why is Kyle buying flowers for Trudy anyway?"

"It's some kind of anniversary. Like six months or nine months or something... I don't know, I wasn't listening when he explained that."

Tess blinked. "And you and Kyle are competing to see who can buy flowers?"

"Yes."

"How is that a bet? What is so difficult about buying flowers?"

Chris looked scandalized that she even had to ask. "We can't just go into the florist shop. It's a _girl's_ place. But I told Kyle I was brave enough to go in... even though it is a girl's place... and it would totally ruin my reputation..."

It took Tess a moment to put the pieces of the rather bizarre puzzle in order, but finally everything seemed to click into place and she said, "So you told Kyle you would buy flowers this afternoon. From the florist. But you don't want to take the chance of anyone seeing you going in there... so you want me to do it for you?"

"Yes!" Chris answered, sounding grateful that she understood.

Tess pulled absently at one curl as her eyes slid past Chris towards Michael. The hybrid General paid her little attention as he walked past, but it reminded her that she had yet to talk to him about the mayor or Sorenson . Given everything that Max was dealing with, she had not wanted to go to him, and while it was certainly possible that she could convince Isabel to flirt with the archaeologist again, she wasn't sure that was the right tact. Michael might have a better idea.

"Fine," she said finally, shaking her head in despair at her boyfriend. "But you have to drive me there. And then drive me home."

"Deal!" He kissed her on the cheek. "Meet you at my car."

Tess nodded absently and hurried after Michael, catching him just as he turned the corner. She grabbed his arm and he turned to face her, confusion in his eyes.

"Tess? What's up?"

"I'm tired," Tess said matter-of-factly, "but I can't go home yet because my boyfriend is apparently terrified of flowers. As is my brother."

Michael snickered even though the comment would have made no sense to him at all. "You obviously have quite a problem to deal with," he remarked sardonically, smirking at her. "But why are you telling me this?"

She beckoned for him to follow him and stepped into the nearest empty classroom. Making sure they were alone, she spun to face Michael and said, "We completely forgot about the mayor and Grant Sorenson."

Michael was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Are they still doing stuff with the skeleton?"

"I think so. I asked Jim, and he wasn't sure, but I think he would have heard if Sorenson left Roswell. But he's still here, and we know the mayor is either a skin or working with skins... so, as you so eloquently put it, he must be doing stuff with the skeleton."

Michael did not respond to the sarcasm in her comment and instead questioned, "Do you think Isabel can..."

"I'm not sure that is the best idea," Tess interrupted before he could even finish the sentence. "It worked once, but if the mayor hears that Isabel is asking questions... puts her in danger. And the last thing we want to do is draw attention to ourselves. Not now that things might finally be over."

"Did you talk to Max?"

"Seriously?"

Michael tilted his head to one side as he regarded her, then gave a slow nod. "I suppose you're right about that. We should leave Max out of it until we really need to tell him. But what do you want me to do?"

She blinked once. "You're the one with no common sense and a predisposition for reckless action. I want you to use those somewhat dubious talents of yours and figure something out."

"It's always so fun talking to you," Michael sneered. Then he sobered and said seriously, "I'll think about it."

Tess nearly laughed at the comment. They had all changed over the past year, and it was true that Michael had grown more cautious and less prone to his usual careless behavior. But he had not changed _that _much, and she knew exactly what his idea of "thinking about it" would entail. "While you're thinking about it," she shot back, "try not to get arrested for breaking and entering." After a pause, she added, "And try not to get Maria caught either."

Michael opened his mouth, presumably to contradict her assumption, but she did not let him get a word in edgewise.

"I mean it, Michael. At least try to come up with a way of snooping that does not involve breaking the law. Think things through once of twice before doing something rash. And for the love of God, don't get in more trouble with Amy DeLuca ." Then she flashed him a mocking smile. "And yes, Michael, you really are that predictable," she said, patting him on the arm and walking past him from the room.

"Have fun with Chris," he called after her. "Don't let the flowers terrify you, too."

* * *

Courtney ran her hand over the door knob, nodding with satisfaction as the lock gave way beneath her powers. She shoved the door open and stepped into the house, glancing around once. The faint light of the moon barely illuminated the living room, casting long shadows along the wall.

She shut the door behind her.

The sound of footsteps on the floor above her caused her to glance up. Humans, she reflected, were so annoying loud. Even the best of them had no idea how to sneak around, unnoticed. Didn't they know that it was their lack of stealth that so often got them killed? No one would bother them if they could just avoid being noticed.

The footsteps came down the stairs. The door to the living room opened and the light was suddenly turned one, flooding the room with brightness. A man stood across from her, a gun in his hand, dark brown eyes fixed on her. He pointed the gun at her and growled, "Who are you?"

Courtney flicked her hands once at the drapes and they slid shut, concealing her from the outside world. It was doubtful that anyone would be up and about at this late hour, but she still was not going to take that chance. What she was here to do... well, it was best down unobserved. It would cause too many problems if anyone saw anything.

"What the...? How did you...?"

She gave the surprised man a cold look. "Stop acting so surprised," she sneered. "You had Tess Harding in the White Room long enough to know that all your fears about aliens being here were true. You know who we are and what we can do." Her lips quirked into a thin smile. "Too bad you're never going to be able to tell anyone."

Her words were stopped by the sharp crack of the gun's trigger being pulled, and as the bullets raced towards her, she actually smiled.

And then raised one hand and stopped them mid-air, watching as they floated before her. She studied them for a moment with a curious gaze, then dropped her arm, and the bullets clattered harmlessly to the floor.

"Not fast enough," she remarked.

"What do you want?" he breathed, looking uneasily about for a way to escape.

She shrugged. "I'm just following orders. You see, you're one of the few members of the Special Unit who still pose a threat to us. We got rid of Pierce and had most of you disbanded, but you... you're still a threat. And I can't have threats to our plan. We've been working on it for fifty years, invested far too much to let you mess it all up now."

The hand holding the gun started shaking.

"It is unfortunate for you," Courtney continued, nodding. "But your fate was sealed long before you captured Tess. You should have known you couldn't win against us, against our power."

"It doesn't matter," the man spat. "Even if you kill me, more will come! You can't escape us."

Courtney gave an exasperated sigh. "Haven't you been listening to anything I've said?" she demanded. "You were the closest to Roswell, so I was sent to deal with you. But your... colleagues... are being dealt with as well, even as we speak. You've lost your unit and your reputation. Now you will lose your life. Your body will be destroyed and nobody will ever miss you." She shrugged. "Don't take it personally, it's not anything specifically about you. It's just... well... this _is _a war, and we don't really like having loose ends."

And she raised her hand once more, pointing her fingers directly at the hapless man.

He crumbled to the ground, the gun falling from his lifeless hands.

Courtney waved her hand at him again, and his body dissolved before her very eyes, turning into dust and ash. "I wish I could say I was sorry," she said, "but we all have to survive somehow." She did not like killing, but recognized that it was occasionally needed given that this was a war. All members of the Special Unit had to be dealt with, in any way necessary. "If one of us has to die, human, I certainly will not let it be me. You do not understand just how big of a war you managed to stumble across, but we have an entire planet... perhaps even several planets... at stake. And I simply could not take any chances on this."

Then she pulled out phone and dialed the mayor. He answered on the first ring.

"It's done," Courtney reported crisply.

"Good. The others have reported in as well. The FBI is taken care of."

Courtney closed the phone and walked from the house, careful to turn out the lights and lock the door behind her.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Unwelcome Fourth

Due: Sun 1/4


	37. The Unwelcome Fourth

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Emporium Power was the corporation that hired Sorenson and his team to determine if the place they wanted to build on could be a Native American burial site. And that is where Sorenson found the skull…

* * *

Chapter: The Unwelcome Fourth

"Have you noticed Liz acting strange lately?"

Maria glanced up at Alex's question, a frown marring her features. It was Wednesday morning, and slowly but surely the excitement about possibly performing in a show was pushing through her reticence to do anything school-related. Auditions were in the afternoon, and Maria couldn't help but grin.

"Not really," she answered Alex's question after a moment of thought. "Although she is starting to have second thoughts about the show, I can see that much."

Alex shook his head. "No, it isn't that. I don't know… I can't really explain it, but I just think something is… upsetting her."

"Maybe her relationship with Max is taking a toll on her?" Maria offered. "It can't be easy being in a relationship with a guy who is walking on the edge of a nervous breakdown."

"As opposed to being in a relationship with a guy who has the mental and emotional maturity of a two-year-old?" a voice huffed, and Isabel appeared, rolling her eyes and looking annoyed.

"Oh, come on," Maria challenged, "Space Boy is much better than that. He's at least got the capacity of a kindergartener."

Isabel shrugged. "Yeah, right." Lowering her voice, she said, "Max was upset this morning. Well, Max is always upset, but he was even more upset this morning. And he was driving Michael and I to school, and Michael's way to cheer him up was to talk about movies. _Movies_. I mean, Max is reeling from having been taken over by his ruthless, regal half, and Michael's idea of helping him deal with it is to talk about the stunts in _Die Hard_ and how hot Cameron Diaz looked in _Charlie's Angels_. I mean, come on…"

"Did it work?" Maria asked.

Isabel shot her a pointed look. "This is Max we're talking about. What do you think?"

"Have you noticed Liz acting strange lately?" Alex questioned, his gaze now on Isabel.

Isabel blinked. "Uh… not really. Except that she is apparently stupid enough to want to date my brother." She looked between the two human friends, and asked worriedly, "Is something wrong with her? Is she being possessed? Because, really, I can only handle one near emotional-breakdown at a time, and Max isn't anywhere near stable yet."

"She just seems… upset," Alex answered with a sigh.

Isabel's lips turned up into a wry smile. "Did you miss the part of the conversation where she is attempting to date my near-the-brink-of-insanity brother?"

"Are you sure it isn't just cold feet?" Maria asked. "I mean… Liz _hates_ the stage."

"And yet this entire thing was her idea," Alex countered, shaking his head.

"Liz is going to be onstage?" Isabel echoed, a little confused by the turn of the conversation. "Why?"

"The three of us are auditioning for the school play," Alex replied. "This afternoon. It's _Othello_."

Isabel considered this for a moment, then asked, "Can I come and watch and laugh at you?" Alex frowned and Maria pouted, but the statuesque alien just rolled her eyes at them. "I can't believe you would actually willingly do something like this. It's like… social suicide."

"You know, Izzy, I don't think they can drop any lower on the social status ladder," Tess' voice floated towards them as she materialized at Isabel's side.

"Hey, at least I'm not a fake, back-stabbing, manipulative…"

Maria's retort was cut off by Tess' casual remark, "I liked you a lot better when you were terrified we were going to kill you in your sleep." Before Maria could reply, Tess turned to Isabel and said, "Come on. You don't want to be late for class, do you?"

"Of course not," Isabel drawled. "Heaven forbid I miss out on all that _fun_." She gave Alex a quick kiss on the cheek and said, "I'll see you in second period."

As the two girls walked away, Maria shook her head and said to Alex, "You know, it's weird, but now that I know Tess actually does have the ability to kill me in my sleep, I'm actually a lot less intimidated by her."

Alex laughed. "Well, common sense and logic were never your strong points." Maria glared in mock outrage and hit him on the arm. He pretended to wince and rub his arm tenderly, even as he reflected on Maria's words. Prior to learning about the entire alien mess, he had only known Isabel from afar. She was stunning, of course, and probably every guy's fantasy, but she was also just so unapproachable. It was only after finding out that she was, in fact, alien royalty, that they were suddenly able to connect.

Life was very strange sometimes.

He and Maria continued to exchange pointless banter as they walked towards their respective classes, but Alex could not shake the feeling that Liz was hiding something. And he desperately wanted to know what it was.

* * *

While the day passed rather uneventfully for the alien hybrids and their human friends, Grant Sorenson was having an entirely different experience. The last of the tests had been run on the strange skeleton he had stumbled upon weeks ago, and although the pay was good and the scenery was a nice change from what he was used to, it was time to pack up and go home.

At least, that was what he had thought until the mayor of Roswell called him in for a conference.

He shifted uneasily in the chair, not knowing what to expect. He had written everything he could think of in his report, and although his conclusions were a little out of the ordinary, he was confident that it could all be explained somehow.

He just wasn't sure how.

"So," the mayor said casually, "you did not write in your report what you believed to be the cause of death."

Sorenson was momentarily taken aback, but answered soon enough, "I am not a medical examiner. I'm not really qualified to determine that. But if you need someone to do an autopsy…"

"I'm not looking for an official statement," the mayor cut him off sharply. "If I wanted that, there are plenty of people I could turn to. But you wrote…" he glanced down at the report on his desk, "that the skull showed signs of fractures. You did not elaborate on that. What is, in your opinion, the cause of such a thing?"

"Blunt force trauma," Sorenson answered. "It could be a cause of death. It could also just be what naturally happens when someone is buried. You find that often with old remains in which no coffin is used. The ground is not as stable as we would like to believe, and it shifts quite frequently. Stones and rocks may collide with the deceased's body. The older the body, the more brittle the bones, the more easily they break."

"And how does one determine which cause is the true one?"

Sorenson narrowed his eyes and said, "Turn it over to the Sheriff. He will certainly have people who can handle it." He had no idea why the mayor wanted to keep this out of the Sheriff's hands, but he had acquiesced early on to the request and kept quiet about his efforts. Now, however, he was about to leave, and he did not want to be dragged any further into a game of politics between the two.

The mayor raised an eyebrow. "It isn't that simple," he said softly. "And this may very well be taken out of all our hands." He paused, then asked, "You say you believe the skeleton to be between twenty and twenty-five years old?"

"Yes." Sorenson looked down at his hands for a moment, picking his words carefully. "It was difficult to determine, as I say in my report. The decay was… unusual. Not a pattern I've ever seen before."

The mayor nodded. "Roswell has been here for more than twenty-five years. That part of the desert could not have been used for a Native American burial ground. We would have known."

Sorenson shrugged. "There were no other bodies there, no artifacts. Nothing to indicate any type of ceremonial procedure occurred there. And since the leaders of the Native American community on the Reservation have denied using that land, it seems unlikely." After a moment of thinking, he added sarcastically, "Emporium Power will be pleased. They can go ahead and build their factory or whatever it was."

The mayor did not appear to be listening, or is he was, then he did not care. He was instead staring back at the report, his expression closely guarded.

When he looked up, his face was blank. "Will you excuse me for a moment, Mr. Sorenson?" Without waiting for a response, he rose to his feet and walked from the office.

Sorenson gave a weary sigh and rubbed his eyes. He had been dragged into this mess expecting it to be a simple job. Emporium Power would need to know whether or not they could develop on the land they had purchased, and he would investigate, report his findings, and leave. So how did a simple task like that turn into several weeks worth of tests? How did it become something that would end with a conference with the mayor?

He was sure it was politics, plain and simple. Certainly, his report had been strange. There were some abnormalities in the skeleton that could probably just be explained by congenital deformities. But the bone structure was denser than he had expected, and the decay rate was not what it should have been, given the location and climate. And then there was the matter of the various isotopes found on the body, isotopes that did not usually exist in nature. Cadmium, lithium, nitrogen…

Which meant either he had stumbled across some never-before-discovered species of humanoid life-form, a possibility that sounded ridiculous even in his head, or, more likely, he had stumbled across a dumping ground for radioactive and carcinogenic material.

As Grant Sorenson leaned back in his chair and pondered the various possibilities, the mayor of Roswell was meeting in an adjoining room with one of his… _friends_.

The woman was tall and brunette and had welcoming smile and sweet countenance. She leaned against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, her pose languid and relaxed. Her eyes, a pale green, flickered back and forth between the mayor at the door through which he had entered, almost as though she expected them to be interrupted.

"This is a problem," the mayor said coolly.

The woman nodded. "I know, sir." She hesitated. "Do you think Sorenson suspects?"

"The truth?" The mayor waved his hand dismissively. "Hardly. Who would suspect that the skeleton is alien? He's not the FBI, he isn't trained to think that way."

"And you are certain…?"

"Oh, it is definitely alien. Although I still cannot determine who. However, I doubt that the archeologist will be able to provide more answers. He knows even less than we do."

"What do you want me to do, sir?"

The mayor considered this for a moment, then replied, "Sorenson may not suspect the truth, but he still knows too much. He will need to be disposed of. Not here, though. One more death will only bring unwanted attention. Let him return home, start on whatever his new project is… and then get rid of him within the following week."

For a moment, the kind expression on the woman's face slipped, and it was replaced by a sudden, almost feral, predatory gleam. Then she reverted back to her sweet smile and said, "Consider it done."

"Anything else?" the mayor asked. "How goes the other project?"

The woman took a few steps forward, eagerness written all over her face. It was clear that this was what she truly wanted to speak about, and so her words were filled with satisfaction as she said, "We have been successful."

The mayor gaped. "You found them?"

"The rejected Royal Four? Yes, I did." She stopped, then amended her comment, "_We_ did. I had help, of course. They live in New York City. And while they seem to know a bit more about their past and their powers than the Roswell ones, they are oblivious to the fact that there is another set here."

They mayor was silent for a moment. Then he asked, "And are they truly as… disastrous… as we were lead to believe?"

The woman shrugged. "It is hard to say without further information. Certainly the scientists who created the Royal Four did quite a bit better when they made their second set. But I do not know how badly these rejected royals turned out. It is possible that their Rath could be the one we want."

"But not likely?" the mayor prompted, picking up on her reluctant tone.

"No," the woman murmured, "not likely. He has no loyalty to his Zan, which could work in our favor, perhaps allow us to convince him that he is better suited to rule. However, as far as I can tell, he has no loyalty to anyone save himself. He is arrogant, selfish, and greedy. I do not think he is the one."

"Has Khivar found them yet?"

"No, but he is close," the woman answered. "Very close. It is most likely what Nicolas has been doing since the ruined Harvest. Searching for them."

"And if he finds them…?"

"It will be disastrous for all of us."

The mayor lapsed into silence, thinking. They were running out of time. Although Courtney had been the only one of them to come with Khivar's skins, and therefore the only one who had already needed a new husk, he could still feel the clock ticking. His husk would expire within the year, and several of his co-conspirators would lose theirs shortly after. How much time did they really have?

But the rejected Royal Four… what did he want to do about them?

The scientists had screwed up their first attempt at creating the hybrids. They had failed to imbue their creations with the necessary essences, and so had essentially created beings who were supposed to rule, but would not have the right temperament to do so.

Of course, none of the scientists could bear the thought of just destroying their creations, particularly not when these beings contained DNA from the esteemed Royal Four. So they had sent them to Earth on a different ship at a different time, and promptly forgot about them, assuming they would be hatched, live their lives not knowing who they were, and then die here on Earth, never once even thinking of Antar.

If those hybrids knew about their past, then there was obviously a glitch somewhere in the plan. However, that might not have made any difference, given that they had no way of returning to Antar. They could remember all they wanted, but without action, they were still harmless.

But if Khivar should find them…

Who knew the havoc he could wreak? Would these amoral hybrids join him? It was certainly likely, particularly given how… persuasive… Khivar could be.

"After you have disposed of Sorenson," the mayor said finally, "I want you to go to New York. Do not make contact with the others, do not reveal yourself to them. But keep your eyes open. If Nicolas is there, I have no doubt that you will find him. And then we will determine how to proceed."

The woman nodded. "Of course." She turned to go.

"Oh, and Carla?" he called her back.

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep an eye out for the General's brother. I doubt Nicolas is the only one interested in finding the other hybrid General."

"And if I see… what is it he calls himself? Trevor? If I see him, what should I do?"

"He complicates matters. And I do not like complications."

Again, the feral smile crossed Carla's face. "I understand, sir."

* * *

Maria tapped her foot impatiently and looked around with an anxious frown. "Where is she?" she asked with a huff. "Liz is never late."

Alex scanned the auditorium, only half-listening to Maria. Auditions for Othello were due to start in a few minutes, and the room was filled with students clumped together, talking quietly. There were several he did not recognize, most likely freshmen and sophomores, and a few seniors that he knew but had never spoken to. Of the students in his own grade, the juniors, there were the expected computer geeks and drama enthusiasts.

"Alex?" Maria asked sharply when she realized he wasn't listening to her. "Alex, have you heard anything I've said?"

He looked at her with a sheepish smile, then said, "Um… a little?"

She rolled her eyes. "Liz isn't here yet, and auditions start in five minutes!" Maria muttered. "Where is she?"

"Uh…" Alex glanced around for a moment, then pointed, "she's right there, Maria. Talking to Mr. Turner, the drama teacher."

"Oh," Maria answered, now looking confused. "Why is she talking to him? Are we _supposed_ to be talking to him?"

It appeared that the question would be answered by Liz herself, as the brunette detached herself from the drama teacher and hurried across the room to her friends, smiling broadly with evident relief. Alex and Maria both looked at her expectantly, and she said with glee, "I got out of it!"

"Out of what?" Maria demanded.

"Auditioning. Performing. Being on stage."

Maria's jaw drop incredulously. "But, Lizzie, this was _your_ idea."

"Yes, it was," Liz agreed, adopting a look of mock displeasure, "and why did you let me go through with it? You know how much I hate performing. You're supposed to be my best friend, and best friends stop each other from doing really stupid things. Like making complete fools of themselves."

Maria raised one eyebrow. "So this is _my_ fault?" Alex smothered back and laugh and Liz just shrugged. Maria sighed. "I thought we were going to do this together. You know, spend some quality time with each other."

"Oh, we are," Liz rushed to assure her. "I just convinced Mr. Turner to let me work in the costume and set design crew instead."

"So you and Alex are going to be hanging out while I'm learning lines all by myself?"

"Of course not," Alex replied, wrinkling his nose. "I'm working with sound, lighting, and special effects. I can't hang out with Liz, she's on the other team." His tone was laced with such disdain that Liz burst into laughter, her eyes lighting up with a true smile, something neither of her friends had seen in a while.

"I didn't realize tech and set design were so competitive with each other," Liz commented.

Before either could respond, Mr. Turner clapped his hands and called the group together. He was a fairly young teacher, probably in his mind-thirties, with mop of unruly brown hair and green eyes. Despite the fact that he was married and had two young children, he was still the object of quite a few high school girls' crushes. Something, Alex mused, that probably explained the large percentage of girls that had shown up for the audition.

"Alright, guys," Mr. Turner began, "we're going to keep this fairly short and simple. I am going to give each of you and scene to run through, not necessarily from a Shakespeare play. After that is done, I'll ask a couple of you to practice some lines from Othello. The cast list will be posted tomorrow morning. Any questions?"

There was a silence, and then a soft chattering as people began to talk with their friends again.

"Good," Mr. Turner continued. "Alright, can everyone take a seat? Try to stay quiet, folks, and listen for when I call your name."

Liz, Maria, and Alex chose seats in the back of the auditorium. As they sat down, Liz began looking around, taking in all the other students. Technically, neither she nor Alex really needed to be there for this, given that they were not auditioning. But she had made a point of having this be a group activity, and she couldn't turn her back on that idea now.

Besides, she knew Maria would appreciate the support.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Mr. Turner's voice calling across the auditorium. "Jennifer Davis, Lillian Blum, and Scott Powell. You three are up first."

Three students rose to their feet and walked towards the front of the auditorium, towards the stage.

"I swear, I don't even recognize half these people," Maria murmured. "Are you sure they all go to our school?"

"Yeah," Alex chuckled. "They couldn't really be auditioning for the school play if they didn't."

"Who are they?" Maria questioned, pointing at a group clustered near the front of the room. They were lounging about carelessly as though they were paying very little attention to what anyone thought of them, but Maria had spent enough time around Tess to know when that sort of attitude was entirely show. They knew they were the center of attention, and they expected it.

"I don't know," Alex answered uninterestedly.

"Yeah, me neither," Liz agreed. After a moment of staring at the group, however, she said, "I think the girl on the right, the one with the long brown hair and the blue halter top… that's Chris' little sister. She's a freshman."

"Chris? Wait… like Tess' boyfriend?"

"Uh huh." Liz paused for a moment, wracking her brain for anything she might have heard about the girl. Finally, she said, "I think she's apparently a million times worse than Tess."

Maria laughed. "Is that even possible?"

Liz leaned back in her seat and shrugged. "Hard to know." Although Roswell itself was not a particularly large town, the fact that it only had one high school, and that all the inhabitants sent their children to that high school, meant that it was a large enough student population for Liz to avoid ever having to interact with students not in her grade. As a result, while she was incredibly knowledgeable in the happenings of students in her own grade, she knew next to nothing about the others. In fact, she only recognized Chris' sister because she'd seen the two of them interact once or twice after school, and she'd only been paying attention because Tess had been with them.

She wasn't even sure she knew the other girl's name.

She glanced up towards the stage where the three students were just finishing up their lines. It was clearly a Shakespeare play, although not a scene that she instantly recognized. She could deduce it was one of the tragedies, however, as she watched one of the girls pretend to kill herself, crumbling to the ground with an anguished cry.

She thought, then, of Max.

"Lizzie?"

Her concern and fear at the thought of all that Max had been through and all that they would continue to be forced to endure must have shown on her face, because both Maria and Alex were looking at her with identical expressions of worry.

"Just thinking," Liz said, trying to wave it all away. They did not look convinced, but neither pushed the subject. They let her lapse back into silence instead, lost in her own thoughts.

Unnoticed by Liz, Maria and Alex exchanged apprehensive looks, and Alex mouthed quietly, "Believe me now?"

Whatever was bothering Liz, they could at least now both agree it was a lot more than just stage fright or second thoughts about the play.

Another group was called up, to run through their lines. This time, it was not a Shakespeare play. None of the students were particularly good, and the dialogue was delivered in a halting, stammering manner.

"I am going to be so much better than that," Maria declared in w whisper. "I mean… that boy on the right can't even talk without stuttering."

"Maybe he has a speech impediment," Liz admonished.

"He doesn't. Do you really think I'd be making fun of him if he did?" Maria defended herself. She'd had a couple classes with him over the years and knew that he could speak perfectly well. It was obviously just nerves that was doing this to him. Turning all her attention to Liz, Maria added, "I'm not Tess. I don't take glee in rubbing salt in people's wounds."

"Good point."

"Did you know that in the Middle Ages salt used to be used as a means to clean out cuts?" Alex offered.

"Nobody cares, Alex."

"I think that's kind of cool," Liz retorted.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Of course you do."

Liz smiled for a moment, but as her gaze moved back to the stage, her expression fell.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Alex questioned, unable to remain silent about her obvious distress any longer.

"Totally fine," Liz promised. "Right as rain."

"You ever wonder about that saying?" Maria asked. "I mean… what makes rain so _right_? It could be wrong, you know."

"Yes, but wrong as rain doesn't have quite the same ring to it," Alex explained.

The scene finished, and Mr. Turner called out, "Maria DeLuca and Courtney Banks."

Maria's head snapped up. "_What_?"

Sure enough, the blonde rebel skin could be seen rising to her feet at the other end of the auditorium. She looked just as surprised as Maria, and her light eyes widened slightly as she caught the pixie blonde's angry stare.

"What is she doing here?" Liz asked worriedly.

"Just go and run the lines," Alex advised under his breath. "We can deal with the rest of this later."

Maria made her way to the stage, taking the list of lines from Mr. Turner as she passed him. Courtney smiled nervously as she approached, and Maria hissed, "What do you think you're doing?"

Courtney chanced a glance around and replied, "It's not like I knew you were going to audition." She rolled her eyes and added sarcastically, "Trust me, being in this show is not actually part of some great scheme to kill you all."

"Yeah, well that is the problem, isn't it?" Maria shot back. "I _don't_ trust you."

From the audience, Liz watched nervously as her best friend and the alien stepped onto the stage. She remembered what the Michael-from-the-future had told her, that Courtney might have been a good ally, they simply had no way of knowing since Trevor had arranged for her death long before they had been able to test her loyalties. So there was a chance that Courtney was perfectly trustworthy…

And there was the chance that she wasn't.

The lines, Liz recognized dimly, were from Arthur Miller's _The Crucible_. Courtney, reading the part of Abigail, the ringleader of the group of girls who had brought the full fury of the witch hunt upon the innocent citizens of Salem, was threatening one of her more reluctant followers, played by Maria.

Under almost any other set of circumstances, it would have been amusing to watch Maria struggle with the role of a meek, timid girl. Her usually exuberant and abrasive personality was so completely in opposition to the lines she was reading.

"What say you?" Courtney demanded.

Maria faltered, her eyes dropping even as she scanned the script. "Abby, I…"

Liz turned her attention to the director. Mr. Turner was watching the proceedings with a calculating stare, obviously impressed by both the readings. And, Liz was forced to admit with a reluctant sigh, Courtney was good. Good enough that she was sure to get a part in the play, as was Maria.

Which meant the two of them could very well be acting side-by-side.

The brunette glanced back at Courtney. She knew she should not be reading too much into this casting, but she did find it a little troublesome and ironic that Courtney was currently acting the role of a girl who had, with temperamental passion and a chilling indifference to those she hurt, committed adultery with a married man and then brought about the deaths of several innocent people.

Courtney stepped forward threateningly, her voice dropping to a low hiss filled with dangerous desperation. "Let you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." The air around her seemed to condense, to form a shroud of wrath, and her light eyes took on a fiery look as she continued to deliver one of Abigail's most famous lines, "And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!"

Maria froze, eyes going wide with horror. It was just a little too real for her comfort.

"Very good," Mr. Turner complemented them, nodding in appreciation. "I will want you both to remain after the general auditions to read some lines from Othello. You can take your seats now."

Maria did not need to be told twice. She bolted from the stage, hurrying towards the door of the auditorium and out into the hallway, Courtney close at her heels. Alex and Liz exchanged worried looks, then pressed through the crowd to join Maria outside.

When they finally made it through the mass of students and into the hallway, Maria and Courtney were standing close together, arguing fervently in quiet tones.

"…really, for God's sake, it was just acting!"

Maria shook her head as Liz came to her side. "The hell that was just acting," she spat back, her face flushed. "Like you weren't imagining murdering me the entire time."

"Well, of course I was thinking about that," Courtney retorted. "I was trying to get into Abigail's head. That what you do when you're _acting_, Maria."

"What are you even doing here?" Alex interrupted before the argument could escalate. "I thought we were pretty clear when we told you to stay away from us."

Courtney rolled her eyes in exasperation and looked from Maria to Alex and then back. "And I told you that I didn't know you would be here. Look, I'm just trying to do the same thing you want to do – keep my head down and blend in, while hopefully earning extra credit. I have to make a life here, too, you know."

"You should drop out of the play," Maria snapped.

But Courtney shook her head. "If you don't want to be in a play with me, then you are the one who should drop out. But, seriously, Maria, what are you so afraid of? That I will murder you in broad daylight while surrounded by a whole bunch of other people? You're being completely unreasonable."

"Yeah, right…" Maria drawled. "Because it's not like you haven't tried to lie and manipulate us before."

Liz narrowed her eyes and said in agreement, "Do you have any idea what Max is going through now because of you? Your little mind games, turning him into Zan…"

Courtney blinked, surprised.

Alex and Maria just stared at Liz, unable to comprehend what she had said. "_Courtney_ did that to Max?"

"How do you even know that?" Alex asked softly. "Does everyone else know? Did we just not get the memo?"

"No, I…" Liz trailed off, unsure. She could very well tell them the truth, that she had learned this from a Michael who had travelled back from the future. "It's complicated. I… the others don't really know…" She glanced away for a moment, trying to cover for her mistake. "And my point is that you really can't be trusted."

Neither Alex nor Maria wanted to leave the subject of how Liz knew what she knew, but it was also clear that pushing her on it now was a bad idea, particularly since they were trying to present a united front against Courtney. So, unwillingly, they let the topic of Max's transformation drop and turned back to the problem at hand.

"She's right," Alex murmured, nodding.

"So you will forgive me if I have no desire to have you… what was it you threatened? A pointy reckoning that will shudder me?" She smirked and added, "Whatever _that_ means."

"So why don't you just do us all a favor and make this easy? Quit the play."

Courtney shook her head. "No."

"Look, we don't care how good you are at acting," Maria hissed, her patience completely gone. "You were told to stay away from us, and that was _not_ a request. It was an order, so stay away from us."

"No," Courtney repeated. "Not if it means dropping this play. I'm not doing anything wrong by being here. And you three are being completely unreasonable. You know, you might not like what is happening in your lives, but in case you've forgotten, you're not the only ones caught in this war. And I am not going to hand my life over to you and let you tell me what I can and can't do. I'm not putting your or anyone else in any danger by being here, and I am actually enjoying myself for the first time in a very long time, so do us all a favor and get over yourselves. This isn't about you."

"Well, of course you'd be enjoying yourself," Maria shot back snidely. "You and Abigail have so much in common. You know, such as trying to get with men that weren't yours."

Courtney did not even bat an eye as she replied, "You're right. And you know what else Abigail and I have in common? We both watched as people killed our parents. We've both seen reddish work done at night. And we both know what it is like to wish the sun had never gone down." She paused, looked at all three of them. "You can run to your royal friends and ask for their help if you want. You can have all four of them line up in a row and tell me to get lost. But it won't do any good. I've been fighting this war since before you've were born, and you _don't_ scare me."

And without another word, she turned and walked back into the auditorium.

* * *

Next Chapter: Advice

Due: Sun 1/18


	38. Advice

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: For anyone who doesn't know the plot of _Othello_, there are only three main roles for women. There is Othello's wife Desdemona, her friend Emilia – who happens to be the wife of Iago (the villain), and the courtesan/prostitute Bianca.

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Advice

Alex ran a hand through his hair and frowned at his reflection in the mirror on the bathroom wall. The day had started like any other day, with the students slumping resignedly into class. Maria had added some extra heat to the glares she sent at Courtney every time they crossed paths, whereas Liz seemed to have decided that if she ignored the other girl, the entire situation might just fade away. Alex wasn't sure which method he liked better, but being a friendly person by nature, he could not bring himself to blatantly frown menacingly at the rebel skin the way Maria did, and so he had settled for following Liz's example.

But Liz… Liz was currently worrying him. So far, she had refused completely to explain how she knew that Courtney had been the one to pull the little mind-trick that had nearly destroyed Max and had been adamant that neither he nor Maria could tell the others. Maria had agreed because, as she said logically to Alex, Liz would never withhold information like this unless she had a really, really good reason for it. And while that was true, it did little to quell Alex's unease.

Which was how he had found himself standing in the bathroom in the short break between second and third period, staring at his own reflection and wondering how on Earth he was supposed to help his best friend when she wouldn't even tell him what was wrong.

"And here I thought it was teenage girls that spent their free time staring at their own reflection," a mocking voice interrupted his thoughts.

Alex turned, already grimacing at the thought of facing the smirking Kyle. Still, he forced himself to meet Kyle eyes and answer calmly, "I was just thinking."

"Well, good for you. You've finally joined the rest of us thinking creatures."

"Did you want something?" Alex asked mildly. Kyle shook his head and turned away, and Alex spared him one final glance before walking out into the hallway. He was immediately swept up in the crush of students all around, but that did not stop him from thinking for a moment about Kyle. While Trudy had become increasingly nicer to Alex, the same could not be said for her boyfriend. Kyle had apparently taken it as a personal affront that Alex wormed his way into the popular group, and had been callous, mocking, and unwelcoming to the extreme.

His musings about Kyle were cut off by the sudden appearance of Isabel at his side. She slid her arm through his and graced him with a broad smile. Then she asked in a serious tone, "What is going on with Maria? She's been hissing threats at Courtney. I thought we were just going to keep our distance from her?"

Alex gave a heavy sigh. If it was that obvious to Isabel that something was wrong, he was not going to be able to stall her with an empty reply. And, he reasoned to himself, he had only promised Liz that he would not tell anyone about what Courtney had done to Max. He had never promised to keep Courtney's presence in the play a secret.

With that justification in mind, he said, "Courtney auditioned for _Othello_."

Instead of bursting out in anger, as Alex had half-expected she would, Isabel just gave a small grimace. "Did she get a part?" she asked.

"I don't know. The roles won't be posted until this afternoon. But she was good… very good." _A little too goo_d, he added silently to himself. "She'll be cast. I'm sure of it."

"I don't like this," Isabel murmured. "Has anyone told Max or Michael yet?"

Alex shook his head wordlessly. "I doubt it would do much good, though," he cautioned. "Maria, Liz, and I talked to Courtney yesterday. She's determined to be in this show."

Isabel gave him a sharp stare. "Why? What is she planning?"

"Maybe she just likes acting," Alex suggested, wondering if that could possibly be all there was to it. Although he really did not like the idea of hanging around with Courtney any longer than completely necessary, he did have to admit that he found it highly unlikely that she could actually cause them any harm through her acting. They would be surrounded by other students and teachers at all times. They would be safe.

When he expressed this to Isabel, however, she did not seem reassured. "We don't want to let her think she can ignore what we said," the statuesque blonde said softly. "Besides, it is just you, Maria, and Liz. You don't even have anyone with alien gifts to help you if she becomes a threat."

"You're worrying too much," Alex answered with a casual shrug.

"You aren't worrying enough," Isabel replied firmly.

There wasn't much more they could say, though, given that they simply knew next to nothing about Courtney or her goals. A comfortable silence fell between the two as they walked towards class, each taking comfort in the other's company.

The peace was ruined, however, when Isabel said, "Trudy wants to know if we want to go on a triple date with her and Kyle and Tess and Chris. Maybe to a movie or something on the weekend."

Alex stared at her, aghast. The idea of willingly putting himself in the same room with Tess, Kyle, and Chris was just… his own version of hell on Earth.

That must have been clear in his expression, because Isabel smiled and said, "I know, I know. It is a horrible idea. But Trudy is just trying to help you fit into the group. You have to give her credit for that."

"I've never had any problem with Trudy," Alex answered honestly. "And as far as I know, she's never had any problem with me."

"Well, yes," a voice drawled, and both turned as Maria approached, "that's because unlike Tess, Sara, Jessica, and their respective boyfriends, Trudy actually has a soul." Arms folded across her chest, she added, "I think you should go out on the date and mock _them_ all the time. See how they like it."

"You know," Alex muttered, "I'd really rather just ignore them."

"You can take the high road if you want," Maria countered, "but sometimes it makes more sense to fight fire with fire."

Isabel turned abruptly, a strange expression coming over her features. Then the corners of her lips turned up into a smirk and she said, "You know, Maria, that's not a bad idea." The smirk reached her eyes, turning into a gleam of triumph as she added, "If Courtney wants to start an argument with us, she'd better be ready for the consequences of it. I need to find Tess."

"Courtney? How did this end up about Courtney? And how is Tess going to help?" Maria demanded, but Isabel had already detached herself from the other two and hurried away.

* * *

The rest of the day passed, and as the final bell rang and the majority of students rushed from the building, eager for the freedom of the afternoon, Maria and Liz pushed their way through the hallways towards the drama room where the list of casting decisions was posted. A group of students gathered around the door, looking up their names and grinning with delight or pouting with disappointment.

"Wish me luck," Maria muttered.

"You did amazing at the audition," Liz answered, giving her best friend's hand a tight squeeze. "You'll be fine." As she said the reassuring words, her gaze slid past Maria and she caught sight of Courtney staring at the list, and odd expression on her face. Maria followed her gaze, and the two watched in silence as Courtney turned away, shaking her head at something.

"She doesn't look too happy," Maria said, sounding a little more elated than she intended. Still, she was happy that Courtney did not appear incredibly pleased with the casting…

Until she looked at the list herself. Her first reaction was a rush of joy and a squeal, "I'm Desdemona!" the largest of the female roles in the play and Othello's wife. Her expression faltered and fell when she caught sight of the role of Emilia, Desdemona's friend and confidant… who was to be played by Courtney.

"It will be fine," Liz said, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Come on, this is great. You couldn't have gotten a better part."

But Maria shook her head. "They want me to act like I'm friends with Emilia. With _Courtney_. Not possible."

"It is just acting," Liz countered.

"Not just acting," Maria grumbled. "That… that boyfriend-stealer is after Michael. I will _not_ be friends with her."

"You don't know for certain that she wants Michael."

"Oh, please. Of course she does. Whenever she looks at him, her gaze is practically worshiping!"

Liz looked uneasy at Maria's obvious distress, but since there was nothing she could say or do to ease her friend's concern, she simply changed the subject, and the two drifted off into small talk and mindless chatter, momentarily forgetting the worries of the moment.

* * *

Courtney had pretty much assumed from the moment she had left auditions the day before that she would soon be faced with four irate hybrids demanding that she back off. Even more than that, she had expected Liz to divulge her secret to the others, to confide that Courtney was responsible for the resurfacing of Zan, and to have to deal with a venomous Isabel, Michael, and Tess.

But for the past twenty-four hours, she had been left almost entirely alone by the group.

And then came the knock at her front door, and as she opened it slowly and cautiously, she found Tess standing on the steps, smiling coolly at her.

"Hi, Tess."

"Hello, Courtney." Without waiting for an invite, Tess walked past the rebel skin and into the house, glancing around with a look of utter disdain. She meandered into the living room with the expression of someone who was tired and rather annoyed at where they were. "So… this is where you live. Nice. Classy."

Courtney shut the door and turned to face Tess. "My… mother… did most of the decorating."

Tess raised one eyebrow questioningly. "And I take it no one has actually realized yet that your… mother… went and got herself killed? That you are all on your own?" She smirked, but her eyes remained as cold as ever. "Pity. Guess no one really cares."

Courtney refused to take the bait. She was certainly shedding no tears over the death of the skin who had pretended to be her mother for all these years. Instead, she asked, "Where is the rest of the cavalry? I expected you four to come bursting in, powers blazing."

"Sorry to disappoint," Tess answered with a careless shrug, "but it is just me."

"I'm not quitting the play," Courtney remarked.

Again, Tess answered with the same careless shrug. "Alright." She paused, then said, "You know that Emilia dies at the end of the play, right? At the very least, it will be fun to watch you get yourself murdered on stage."

"Desdemona dies as well," Courtney replied.

Tess tilted her head to the side, considering this, then said, "True. But I never really cared much about Maria, so that death doesn't bother me either."

"I'm surprised you took enough interest in us to figure out which roles we had been assigned."

"Oh, I didn't," Tess explained with a bored yawn. She pulled at a few loose strands of hair and let her gaze wander about the room once more, taking in the carpeted floor, elegantly decorated curtains, and plush sofa and armchairs. "But Chris' sister has the role of Bianca, and she _insisted_ on telling my boyfriend and I who had all the other major parts."

"Fascinating," Courtney drawled. "Why are you here, Tess? I told you I wouldn't quit the play, but you don't even seem to care about that."

Tess sat on one of the armchairs, leaning back and scrutinizing Courtney. "You think you're brave, don't you? Because you stood up to us, you refused to back down when Maria and Liz didn't want you to be in the show. You think that somehow makes you something worthwhile."

"Like I told your three human friends, I've seen the pain and death and destruction and horror of war. You don't scare me," Courtney answered icily.

"Really? Then you are a complete fool," Tess said bluntly.

"I don't think so, Ava," Courtney snapped. "You were always so sure that you would make a good Queen. People adored you. Even the ones that hated you still fell in love with you all the same. You were married to the most powerful man on the planet, and your temper and your passion were so famed that people rarely stood in your way. And you thought that made you invincible."

Her words were laced with bitterness and anger, with a resentment that had grown over the years, that had slowly formed into a hard knot in her stomach. It wasn't Ava she had disliked, but the Royal Four in general. Zan's determination to rush forward in the name of progress, Ava's temperamental passion and impulsive ways, Vilandra's naïve pride and gullibility, and Rath's blind loyalty to a failing monarch… All of those had contributed to the downfall of the Royal Four. All of them had led to the downfall of Antar.

But Max, Michael, and Isabel were not sitting before her. It was Tess, with her smug and self-righteous expression, with her expectation that Courtney would obey her every whim… so like Ava…

So it was Tess who suddenly bore the brunt of Courtney's boiling anger.

"It didn't make you invincible, though, did it? You died, just like the rest of them. And now you're here, on Earth, barely a shadow of the person you once were. You might think you can carry yourself like a Queen, Tess, but you can't. You are no longer Ava. So let me give you a little bit of advice. Drop the act and stop pretending to be something you're not."

Tess folded her arms in her lap and held her sapphire eyes steadily on Courtney. "Any other advice you'd like to give me?" she asked coldly.

"Yeah. Back off. Because, trust me, I am not a good person to cross. I have every right to be in that play. I have to build a life here, in this town, at that school. And I am not going to let you ruin it for me."

The menacing look in Courtney's eyes might have been enough to scare off a weaker-willed person, but Tess was no coward. She had promised Isabel that she would confront Courtney, that she would fight fire with fire, and that was exactly what she was planning to do.

"Do you know the nickname that people whisper behind my back when they think I won't hear it?" Tess asked softly.

Courtney smirked. "Ice Queen," she replied, remembering with vague amusement how she had found that particular title rather fitting when she had first heard it.

Tess nodded. "Very good. You do pay attention," she mocked. Courtney glared at her, but she just smiled sweetly in return, before continuing, "Did you ever hear the story of how Liz and Kyle broke up?"

Courtney shook her head. She had only sort-of been aware of the fact that the two had ever even been dating. It had been referred to once or twice, mostly in response to the drama that had resulted from Max and Liz's temporary break up while the hybrid king had been so strongly influenced by his alien half.

"Well… to make a long story… less long… I had to start a few rumors. About Liz cheating on Kyle with Max. That was back when Jim was still oblivious to all this, and I was trying to cover our tracks." Tess licked her lips and paused for a moment, watching Courtney carefully. Then she continued, "The point is, anyone who knows Liz would be able to vouch for the fact that she would never, ever, cheat on her boyfriend. Even if she despised the guy. She's too… pathetically decent. She'd break up with him first, and then probably even wait a couple weeks before dating someone new so as to not hurt her ex's feelings."

"Fascinating. But I don't need a psych 101 lecture on Liz," Courtney retorted, leaning against the wall.

"And yet," Tess continued as though Courtney had not spoken, "ask anyone at that school, and they will swear to you that Liz cheated on Kyle. Despite the fact that they should know better than to believe it… they still believed all the rumors I spread."

"Bet Liz was thrilled about that," Courtney sneered.

"Liz's opinion meant very little to me at the time," Tess replied honestly. "Even less than it does now."

"Fascinating," was Courtney's sarcastic reply.

"Yeah. I guess that was probably not so fun for Liz," Tess murmured, adopting a look of mock contemplation. "I probably should apologize to her, but… well, I'm not actually going to." She looked down at her hands, studying her fingernails. "I did the opposite for Alex. Didn't like him, didn't like the fact that Isabel had decided to date a computer geek. She was supposed to be part of the popular crowd, and really… we just don't date boys like Alex."

"No, you go for the good-looking yet incredibly stupid ones," Courtney interjected.

Tess glanced at her for a moment, both eyebrows lifted. Then she said smoothly, "Of course, after the whole mess with the FBI and the white room… well, I decided to cut Isabel a little slack. Seeing as she had come to my rescue and all that. So I extended the proverbial olive branch to Alex, and the others begrudgingly followed suit. Except, of course, for Kyle, but he's allowed to form his own opinions. He's my brother, so he gets special treatment."

"Not that I don't enjoy listening to you drone on and on, but do you actually have a point?" Courtney demanded.

"My point, Courtney," Tess answered, "is that you are right."

"Huh?" Courtney stammered, momentarily thrown by Tess' reply.

"You do need to form your own life here," Tess explained, "because you could very well be stuck in this miserably small town for a while. And, because of that, I will not attempt to stop you from having fun with your little acting thing."

"Then why are you here?" Courtney asked suspiciously.

Tess rose to her feet. "Because you were very, _very_ mistaken when you said that I am no longer the Queen. I might not have an entire planet under my control, but I most certainly have this school wrapped around my little finger. Do you think mind-warping is the only power at my disposal? Trust me, it's not."

"So you're going to do what, exactly? Start rumors about me?" Courtney sneered.

Tess smiled. "There!" she said mockingly, "I knew you would figure it out." She took a few steps towards Courtney and rested her hands on her hips. "You're going to stay away from Maria, Alex, and Liz. You are only going to interact with them when absolutely necessary for the success of this play, and you are going to make damn sure that there are other people in the room when you do it."

"You can't order me around."

"Oh, yes, Courtney, I can," Tess said firmly, her tone becoming abruptly vicious. "Because if you don't, I will ruin your life. I will start rumors that you're desperate, that you'll sleep with any boy who asks. I convinced your teachers that you moved here because you were expelled from your old school for drugs and alcohol. I will ensure that you are so wildly unpopular you will never receive an invitation to a single party, picnic, barbecue, or any other social event. _Ever_."

Courtney licked her dry lips.

"You see, you might be quite a bit older than us. And you might have seen a lot of horrible things in your lifetime, and fought a lot of horrible battles. I certainly don't envy you that. But this is not Antar, and you do not have the advantage. This is high school. This is _my _world. And if you try to fight me, I will crush you every time."

Courtney frowned, trying to find something in Tess' gaze to indicate that the other girl was not capable of all she was threatening, that these were just empty warnings that would never be enforced. But Tess just stared back, and Courtney knew abruptly that the petite hybrid was skilled enough to accomplish of all of this.

"You could make other friends," Tess offered in a steely voice. "You could hang out with people other than the seven of us. And we will let you do that. I certainly will not interfere in your attempts to build your own happy little life."

"Thanks," Courtney replied, the one word dripping with sarcasm.

Tess reached out and placed a hand on Courtney's shoulder. In a tone filled with fake sympathy, she said, "But since you were kind enough to bestow some advice on me earlier, let me now return the favor. My advice… if you cross me, I will not attack you. I will not mind-warp you. I will not have Michael blow you up or Isabel dream-walk you into insanity. All of those would surely be fun, but I will not actually do it." She dropped her hand and gave Courtney a hard look. "I will, however, destroy you. If you cross me, I will ensure that this school eats you alive."

And without another word, she pushed past Courtney and walked out of the house, stepping into the bright afternoon sun, and leaving a stunned rebel skin to stare after her in worried silence.

* * *

Next Chapter: Othello and Desdemona

Due: Wed 1/28


	39. Othello and Desdemona

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Othello and Desdemona

"You've gotta come do something with me."

Maria frowned at the words and switched the phone from one hand to the other. "You know, when people want a favor, they usually say _please_," she remarked dryly. Michael hadn't even bothered to identify himself – not that it was necessary as she would easily recognize his voice and his brusque manner – or to start with any common courtesies like asking how she was doing.

"Yeah. Whatever. Look, we still might have a problem with Sorenson, and I want to take care of it. Are you in or not?"

It took Maria a moment to place the name, and then she asked curiously, "The archeologist? Is he still a problem?"

"Tess thinks so."

Maria bit back a smile at the mention of the fourth hybrid. She had learned, from a very gleeful Isabel, that Tess and Courtney had had a little… _chat_… earlier that day, and Courtney had been left looking a little shaken and worried. She might never like Tess, but at that moment, she was incredibly happy with the petite hybrid's actions.

"I haven't even thought about him…" Maria murmured finally.

"Yeah. None of us did, until Tess remembered. I think she talked to Sherriff Valenti, but he didn't know anything… We've got a little bit of respite from the skins, so we should use it to tie up any lose ends."

"And what is your brilliant plan? Breaking and entering? Again?" the blonde human retorted sarcastically.

"I didn't see you complaining when it got us answers in Marathon and about Topolski."

"Well, as long as I don't end a suspect in a police investigation again…" Maria drawled. She glanced at the clock on the wall and added, "It's ten o'clock, Space Boy. Sorenson is probably home. Can't this wait until tomorrow? Or the weekend?"

"I don't want to actually break into his house. We're just going to show up there and maybe… look around."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that without breaking in?" Maria demanded, rolling her eyes even though she knew he would not actually be able to see her expression. "Do you even know where he lives?"

"He rented an apartment. I've got the address. It is just off of Main Street."

That gave Maria pause. "He rented an apartment? Did he realize he was going to be in Roswell that long? It is a simple excavation, it couldn't take so long…"

"I checked," Michael answered, his tone clearly conveying his satisfaction that he had the answer to this question. "When he first got here, he stayed in a hotel. It was paid for by the company that wanted to build its factory on that land. This newer apartment he has only been in for a few weeks. And guess who is paying for it?"

Maria stifled a groan and sank onto the edge of her bed. "The mayor," she muttered.

"Exactly."

"Look, maybe you should come over here and we can talk about it?" she suggested after a moment of silent thinking. It was late, and she wasn't entirely sure that attempting to glean information from someone who may or may not be working with the skins was a good idea. Not at dark, not without anyone knowing where they were or what they were doing.

But Michael just laughed dismissively at her suggestion. "Your mother thinks we slept together. I'm not going anywhere near your house. I didn't escape the skins on multiple occasions just to get killed by Ms. DeLuca now."

"Fine." Maria hesitated, unsure what to suggest at this point.

"Look, it is a simple question. Are you in, or not?"

She didn't answer right away. At least not aloud. But the answer was obvious, always would be so incredibly simple. No matter what, when it came to Michael, she was in. She might not like it, and half the time she might not even like him. But she would have his back, would join him on whatever reckless wild-goose-chase he had conjured up. Always.

* * *

"_Vilandra? What are you…?" Zan paused, frowning at his sister as she turned towards him, a guilty expression on her face. She was poised at the small side door in one of the gates around the palace, her hand resting gently on the latch._

"_Zan." Vilandra paused, looked around for a moment. "I did not think you would be awake."_

_The sky above them was sprinkled with tiny white dots, stars standing out against the inky darkness. The pale light fell only partially across Zan's face, and the rest was hidden by shadow. Around them, a cool wind rustled through the dry grass and brittle leaves of the garden. The air was chilly, it was almost winter._

"_Are you leaving the palace grounds?" Zan asked, eyes narrowed. "Why? Where are you going?"_

_She hesitated. "What are you doing out at this hour?" she said finally, refusing to answer his question. "And where is Ava? The wedding is almost upon you. Does she not have you at her every beck and call for planning?"_

_Zan flushed darkly, and took a few steps out into the faint moonlight. But something moved in his eyes, an unease that Vilandra identified immediately.  
"Zan?" she prompted._

"_I just need to clear my head," he said finally, slowly. "Everything has happened so quickly, and I…" He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I should be happy. It is an arranged marriage, as all marriages of royalty are, and I am lucky to be marrying someone I love."_

_Vilandra stepped away from the gate and moved to her brother's side. She could see the conflict so clearly in his expression, and she knew he was scared. He loved Ava, and she would make a good Queen, but the hesitation was obviously there, lingering in the back of his mind, filling him with doubts._

"_And yet somehow…" Zan gave a little shrug. "It still does not quite feel right. Or perhaps it is my own nerves. Do all men feel like this before a wedding?"_

"_I imagine so. These are natural feelings, brother. I am sure Ava is nervous as well."_

_Zan nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose. But still…"_

"_You love Ava. You have said that much. So what is left to concern you?"_

_Zan wrapped his arms around himself and said, "My heartbeat does not race when I see her."_

_Vilandra laughed. "Is that how you are judging future happiness?"_

_He turned and gave her a very serious look. "Does your heartbeat race when you see Rath? Does your breath stop? Do you suddenly feel light-headed with joy?"_

_It took Vilandra a moment to answer. "No, it does not," she said finally. "But you are much more a dreamer than I am. I do not look to my pulse to tell me if I am in love. Or if I will be happy. You love Ava. You smile when she walks into the room. When she speaks, you look at her as though she is the only one around. Does it matter if your heart does not race? Does it mattered if your breath does not catch and you do not feel dizzy with giddiness? None of those biological reactions can tell you if you will be happy in the future."_

_Zan sighed. "You are right, dear sister. As always. I am being foolish, wasting my time worrying about irrelevant things such as that."_

"_Come," Vilandra said, taking his arm. "Let us go back inside the palace. You need sleep, it is a busy time."_

_Zan frowned, his expression growing dark. "Indeed. The wedding draws near, as does civil war. Khivar is determined to ruin us, and I fear he will destroy this planet as well."_

_And at the mention of Khivar's name, Vilandra's heartbeat began to race._

Isabel opened her eyes wearily, the dream fading into the background. It slipped through her fingers, leaving just bits and pieces behind in her memory, just vague impressions and an overwhelming feeling of guilt. Rising quietly, she tossed away her blankets and tiptoed from her bed to the door of her room. Slipping out into the hallway, she drew a soft breath and swallowed back her own unease.

She glanced, once, towards Max's closed bedroom door. How could she have betrayed him? How could she have ever loved someone like Khivar? Was it just a momentary passion, a fleeting chemistry she had been unable to deny? Or had it been a real love, a hope for a future?

Would she ever know the answer to that question?

She headed towards the stairs, hoping a glass of water from the kitchen would help to clear her troubled thoughts.

It didn't. Ten minutes later, as she drained the last of the glass and placed it in the dishwasher, she was no closer to finding any peace of mind. But caught up in her own turbulent thoughts, she did not hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs until the kitchen light was suddenly flipped on and a tired voice interrupted her musings.

"Moody and depressed nighttime wanderings are my specialty. What are you doing taking over my pastime?"

Isabel turned and found Max standing in the doorway, watching her. "Did I wake up?" she asked, looking a little abashed.

"No. I was already having trouble sleeping. What's wrong with you?"

"Oh you know… having vague dreams about all the ways I betrayed you and got everyone killed in our previous lives," Isabel drawled sarcastically. "All the usual stuff."

Max sat down at the kitchen table. "I killed a whole bunch of skins, told Nasedo he could go and kill a couple Senators, and left Sydney Davis to die in the hospital. What do you think _my_ dreams are like?"

"God, Max, how did this happen? How did everything get so out of control?"

Max considered this for a moment, then asked logically, "Was it ever in our control? Or were we just kidding ourselves, pretending that if we acted like normal kids, we'd be able to fit in?"

Isabel didn't answer. She knew that she and Max were both thinking the same thing, that maybe all of this was inevitable. But she didn't want to say it, didn't want to put it into words. She didn't want to have to admit that maybe, just maybe, they'd been doomed from the start.

Then Max frowned and remarked slowly, thoughtfully, "You know, last year I had a conversation with Tess about this. She said… she asked me if I believed in destiny." At Isabel's horrified look, he rushed to explain, "Not the kind of Destiny you are thinking of. Not the Destiny with a capital D, not… not me and Tess, and not you and Michael. But…" He paused with a frown. "No, she didn't call it destiny. She called it fate."

"Fate?"

"Everything just sort of came together," Max murmured. "I healed Liz…"

"…and blew open our secret in front of a crowded diner…"

"…and suddenly we're finding out about our past lives. Liz and I are having flashes of battles on a different planet and Michael starts getting caught up in thoughts about Atherton, and then he and Maria are stumbling across a cave in the middle of the woods and we get all these weird dreams…"

He trailed off and Isabel nodded reluctantly. She knew what Max was saying, knew what Tess had been trying to convey. Max's split-second decision to heal Liz had been the catalyst, had shoved them all down this winding, dangerous, unpredictable path. But would it have happened anyway? Had fate stepped in to bring them to a certain point, to force them towards and inescapable end?

"So, basically, we're destined to be stuck in a galactic war, and nothing we do could have ever changed that?" Isabel muttered. Running a hand through her hair, she said sarcastically, "That's uplifting."

A ghost of a smile passed over Max's features. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "If I ever did anything, while I was under Zan's influence, to make you think that I don't love you."

"I'm sorry I got us all killed in a past life," Isabel answered.

Max rose to his feet and stuck out his hand. "Call it even, then?"

Isabel laughed. "Deal." She shook his hand, and for a moment, everything seemed… well, not right, certainly not perfect, but… somehow everything seemed just a little bit more manageable.

* * *

"I cannot believe I am doing this."

"You're always more than welcome to leave."

"You're the one who called and asked me to come!"

"Well I didn't know you were going to whine the entire time!"

"And I didn't know we were going to be sitting in a car staring at nothing for hours on end!"

"It's not nothing. It's an apartment. And this is a stakeout. What else did you expect?"

Maria gave an impatient huff and turned away from Michael, her eyes fixed on the apartment building before them. She had snuck out of her mother's house, an idea that was probably incredibly stupid given how precarious her relationship with her mother was at the moment, and met Michael near Sorenson's apartment. And by now they had been sitting, side-by-side, in her car for the last two hours. Staring at the faint light that seeped through the thin space between the bottom of his white curtains at the windowsill.

Nothing had happened.

"What are we waiting for?" Maria hissed. "A secret meeting or something?"

"Why are you so impatient?" Michael shot back. "What do you have to do?"

"You mean besides sleep?" Maria rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. "It's late, and I actually plan on showing up for school tomorrow. Unlike you, I don't want to fail all my classes."

"I've never failed a class."

"Not the point, Space Boy."

"Didn't realize anything you were saying had a point."

Maria grabbed her car keys and shoved them into the ignition. As it was her car, she'd been the one driving, an arrangement that did not please Michael. But she'd refused to back down to his arguments, and that at least gave her some leverage now.

"Fine. If nothing I say has a point, I'm going home. If you want to stay and pointlessly stare at an apartment building, you're going to have to get out of the car."

"You're actually going to be that petty?"

"I'm not being petty. I just don't want to waste my time."

Michael snorted. "Yeah. And I don't want to get shipped off to some FBI white room or killed by evil aliens in my sleep. This is _not_ a waste of time."

Maria left her fingers lingering on the keys as she tried to think of her next move. If Sorenson was some sort of threat, the last thing she wanted was to leave the archeologist to complete whatever evil deeds he was planning. But what if he wasn't? What if this was all just a big misunderstanding? What if there was nothing at all here…?

"No one has moved," Michael said suddenly, frowning.

"What?" Maria asked, confused.

"No one has moved. If anyone had walked through that room, we would have seen their shadow against the white curtains. But no one moved. So why is the light still on? It's been two hours."

Maria closed her eyes. "Maybe he forgot. Maybe he went to bed with it the light on and just… forgot." She dropped her hands to her lap, forgetting about the keys. She was tired, and she just wanted to sleep. "I'd like to be in bed right now."

"Yeah, I know. You have a busy day tomorrow. What with school and everything," Michael drawled sarcastically.

"And the play."

"I still can't believe you actually went for that. Why would you want to recite lines in front of people? You're just setting yourself up to be embarrassed. In public."

Maria opened her eyes and glanced at him. He was still staring at the apartment building.

She sighed. "I like acting."

"Yeah. Whatever."

"Besides, I get to be Desdemona. That's a good part."

Michael blinked. "She dies, right? Othello murders her?"

"He's tricked into it," Maria corrected with an annoyed tone. "He loves her and she loves him. It is complicated. And very romantic."

"How is killing your wife romantic? Even if it is done in a passionate rage?" Michael countered pointedly. He slanted a look at her, then added, "Doesn't everyone die in this?"

"Well, it _is_ a tragedy." Maria licked her lips, then said, "I won't be sorry to see Courtney die."

"You mean the character Courtney is playing," Michael retorted.

Maria shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, that too." Michael didn't respond right away, and Maria demanded suspiciously, "Why? You starting to be her friend or something?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "Far as I know, she's still staying away from me. Like we agreed she would. Why? Jealous, much?" He turned and looked back at the apartment, and Maria studied his profile, the tension in his jaw and the lines around his eyes. He was stressed.

She looked down at her hands. "Of course not. I just don't trust her."

"I don't either," Michael agreed.

"How did you know she was in the play?" Maria asked. She'd half-expected Michael to erupt into a furious rage when he learned that truth about that, and so was more than a little surprised at his calm demeanor. She couldn't help but wonder if he harbored hidden feelings for the blonde newcomer. Why else would he seem so unconcerned by her actions?

"Isabel told me," Michael answered honestly. "She also said that Tess handled the situation."

"So that's it? You're not worried?"

Michael shook his head. "What is there to be worried about?"

"She's evil!"

"And she really can't kill you in the middle of a crowded classroom."

Maria ran a hand through her hair and looked away, feeling disgruntled. She was usually much better at picking up on Michael's emotions, but right now she couldn't see past the mask that had fallen over his features, keeping his feelings at bay.

So she had no way of knowing that he was, in fact, absolutely livid that Courtney had auditioned for the performance, and even angrier that she had gotten a part. He did not trust Courtney, not completely. But there was something about her that was… intriguing. He couldn't quite explain it, but something seemed to draw him towards her, making it hard for him to ignore her presence when she was in the same room.

And he knew that only made her more dangerous.

To change the subject, Michael asked, "So, who is your Othello? Who gets to kill you?"

"_Gets_ to?"

"Uh… I mean, has to. Who _has to_ kill you?"

"Nathan something-or-other. Nathan… Swift, maybe? I think he's a senior." She flashed a smile. "Why? Jealous of the competition for my love?"

Michael suddenly shoved the door of the car open. "I don't like this," he said quickly. "I'm going into the building. I want to see if Sorenson is even there."

And somehow, five minutes later, Maria found herself standing behind Michael as he used his gifts to unlock the door to Sorenson's apartment and stepped inside.

It was empty.

All the lights were on, but the furniture had been stripped bare and there were no pictures on the wall, no books in the bookshelves, nothing on the coffee table. Grant Sorenson was gone.

"He left…" Maria whispered, surprised.

Michael shook his head. "I don't like this," he said again. After a short look into all the other rooms, however, he was forced to conclude that Maria was right, Sorenson was gone. There was nothing at all to indicate where he had gone, but also nothing to prove that he did not simply leave because his job was done.

"Michael?"

He turned and looked at Maria. "Let's get out of here."

The only thing he knew for certain was that the archeologist was gone… and the mayor probably still had the skeleton.

In the car on the way back to Michael's apartment, the hybrid General muttered under his breath, "Nathan Swift. Competition? Hah. Yeah, right. He couldn't be competition. Unless he was exactly like me."

Maria grinned.

* * *

As it turned out, the competition was nothing like Michael at all. Nathan Swift was a good-looking, slightly preppy senior, who was good with computers, easy to smile, and reminded Maria so much of Alex that she did a double take when she first met him. It wasn't his looks, so much, as he had black hair, tan skin, and brown eyes, but the way he talked and carried himself that seemed so familiar. So like one of her best friends.

"So, you're my Desdemona?" Nathan asked, extending a hand. "Maria, right? Maria DeLuca?"

"That's right," Maria answered, a little surprised that he knew her name, particularly given that she had never spoken to him before.

The surprise must have shown on her face, because he said quickly, "Oh, don't worry, I'm not the creepy stalker type. I just try to make a point of knowing everyone's name. It isn't that big of a school, you know." He gave a self-depreciating smile and added, "My mother is very big on that sort of thing. I think it is cultural."

"Your mother is Native American?"

"Yep. I lived on the Reservation for a while. But my Dad is white." He laughed and added, "I guess we're going to have to do an updated version of _Othello_. The one where the main character is Native American, not a Moor."

"Yeah."

"So… Well, it is very nice to meet you, Maria."

"You, too, Nathan."

"Oh, you can call me Nate. Everyone does."

She shook his hand, smiling slightly at his firm grip. Over his shoulder, she saw Liz and Alex enter the drama room. Liz was talking animatedly about something, and Alex was rolling his eyes at her with an expression of tolerant amusement. Maria waved her hand at them, and they hurried towards her.

"Do you know Alex or Liz?" Maria asked Nate as the two arrived.

"Uh… I think I had a computer class with you," Nate replied, nodding towards Alex. "Last year."

"Oh, right… you did that project on using algorithms to decode old texts," Alex said enthusiastically. "It was amazing." Turning to Maria, he added, "It was all about looking for commonalities in structure and applying it to…"

"Alex, you lost me somewhere around…" Maria trailed off for a moment, then said, "Actually, I was never really following that in the first place."

Alex sighed and shook his head. "I need new friends."

"Are you working on the show?" Nate asked curiously, his gaze going back and forth between Alex and Liz.

"Yeah. Alex is working with lighting and special effects, and I'm working with the stage crew," Liz replied with a smile, tucking a few strands of hair behind one ear. "What about you? Are your friends in the show?"

"A couple. One of my closest friends is playing Iago."

"The villain? Interesting."

"Oh, there's Mr. Turner," Liz said suddenly, nodding towards the teacher who had just stepped into the room. "I'm going to go see what he wants me to do during rehearsals." She glanced at the tall Native American and said, "It was nice to meet you, Nate. I guess I'll be seeing you around." Then she hurried away, leaving Maria and Alex behind.

"She's nice," Nate said softly. "What's her story?"

"Liz? Her parents own the Crashdown," Maria answered. "Alex and I have known her forever. She wants to be a molecular biologist." She gave Nate a quick, appraising look, then added, "She and Max Evans are together."

Maria smiled inwardly at Nate's carefully neutral expression. He obviously did not want to appear disappointed by that bit of information, nor did he want to seem like he was showing interest in the brunette anyway. But Maria had been around Michael Guerin long enough to pick up on all the hidden signals boys didn't seem to want to share with the public.

Alex appeared completely oblivious to the undercurrents in the conversation as he added, "It's funny, because I'm dating Max's sister. And Liz and I are practically like siblings. So it's like…"

"Yeah, he gets it, Alex," Maria interrupted, fighting to keep a straight face. "We don't need to hear you sing Isabel's praises. We've heard that before. A lot."

Nate chuckled. "I don't know either Evans that well, but they sound nice. Are they doing the play also?"

"No, this is a strictly non-Czech thing," Maria muttered.

"A what?" Nate asked, blinking in confusion at the euphemisms he did not understand. "What do checks have to do with it? It doesn't cost, they wouldn't need money…"

"Ignore her," Alex interjected, shooting Maria pointed look. "She's just… well, she doesn't always make sense."

Nate nodded and he and Alex were soon in the midst of a conversation about something related to computers that Maria could not follow at all. She let her mind wander, her gaze travelling over all the occupants of the room, until she finally caught sight of Courtney walking in the door.

With a heavy sigh, she reminded herself that although the play was supposed to be an alien-free part of her life, it had not turned out quite how she had imagined. Bits and pieces of her conversation with Michael came back to her, and she couldn't help but find her attention drawn to Courtney, no matter how hard she attempted to look away, to feign disinterest. No matter what the rebel skin said to the contrary, Maria would never believe that she did not have some ulterior motive, that she had not joined this activity as a way of wreaking havoc on their lives.

And Maria was going to keep an eye on her, going to make sure she didn't cross any lines. And when all of Courtney's plans finally came crashing into the limelight, as they were bound to do since nothing stayed hidden all that long in a small desert town, Maria was going to be there to make sure the skin was caught.

* * *

"Kyle, go away, I need to talk to Jim about girly stuff."

Tess had barely finished the sentence, and Kyle was already jumping to his feet, eager to get out of the room before the conversation started. "Remind me never to have daughters," he muttered under his breath as he bolted past Tess.

She shot an annoyed look at him over her shoulder, but he was already gone, closing the door to his bedroom and leaving the hybrid teenager and her human father alone.

"Girly stuff?" Jim echoed.

Tess shrugged. "It seemed a lot safer than telling him I wanted to talk to you about alien stuff. And it got him out of the room, didn't it?"

"Is everything alright?" Jim asked nervously. He was sitting at the kitchen table, the newspaper and a few files from work spread out around him. He pushed the papers aside, however, at turned all his attention to Tess. "What's wrong?"

Tess took a seat across from him at the table. "Probably nothing. Grant Sorenson is gone. He left Roswell yesterday."

"That's good, right?"

Tess licked her dry lips, an anxious habit she could never quite get rid of. "Maybe. Probably. Has the mayor said anything to you about the skeleton? Until you figure out who he is and how he died, it still could end up as a homicide investigation. So it is still your concern."

"I can let you know if the mayor approaches me," Jim offered.

Tess nodded slowly. "Okay."

"I'll give it a couple days, but then I am going to have to talk to the mayor anyway."

Tess frowned, instantly opposed to that idea. "He could be dangerous. He either is a skin or he is working with skins. Either way, antagonizing him would not be a good idea." She didn't need to finish the statement, didn't need to add that Jim was only human and therefore not able to defend himself well enough, but the Sherriff heard her unspoken sentiment anyway.

He didn't want to appear petty or proud, but inwardly it galled him that his daughter was the one looking out for his safety, and not the other way around. He was the parent, he was supposed to be the one offering protection, and yet there was very little he could do but stand helplessly by the side and watch as she faced danger after danger.

However, his issues with the situation aside, there was another matter dictating his decision. "Tess, I have a responsibility to this town. If that actually was a homicide, I can't _not_ investigate it."

"It might not be anything. Or it might be a Native American burial ground."

Jim shook his head. "They're bringing in building supplies even as we speak. If that was a burial ground, construction would have been stopped. But Emporium Power got the go ahead today."

Tess tried another tact. "If it is something alien, you won't find anything in an investigation anyway."

"But the mayor will still wonder why I've just forgotten about the skeleton." Jim shuffled the files in front of him, staring at them for a moment, before he added, "You know as well as I do what small town turf wars are like. I would never just let the mayor take my case. Now that Sorenson is gone, I'm expected to step forward and demand my skeleton. If I don't… that will look suspicious."

Tess exhaled slowly. There wasn't a whole let she could say to that, but she still didn't like it. "Fine. Just… be careful." She rose to her feet and turned to go, then paused and looked back as though there was something else she wanted to say. But the words died on her lips, and she gave Jim one last look before walking from the room, weary and concerned.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Intricate Details of Death

Due: Wed 2/4


	40. The Intricate Details of Death

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Forty: The Intricate Details of Death

"So… what do you know about this Nathan Swift guy?"

Tess blinked as she held the phone to her ear. Her eyes traveled quickly to her bedside clock, and she said in exasperation, "Michael, it is eleven o'clock at night! Did you really call just to find out what I know about some guy Maria is acting with?"

"He could be a skin. And I figured out of the group you were the most likely to know anything about him. You know stuff about everyone at the school."

The petite blonde rolled her eyes and leaned back against her pillows. "You're overreacting. And you're jealous. _And_ you woke me up and made me think there was an emergency like someone was dying or the world was ending."

"I am not jealous!"

"Nathan is playing Othello. Maria is playing Desdemona. They're going to be kissing on stage."

"There is _kissing_ in Othello?"

Tess bit back her laughter at the sound of outrage and annoyance in Michael's voice. He was clearly very unhappy about all of this. And because he had woken her up at eleven o'clock at night and made her panic for no reason at all, she felt absolutely no qualms about digging the knife a little deeper into the wound.

"He's cute," she said thoughtfully. "And sweet. And funny and smart. I don't know him that well, but Trudy does. They're neighbors. And she really likes him. And of course they're going to be kissing on stage. It is a very passionate love, you know. Othello and Desdemona do elope and marry in secret after all."

She had no idea if they would be kissing. It was Shakespeare, and there was very little physical expressions of love in his plays. But Michael didn't need to know that…

"I don't like this. I don't like him," Michael's voice, stern and foreboding came to her through the phone lines.

"So tell Maria you forbid her from being in the play," Tess suggested with a smirk. She might not like Maria, but she had to respect the other girl's determination and spunk. She would not take too kindly to Michael telling her she couldn't do something.

"I'm going to check him out," Michael said. "If there is anything at all fishy in his past…" He left the implied threat dangling in the silence and hung up the phone.

As the line went dead, Tess shook her head in amusement. Satisfied that the world was not, in fact, ending and she had only been woken up because Michael was jealous and paranoid, she set the phone back on the bedside table and snuggled under the covers, promptly falling asleep.

* * *

"Lizzie? Got a minute?"

Liz turned towards Alex, frowning. "We have class in ten minutes," she protested.

"It won't take that long," Alex promised, catching her by the arm and dragging her away from the lockers.

Liz hurried to keep up with his pace, her confusion growing. "You know, if anyone else manhandled me, I'd be annoyed. I might even have used my self-defense moves on them. With you, I just get worried."

Alex grinned. "You don't have self-defense moves. Not like Maria does."

Liz blinked. "Since when does Maria know self-defense?"

"She has a couple moves," Alex answered, blushing furiously at Liz's questioning stare. "And yes, she did practice them on me at one point. A couple years ago. And no, I have not recovered from the experience."

Liz laughed.

Then she stopped as she realized where Alex was leading her. "Um… Alex, you know I do really love you… but in a platonic way."

He gave her an impatient look. "I wanted to talk to you privately. I figured this would be a good place. I'm not actually planning on making out with you." And without any further explanations, he gestured for Liz to proceed him into the Eraser Room.

Squinting about in the dim light, Liz said, "You know, I like this take-charge version of you. It's very… manly."

"Are you saying I wasn't a man before?"

She slapped him lightly. "You know what I meant!" Then her expression sobered. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Alex hesitated. Now that he had dragged Liz into the Eraser Room, it was as though he could not quite figure out how to say what he wanted to say. His mouth remained partially open as he fished about for the right words, and the silence only served to worry Liz even more.

"Alex?" she prompted.

"Liz, what is going on?"

She shook her head, deliberately not understanding the question. "What do you mean?"

Alex exhaled slowly. "You know what I mean," he countered softly, sympathetically, but with a complete refusal to back down from the question. "You've been acting skittish for a while, you're always lost in some thoughts, you get upset easily, you somehow knew that Courtney was responsible for what happened to Max but don't want to tell anyone… This isn't like you."

"It isn't a big deal," Liz said, trying to defend herself. But the words sounded hollow and empty to her own ears, and she could tell by Alex's suspicious expression that he did not believe her protests. Still, she attempted once more, "Can't you just drop it?"

"I'm worried about you."

"You don't need to be. Nothing is going on. I'm fine."

Alex tilted his head to the side, regarding her carefully. "The last time you said that," he replied, "I later discovered you'd been shot and then brought back to life by an alien king."

Liz froze. There was no accusation in his words, not hidden blame or allegations, but she remembered all too well what had happened when she had refused to tell Alex what was going on. When he had finally discovered the truth – and he had discovered it, after all – he had been terrified. And even more frightened when Tess had manipulated his mind to keep him quiet.

He had read her journal to learn the truth once, and she had no doubt that he would keep looking until he found it this time as well.

"Alex, please… don't."

"Liz, I can't help you if I don't know what is wrong!"

She pulled away from him, nearly choking on the chalk- and dust-filled air. "I don't need your help."

It was Alex's turn to step backwards, and he looked as though she had slapped him. Lowering his gaze, he said, "Fine. I guess I won't bother, then."

"Alex, wait, I didn't…" She stopped, unable to finish the sentence. She wanted to say she had never meant to lie to him, not then and not now. She wanted to say that she trusted him, that she wanted to tell him and just _couldn't_. And she wanted to explain… everything. But the words were stuck in her throat, and all she had to offer was silence.

"Liz, if you know something about Courtney, about her plans…"

"I don't," Liz answered swiftly, and that much was the truth. All the future version of Michael had been able to tell her was that Courtney had died early, and somehow Trevor had been responsible. They had never known anything about her loyalties, about what she really wanted, what she had planned.

"Then look me in the eyes," Alex requested, "and tell me, truthfully, that nothing is wrong."

She couldn't. She dropped her brown eyes to the ground and felt the burning sensation that signaled the beginning of tears. She kept them at bay through sheer force of will, but her thoughts were wrapped up in emotional turmoil and she could think of nothing to say to break the tense silence.

She had played with people's lives. She had irrevocably changed the future. She had Max back now, but at what cost? Maybe she had changed the future for the better… but maybe she hadn't. She didn't know, _couldn't_ know. All she could know was that she had played with people's lives, changed the outcome of what would have happened… and she had done it all on her own, without consulting with anyone first.

She told herself, over and over, that it was for the best. The world would be saved. Everyone would be happy.

But was that actually true?

She was saved from having to meet Alex's gaze by the sound of the bell ringing, indicating that it was time for class. "I have to go," she muttered, and pushed past one of her two best friends, stepping into the hallway and joining the crowd of students moving past.

* * *

"I don't think you should do the play."

Maria turned with a frown, her hands on her hips. The Crashdown was crowded with the usual mass of students and adults looking for dinner. She was covering Liz's shift because Liz had claimed to be feeling sick. She was overworked and overwhelmed and had spent the entire afternoon memorizing lines from _Othello_ and the last thing she wanted was to deal with an argument from Michael.

"I don't care," she snapped, pushing past him to clear a set of empty plates from the nearby table. "Aren't you supposed to be working in the kitchen right now?"

Michael glanced at the clock on the wall. "I have five minutes until my shift starts."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I am working, so you'll have to forgive me if I don't have time to listen to you tell me to quit my activities."

"Courtney is there. And you don't even know anything about the others. They could all be…" Michael trailed off and glanced around the crowded diner. "You know," he whispered under his breath, "Czechoslovakians."

"They could be," Maria agreed. "But seeing as you weren't at all concerned about it before, why do you care now?"

"I'm just looking out for your safety."

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"No, you can't."

Maria sighed and turned towards the taciturn hybrid, balancing a stack of plates on her arms. He was right, of course, that she couldn't protect herself against enemy aliens. At least not all that well. But she had already had this discussion with him once, and he hadn't even seemed at all worried about Courtney who they knew was a threat. So why was he stressing over unlikely possibilities now?

She did not have the energy to deal with his mood swings.

"I thought Liz had this shift," Michael commented suddenly, giving her a frown.

"She did. She's sick." She'd looked sick most of the day, Maria reflected. Liz certainly had not been acting like herself at any rate. She had been distracted and jumpy.

"Is it serious?"

"No," Maria replied, praying that it wasn't. Maybe Alex was right and something really had been bothering Liz. The blonde waitress resolved at that moment to talk to Alex as soon as she had the chance.

"Maria…"

"I've got to work," Maria said, stepping past him and walking towards the kitchen.

"You can't do the play!"

Maria froze and turned back towards him, eyes widening slightly. "What did you say?" she demanded icily. "Did you actually just _forbid_ me from doing something?"

"It could be dangerous," Michael retorted, refusing to back down.

She glared at him. "You are so… so… so infuriating!" she hissed. Then she spun on her heal and stalked away from him.

"That was remarkably stupid," a new voice commented, and Michael turned to find Isabel standing behind him, having observed the entire scene.

"Oh, shut up," Michael muttered.

Isabel watched as he walked away, glowering dangerously, and shrugged. She had no doubt that Maria and Michael would work out whatever issue they were dealing with eventually, and in the meantime she just made a mental note to stay out of their way.

She really did not have the patience to be dragged into yet another fight between those two.

* * *

"Put the gun down and step away from the girl, Mr. Pierce, and no one will get hurt."

Nasedo, disguised as Agent Donald Pierce, stared back at the man who had spoken. He was from some federal agency, probably either FBI or NSA. He was surrounded by several other men and women, all from the same agency, all with their weapons pointed directly at him.

It was pathetic, Nasedo thought as he gazed down at the little girl clutched tightly in his arms. For all their ingenuity, humans were still so incredibly predictable.

He had grabbed the girl from her mother to use as a hostage. She could not have been more than ten, and her face was streaked with tears, her green eyes widened up at him in a desperate plea for mercy. And the moment she had started wailing, the agents chasing him had frozen in their spots, fearful lest she come to harm.

It had been almost too easy.

Still, he knew he shouldn't complain.

Looking back at the man who had spoken, the one who was presumably the lead agent, he said in a cold voice, "It's _Agent_ Pierce! I am an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation."

"Mr. Pierce," the man replied, "you were stripped of your title months ago. Please… let the girl go and we can talk about this."

"Talk?" Nasedo hissed. "I don't _talk_. And I won't come quietly. I give orders, I don't follow them." He curled his lip into a sneer, "I will kill her if you come a single step closer."

"She's an innocent child," the man murmured. "She has done you know harm. She doesn't deserve this."

"Deserve?" Nasedo spat, shifting his weight slightly so that his own gun was still firmly pressed against the girl's head. "I didn't deserve to be discredited, did I? After all the work I did for this country, all the times I protected it against the invaders! And then that… that joke of a Senator comes along, and everyone thinks they know better than I do. Well, I don't answer to the likes of you. Or _her_."

"Whitaker?" the man questioned.

Nasedo growled, "She's not around to argue against me anymore, is she? Take note of that. People who oppose me tend to disappear. I guess fate is on my side."

"The other senators who recently passed away?" the man pressed. "They opposed you as well."

Nasedo nodded, looking pleased. "I see you're finally catching on. Maybe you aren't as stupid as I thought. You're right, they did oppose me. And now they're gone."

"And that child?" the man asked, glancing at the girl. "She has not opposed you. Why does she have to join them?"

Nasedo shrugged. "Collateral damage." Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the girl's mother. She was being held back by two agents, restrained and prevented from rushing forward. But she was still sobbing hysterically, struggling to reach her daughter, to prevent this nightmare from playing out before her eyes.

They were in a shopping mall. It was not what he had originally expected to use as a location for the final showdown, but the federal agents had caught onto him much sooner than he had anticipated. So he had moved up his timetable, and that wasn't even so much of a problem. It just meant he would finish a little bit ahead of schedule.

"Collateral damage? Like Walt Crawford?"

The lead agent, Nasedo reflected with the tiniest bit of begrudging respect, was clever. He was using Pierce's perceived need to talk as a way to wrangle a confession out of the man. Still, his intelligence was useful to Nasedo, it was what would allow his plan to succeed.

Smirking inwardly, he replied, "Yes. Like Walt Crawford."

And then he moved.

Shoving the girl towards her mother, he lifted his gun and shot the lead agent through the head. The other man fell, unable to defend himself in time, and Nasedo turned and ran. The bullets rushed towards him, shattering tile and linoleum at his feet, but he used his powers to discreetly make sure none came close enough to hitting him. The shopping mall was still packed, the agent hadn't had enough time to evacuate everyone, and though people raced to get out of his way, he still managed to blend into the crowd easily enough.

And then came the explosion.

He had taken the idea from what had happened in Copper Summit. Enough energy channeled through his body into the ground around him would be enough to resemble a small bomb… and an explosion of that size could easily destroy a major section of the shopping mall. The agents had cleared out much of the shopping mall, but not all of it, and there would be several casualties. Still… it just couldn't be avoided. Not if he wanted this plan to work.

As the air was suddenly filled with dirt and dust and fragments of brick, he dodged to the side and avoided the falling debris. The impact of the energy mostly settled behind him, further in the shopping mall, causing the center to crumble. On the outskirts, he was safe enough.

The screams followed him as he ran, and he caught the smell of blood.

A moment later, he found himself standing in one of the smaller hallways that lead backwards away from the main corridor of shops. Two agents followed him, their guns still trained solely on him, and Nasedo knew he had only a matter of moments to act.

"It's a dead end, Pierce," one of the agents said, nodding towards the exit behind Nasedo. "There are more agents out three, you'll be gunned down the moment you step through those doors."

"Quick wasting time, Davis," the other agent snapped. "Bring the bastard in and let's go home."

"You're dead, scum," Davis snarled.

Nasedo gave a feral smirk. "I'm counting on it."

And he waved his hands at the two agents.

Bullet-proof vests could not protect against a burst of energy as powerful as his. Both agents fell, unconscious.

Nasedo pointed his gun at one of the agents and fired, watching impassively as the bullet struck the man directly between the eyes and blood spilled out against the white floor. Then he kicked the gun away from the other agent, Davis, and reached down, pressing his hand against the man's forehead. Concentrating all his power, he slowly began to modify Davis' appearance.

Until he looked exactly like Donald Pierce.

It was one of the tricks Nasedo had learned a long time ago and thought he would never need to use. All aliens had the ability to modify molecular structures. What most did not realize was that that trick, combined with a shape-shifter's natural and inherent understanding of appearance modification, could be used on _people_.

It was excruciatingly painful to the person who was being modified however, and sure enough, Dadvis woke up screaming, lurching to his knees and reaching for his gun.

The doors at the far end of the hallway burst open and several agents came rushing in, just as Nasedo shifted his own shape to resemble that of an old woman. So the agents coming in saw one of their comrades dead on the floor, and Pierce holding a gun and kneeling next to a terrified woman.

Two shots rang out, and the Davis was dead before he could ever comprehend what had happened.

"Ma'am?"

Nasedo turned towards the agents, allowing himself to look terrified. "Please don't hurt me," he whispered, his voice high and feminine. "Please."

"It's alright," one of the agents, a dark-haired woman, said soothingly, crouching down by his side. "You're alright, you're safe now." She reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder, smiling encouragingly when he did not flinch away from the touch.

Nasedo glanced at the two dead agents, then let his gaze linger on the one who looked like Pierce. Agent Davis' family would wonder what had happened to him, but when news of the shooting in the shopping mall reached the media, the agent would be presumed dead, a hero defending his country from a crazy, power-hungry lunatic. It would not be unusual that they had not recovered his body, not given the size and scope of the explosion.

"You're safe," the female agent said again. "You're going to be fine."

Yes, Nasedo thought to himself. He was safe. And he would be just fine.

* * *

The woman stood beneath the streetlight, her chin lifted slightly as she gazed up at a window on the second floor of the apartment building. Her brown hair fell over pale green eyes, partially obscuring them from the view of any casual passerby. And though the wind whipped at her clothing and the air grew damp with a faint trace of moisture, her gaze never wavered from that window.

Once or twice, a man moved across the room, his shadow falling against the window. There was another person in the room as well, a woman. She moved near the window once and spoke to the man, then she moved away.

The dim light of the streetlamp cast strange shadows against the concrete sidewalk. It flickered once, and the night grew darker as a few wisps of stray clouds floated across the moon.

The woman on the sidewalk glanced around, her gaze finally falling from the window. Pale green eyes pierced through the gloom, silently watching, waiting.

She had once been a consort of the King. A long time ago, back before the beginning of everything. Before the birth of Zan and Vilandra, before the marriage of Zan and Ava, before the rise of Khivar and the fall of Antar… Back, long before the beginning, she had been a consort of the old King, Zan's father.

Unlike most of the rebel skins, she felt no particular loyalty to Rath. This new general… Michael… could very well be the leader to save them all. But it was hard to know, hard to tell… And she was practical. She threw in her lot with the winning side. She was a mercenary above all else. It was why she had allowed herself to be pulled into the intrigue of the royal court, why she had allowed herself to become a mistress to the King. He was powerful, and she was on the winning side.

Until Zan. She had seen quickly that the son would not lead as well as the father. The times had changed and Antar came under pressure, under siege from all those around. Khivar rose, and she knew she needed a new leader, a new way to live. But she could not back Khivar. She knew he was too hated by most to gain a stable footing. Even after Zan's death, even after the skin king took the throne, he still had not been able to complete quell all rebellion against him.

And if neither Zan nor Khivar could win, she needed a different champion.

So when the leader of the rebel skins had come to her and offered her a chance, a hope for survival, she had accepted without hesitation. It had kept her alive.

War was messy. It was dirty and ugly. It was survival of the fittest, pure and simple. The Roswell hybrids still had some romantic vision of this war, an idea that it was something they could fight from a distance, a battle they could win while still holding on to their morals.

She knew better.

Her leader, the mayor of Roswell, had given her a task. To kill Sorenson and then keep an eye on the set of hybrids in New York.

She looked back at the window. The man was standing near the curtain, his shadow blocking her view of the room.

The woman who had been in the room had left, and she came out of the front steps of the building and walked quickly into the street. She nodded at the alien mercenary as she passed, barely sparing her a second glance. She did not see the pale green eyes narrow at her as she hailed a taxi and sped away into the night.

The woman on the sidewalk smiled. She did not know who the woman was. A friend, perhaps, or a girlfriend? A wife? It did not matter. Sorenson's night was about to end… permanently.

She ran a hand through her hair. Pale green eyes swept the surrounding area one last time, and then she walked towards the building, disappearing through the open door.

* * *

Next Chapter: What Friends Are For

Due: Wed 2/11


	41. What Friends Are For

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Forty-One: What Friends Are For

_It took all of Liz's courage and strength to lift her eyes and meet Max's accusing gaze. He was standing before her, his expression smoldering with a rage she had never seen on him before, and she bit her lip and took a step backwards, fear flickering momentarily through her eyes._

"_How could you?" Max snarled._

_She backed up against the wall of the building, tearing her gaze away from him and staring at the destroyed city around her. The streets were littered with shards of glass, broken bricks and stones, debris mixed with trash. The air was heavy with the acrid smell of distant smoke, and everything was laden with a pollution that burned her eyes and stuck in her throat._

"_Max, I…"_

"_All this time," he hissed, stepping forward, closing in on her, "you lied to me. To us."_

"_I was only trying to save you!"_

_He laughed, a mocking, humorless sound that erupted from his throat. "You call this saved?" he spat, gesturing with his arms to the remnants of the destroyed city. "You knew how terrified I was of what I had become. You knew how much it hurt me to have to make these decisions, to sacrifice for this war… and yet you did not tell me any of what you had done. You changed our future, Liz!"_

"_I was trying to make it better," Liz whispered, choking on her words._

"_Better? It is not better! And maybe if you had told us about your visit from Michael, maybe you if you had given us that extra information, we could have prevented this. But you didn't. You held back, you kept secrets and now…" Abruptly, he turned away from her and walked back into the street._

"_Max…?" she murmured questioningly._

_He looked at her with pure hatred. "Now you have destroyed us all."_

"_Max… no! Wait, Max, please…" But her cries fell on deaf ears, and he walked away from her, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the deserted road, abandoned by all she had loved…_

"Liz?"

Liz jolted awake, breathless and surprised. Her eyes scanned the room, as though expecting some danger to leap out at her from the shadows, but the only one there was her mother, kneeling by her bed with a look of concern.

"Are you alright, sweetheart? You were crying out in your sleep."

Liz blinked rapidly, pushing away the vestiges of the dream. "I'm fine, Mom," she answered, her voice scratchy and hoarse. "Just a bad dream is all."

Mrs. Parker did not look convinced, but she nodded reluctantly. "Let me get you some water," she offered, rising to her feet and walking to the door of the room. She paused, then, and looked back. "You know… if something is wrong, you can tell me. You can tell me anything."

Liz gave a sad smile. "I know, Mom," she answered, even though it wasn't true. This was not something she could tell her mother.

* * *

"What's going on with Liz?" Isabel asked as she slid into the seat next to Alex. It was lunchtime, and the quad was filled with students enjoying the sunshine and the break from classes. But Maria was eating with Michael, Max hadn't come to school that day, and Liz was nowhere to be seen, leaving Alex and Isabel by themselves at the picnic table.

Alex took a bite of his apple. "What's going on with Max?" he countered.

Isabel chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully. "You answer my question, and I will answer yours."

Alex gave her a long look, then asked, "What makes you think something is wrong with her?"

Isabel shifted the food around in her lunch bag, looking for the sandwich. When she finally found it, she pulled it out and began to unwrap the plastic wrap as she answered, "She looks horrible. Stressed, tired… she kept zoning out in English today. Liz never zones out, not like that."

It was Alex's turn to think for a moment before replying, "I'm not really sure. But something is wrong, and has been wrong for a while. I wanted to talk to Maria about it again, but…" He trailed off and jerked his head towards his friend.

Isabel followed his gaze, eyeing Maria and Michael with a conflicted expression. Finally, she said, "I don't get those two. Just yesterday, they were arguing with each other at the Crashdown. Now they're eating lunch together."

"I have up trying to understand either of them a long time ago," Alex replied with a quirked eyebrow and a grin. Then he sobered and said, "So, what's going on with Max?"

"The explosion in the shopping mall in Washington DC last night? More of Nasedo's handiwork." The stunning Princess took a bite of her sandwich and chewed silently as Alex digested what she had said. Then she added, "I think Liz was over last night, talking to him." She had done her best to talk to Max, to convince him that this wasn't his fault. Nasedo had not informed them of that part of his plan, and they certainly would not have agreed with it had they known. But it had done little to ease Max's conscious, not when he was the one who had agreed to let Nasedo handle the matter in the first place.

She had hoped Liz would have more luck with the conversation, but Max had refused to come to school today, and Liz looked worse that Isabel had anticipated.

"Do you think Liz might be upset because of this also?" Isabel pressed with a thoughtful stare. "I'm pretty sure Max spoke to her about it. She's been doing her best to help him deal with all the ramifications, and it can't have been easy for her."

"Maybe," Alex agreed slowly, "but it is more than that. Something has been wrong with her for a while."

It was concerning. Part of the problem was that Isabel knew Max was relying on Liz, on the fact that she had promised she would always be there, and though it was selfish of Isabel to be thinking of that, it did not change the fact that she was worried Liz's preoccupation with her own problems might have a detrimental effect on the hybrid King. But in addition to those purely alien-related motives, Isabel was also concerned because, against all attempts to feel otherwise, she had actually grown to like Liz, to think of her as a friend instead of just a girl dating her brother.

And the hybrid Princess did not like it when her friends were hurting.

"How did Max get out of coming to school?" Alex asked curiously.

Isabel shrugged. "Wasn't hard. Just told my Mom that he was feeling sick. He certainly looked sick, so she had no trouble believing it."

"You don't think he would do anything stupid, do you?" Alex questioned, worried.

But Isabel shook her head. "No. He's not going anywhere." She had been very distraught about that possibility in the beginning. When Max had claimed illness, she had almost confronted him, believing that he might seek out Nasedo, or Nicolas, or Trevor, or even Courtney… anyone whom he could potentially see as a threat. One look at him had been enough to determine that he certainly was not in his right mind, but her mother had obviously picked up on that as well. And Mrs. Evans would not let Max out of her sight.

Max might be feeling a lot of frustrating emotions at the moment, but he was not stupid enough to try to sneak out of the house. And even if he did attempt it, he wouldn't get very far before being caught.

"Liz bailed on her shift at the Crashdown last night," Isabel commented suddenly.

Alex gave her a look, one eyebrow raised in question.

"Maria was working instead." Isabel chewed her lip for a moment, then added, "Liz usually doesn't bail on things."

"I'm going to talk to her," Alex decided. "Today, after school."

Isabel just rolled her eyes. "Haven't you tried talking to her before? If this has been going on for as long as you say, you must have asked her about it already."

"I won't let her avoid the subject or refuse to tell me," Alex answered simply.

Still, Isabel looked less than convinced.

"Well, who do you think she will confide in?" Alex argued pointedly. "Certainly not Max, she wouldn't want to burden him with her own problems. For just as obvious reasons, not Tess, and probably not Michael. Unlikely that she'd tell you either."

"What about Maria?"

Alex ran a hand through his hair and let out a shaky breath. "She didn't really seem to think anything was so wrong. I don't know if she will confront Liz."

Isabel shrugged. "After today, she'll have noticed."

"True." Alex looked over at Maria again, his expression unreadable. Isabel gave him a long stare, studying the lines in his face, looking some clue to his thoughts. But she couldn't see through the mask that had fallen over his blue eyes, and she let her gaze drop the table.

Alex must have seen the movement, because he asked, or rather demanded, "What's the matter?"

Isabel gave a dark chuckle, rubbing her eyes. "Besides everything we just talked about?"

Alex flashed her a quick, ironic smirk, but then asked in a more serious tone. "Seriously, you looked… upset. Just for a moment."

Isabel shook her head. "It was nothing. I'm just worried about Max. And now Liz."

Alex nodded and looked back across the quad. Liz was just emerging from the doors of the school, and her eyes searched quickly for her friends. She smiled slightly and lifted a hand to wave when she caught sight of them, then began walking quickly towards their table.

Isabel looked down at her hands again. She and Alex had been doing so well recently, able to overcome the truth about her past life and Vilandra's betrayals, able to overcome her anger when he chose to comfort Maria instead of her after Copper Summit. But something seemed to linger, a faint fear of hers that he was somehow drifting away. Every time he grew concerned for his friends, she had trouble reading him, trouble seeing into his thoughts. It was as though a part of him became more distant, caught up in the worries of his friends' lives.

She wasn't jealous, not really. She did not begrudge Maria or Liz the fact that they had such a devoted friend, nor did she expect him to devote all his time to her. But they were dating, they were a couple. And didn't that mean they were supposed to do things together, to be connected?

She wondered if he even realized that he was somehow slipping away from her. Or was he so caught up in his fears for his friends that he did not see anything else?

* * *

_You're going to fail._

Liz looked up sharply, her eyes scanning the crowded hallway. The last class was finally over, and she was gathering her things before heading towards rehearsals in the auditorium. Around her, everything was a hubbub of activity and noise, of movement and chattering laughter.

But those words…

She had heard them so clearly, although she could not locate their source. But they had echoed in her mind, reverberating as though they somehow echoed in an unnatural silence.

"Liz?"

Liz turned to see Trudy approaching, a look of concern on her face. The brunette swallowed uneasily and replied, "Hi, Trudy."

"Are you alright? You look…" Trudy stopped, hesitating with her head tilted to the side as though seriously considering the other girl. At last, she said, "You just don't look so good."

"I'm fine," Liz said, wishing her voice didn't shake as she spoke. Trudy gave her a clearly disbelieving look, and Liz tried to flash a reassuring smile. It came out strained and flat.

"Are you sure?" Trudy pressed.

Liz started to nod, when a movement to her right caught her eye. She turned to look, and the entire hallway faded out of sight, replaced by a barren stretch of land, ruined houses with puffs of smoke reaching towards the sky. She started, mouth falling open.

"Liz?" Trudy's voice seemed to come from far away, but the brunette forced herself to look back at the girl, to blink rapidly until the vision disappeared and she had returned to the present.

"Maybe I am coming down with something," Liz offered, trying to give a nonchalant shrug. The look of bewildered fear in her eyes must have given her away, because Trudy just raised one eyebrow skeptically. Liz forced herself to smile again, and said, "Don't worry, I doubt I am contagious yet."

She moved to step past Trudy, but the other girl reached out and caught her arm. "Liz…" She faltered, looking unsure. It was obvious that there was something she wanted to say, and Liz waited patiently as Trudy gathered her courage and said hastily, "Is it about Max?"

"Is what about Max?" Liz asked, surprised by the question.

Trudy flushed slightly, the color rising in her cheeks. Still, she continued determinedly, "You've been looking a little… off… since you and Max started dating again. I just… look, Liz, Max has gone through a lot of… well, he's just be weird, lately."

"Weird?"

"Showing up drunk, hitting Kyle, declaring his love for Tess, acting like a arrogant jerk… and now he's crashed into this downward spiral…" Trudy bit her lip, looking a little unsure. Finally, she said, "I know you really like him. That much is obvious. But if being with him is making you so…" She trailed off and didn't finish the thought.

But Liz knew what she was trying to say. She was worried that Liz's relationship with Max was causing the brunette waitress to slowly and steadily fall apart. And it was true, being there for Max was not easy, not with all the problems they had faced. But it wasn't Max who was causing all this. And Liz had the feeling that her nightmares and visions would have come no matter what.

Still, Trudy was trying to do the right thing, trying to look out for someone who was obviously falling apart.

"Thank you," Liz said, and she meant it. "It isn't Max. I know it seems that way. And you're right, there is something wrong. And I can't… I don't really want to talk about it. But it isn't Max."

Trudy nodded slowly, her expression guarded. "If you're sure…"

"I am. But thank you for the concern."

Trudy shrugged and turned to go. "That's what friends are for," she replied, tossing the words carelessly over her shoulder.

_Until they all die. Then they aren't good for anything._

Liz scanned the hallway once more. It was almost empty, but she knew she had heard the voice, knew that it was more than just her imagination. Someone was there…

_Everything burns. Everyone dies. Some just die a little faster than others. A little sooner._

Liz inhaled sharply. "Oh, God…" she whispered horrified. What was happening to her?

And then, once more before her very eyes, the school faded away and she was standing in the burnt ruins of her own home, her parents' bloody, broken bodies sprawled on the floor before her, their eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling above. She bit back the urge to cry out, knowing that this couldn't possibly be real. But it felt so real. And she… she was scared. Terrified.

With a jolt, she pulled herself back into reality and knew, in a blinding flash of realization, that she needed to tell someone what she was seeing, what she had heard. It might be nothing at all, but it might not.

She needed to talk to Alex.

She found him, and Maria, in the auditorium waiting for rehearsals to start. They were talking, laughing lightly with each other. Maria was quoting plays, pretending to practice her lines, and Alex kept arguing with her, correcting her attempts.

"Oh, for a Muse of Fire that would ascend the very heavens of invention!"

"Wrong play. That's _Henry V_. It's not even a tragedy, it's one of Shakespeare's historical plays."

"Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou, Romeo?"

"Hmm… at least you're on the tragedies now."

"Looking around here you'd think I'm a girl… a girl who has _everything_."

"Okay, now you're not even quoting Shakespeare anymore. That's from _The Little Mermaid_."

Liz grabbed Alex by the arm, almost physically dragging him away from Maria. "Sorry, I need to borrow him for a moment," she announced, shooting Maria an apologetic glance and silently praying she would come up with a good excuse when her semi-abrasive best friend demanded answers later.

Because she would. Maria was not one to just let things go, particularly not something as out-of-character as this.

"Liz?" Alex asked as he pulled his arm from her grasp and followed her into the hallway. "What's wrong? Is someone dying? Are we being invaded?" He lowered his voice and glanced around to make sure they would not be overheard before he asked, "Is it the evil Czechoslovakians?"

"Yes. No. I'm not sure."

"Liz, you're not making any sense. And now you're really starting to scare me."

She looked at him, blinking for a moment. They both paused in the empty hallway, the silence coming down on all sides as Liz groped for the right words to explain her fear. Through the double doors that lead out into the quad, she could see the last remnants of the other students filing away towards their after-school activities. The sun filtered through the windows, illuminating floating dust motes hovering in the air.

"Liz?"

"I… I think I might be going crazy."

Alex blinked, obviously not expecting _that_ answer, and Liz took him by the arm and pulled him into the nearest unused classroom. Shutting the door firmly behind her, she turned and swept the room with a quick look to determine that they were, in fact, alone.

"At first I thought it was Tess. Then I thought maybe it was Courtney. Now I don't know. Maybe I really am just seeing things and hearing voices. Maybe it's just daydreaming. Maybe I'm going crazy."

"Okay… Liz, just… start at the beginning," Alex said in a gentle voice, placing a hand on her shoulder and leading her to one of the desks.

"The beginning?" Liz muttered, shaking her head. "God, Alex, I don't even know when the beginning _was_. About ten years in the future, I think."

"Uh… okay."

She yanked at a few loose strands of brown hair. "This is going to sound crazy. Completely and totally crazy." When Alex made no move to say anything, she said, "I was visited a little while ago. By Michael."

"Okay. What's so weird about that?"

"He was from the future."

Alex said nothing, but she could easily see the look of alarm that flickered through his eyes at her words. Whatever had had expected, it obviously was not that, and he apparently did truly believe that she was losing it. Well… she believed she might be going crazy as well, so she couldn't really begrudge Alex his opinions.

"He said he was from ten years in the future. He knew things… he was able to prove that he was really… well, Michael. He said the world had practically ended, became… worse. Much worse. And he wanted me to fix it, to make it better."

"Liz, time travel… it isn't possible."

She fixed him with a pointed stare and retorted, "Neither is miraculously healing someone who has been shot. But I'm still standing here, aren't I?"

He gave a little sigh and a reluctant nod, but did not look entirely convinced by her argument. Again, she could not blame him for that, she hadn't believed Michael when he first appeared either. But eventually the proof had pushed away her skepticism, and she could only hope Alex would have an open mind about this as well. She needed him to understand, and to believe.

"So what was this future like?" Alex asked finally.

Liz bit the inside of her cheek, and gave him a sad look. "Maria and I were both dead. So was Tess. Max was falling apart, and Michael didn't seem to be doing so well himself. You were… I don't know. Still alive."

"Isabel?"

Liz didn't answer, and Alex didn't push the subject. She had no doubt that he assumed her silence meant that Isabel had died, and perhaps it was better for him to believe that than the truth anyway. Because the truth about Isabel, about who and what she had become… even Liz could barely accept it.

"So Michael came back in time? How?"

"With the Granolith." Liz ran her hands over the smooth desk, wishing she sounded more coherent, more sane. But the words seemed only to come to her in a jumbled mess. "He asked me to help him, and I did."

"What did he want you to do?"

Liz paused before whispering, "Stop Max from trying to heal Sydney Davis. He also said I had to give Max another chance, I couldn't give up on him. And he wanted… he wanted me to know that we couldn't trust Trevor. Or Nasedo."

"Trevor is his brother, right?" Liz nodded mutely, and Alex continued thoughtfully, "Well, we've known all along that Nasedo isn't completely trustworthy. So that's not a surprise. Did he say anything about Courtney?"

Liz shook her head. "No. She died too early on in the war for him to know anything about her true loyalties. She might be trustworthy, but she might not. But he did say that she was the one who had done that mind thing to Max… made him Zan. That's how I knew."

Alex was silent as he digested everything she had said, and she watched him warily, wondering just how much he believed to be true, and how much he had already assumed was some sort of hallucination.

At last, he asked, "How does this end up with you thinking you are seeing things and hearing voices and going crazy?"

"A couple of days ago, I started having bad dreams. It was around the time Max was dealing with the deaths of the Senators… he kept saying how I was such a good person, I'd never manipulated people, never played around with their lives…" She felt tears burning in her eyes and blinked them away rapidly, not wanting Alex to see just how scared and upset she really was. "But I had done that… all of it. I'd changed the future."

"You changed it for the better," Alex protested. "You were trying to save us, to protect us."

Liz shrugged. "Do you really think that makes a difference to the people who's lives I might have changed? We don't know what I did, what I made different. The butterfly effect… even the smallest change can have disastrous consequences…" She let out a long sigh. "Max was just trying to save us as well, when he made that deal. And look how well he's taking it."

"And the dreams?"

"They were always of the world ending, of Max finding out that I had tried to change things and hadn't told anyone… he would get angry, furious. Everything was destroyed, and I… I had failed. We all died. And I hadn't told anyone what I knew, so we weren't prepared, weren't able to save ourselves…"

"They sound like regular nightmares," Alex replied honestly. "You're under a lot of stress, dealing with Max and with Michael's revelations about the future. Of course your subconscious is going to be caught up in bad dreams. I don't think it is anything to worry about."

"So you believe me?" Liz asked hopefully.

"About Future Michael?" Alex regarded her carefully, but when he answered his words were simple and blunt, "You're not imaginative enough to come up with a story like that. And I don't think you're crazy. So yeah… I believe you."

Liz licked her lips, her expression flooded with relief. Then her gaze fell as she said, "I wouldn't be so hasty to assume that I'm not crazy. I haven't told you about hearing voices yet."

"Okay. So, tell me."

"I was taking my stuff out of my locker," Liz explained, "and I heard a voice."

"What sort of voice?"

Liz hesitated, knowing this would make her sound truly crazy. "It told me I would fail. That everyone would die. And I saw things also. Everything destroyed… my parents… dead."

"Maybe you were so tired you started hallucinating," Alex suggested thoughtfully. "The nightmares are hardly restful. Have you been getting any good sleep at all?"

"Not really."

"So maybe…"

Liz rose to her feet and pushed herself away from the desk. Alex was looking for normal answers, expecting this could somehow be explained by human biology. But it was more than that. She couldn't quite explain how she knew that there was something else going on, but she _did_ know.

"Liz?" Alex asked, catching sight of her distraught expression.

She looked at him. "I can't explain it, Alex. I just know that there is something else going on. This isn't me. It's like… like I am being mind-warped."

"Tess would have no reason to mind-warp you. And she doesn't know about Future Michael. Right?"

Liz wrapped her arms around herself. "What if she isn't the only one who knows how to mind-warp? There are other aliens out there. Evil ones. They could…"

"But they would have to know you had been visited by Michael from the future," Alex countered logically. "How would they know that? Liz, it just doesn't make sense."

Liz sagged under his rational answer. "Alex… please. I just… I need you to trust me about this."

He crossed to her side, taking her hands in his own. "Liz, I do trust you. Completely. But even you have to admit that this seems farfetched. I just… I'm worried you might be looking for an alien answer when there is a human one."

"I'm not crazy!"

"I never said you were." Alex paused, then asked, "What do you want me to say, Liz? What do you want me to do? If this really is an alien problem, I am not equipped to deal with it."

"Well, who am I supposed to talk to? I can't go to Max with it."

"Isabel?"

Liz shook her head. She couldn't tell Isabel the truth. First of all, she knew Isabel would demand answers about Future Michael, and she had already promised that Michael that she would not tell Isabel anything about what had happened in the future. In addition, she doubted Isabel would be able to keep it all a secret from Max. While the hybrid Princess certainly would not want to add more to her brother's already over-burdened shoulders, after what had happened the last time she had kept a secret from them… well, it was unlikely Isabel would want to take the chance of repeating that disaster.

"Fine. Michael?" Alex suggested.

Liz considered this. Going to Michael with information about what a future version of himself had said? That just seemed weird. Besides, it was doubtful that Michael would even believe her. He would be full of skepticism and doubt, and she could not deal with another person telling her she was going crazy.

"No," she said at last, "and not Tess either. Neither of them would believe me."

Alex gave a weary sigh. "Then what do you want me to do?"

Liz licked her lips. "Help me? Just say that you will help me figure this out."

Alex stared at her, at her wide brown eyes filled with fear and confusion, and slowly caved. "Alright. I'll help you. And I won't tell anyone." He rested his hand on her arm, his tone filled with warning, "At least, I won't tell them yet. But Liz, if this doesn't get better…"

She nodded. "Okay. Give it a few days. If it isn't better… then we can tell someone."

* * *

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing."

Maria placed her hands firmly on her hips and glared at Alex. "That was not nothing. That was Liz acting weird. Why? What is wrong with her?"

Alex turned away from her. Rehearsal had gone pretty well, although he had been distracted by his worry for Liz. His quick glances at his friend had obviously not gone unnoticed by Maria, and the blonde human would not back down from the confrontation.

"You're the one who said you didn't think anything was wrong, that it was just something minor," Alex replied pointedly.

Maria rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, I admit I might have made an error in judgment. But something obviously is wrong with Liz. And I want to know what it is."

Alex answered, "Oh, are you actually admitting to be wrong?"

At any other point, Maria might have taken the bait from him and retorted with some comeback of her own. It was a sign, therefore, of just how very worried she was that she did not rise to his challenge.

"Alex, come on. If you know something… if Liz is in trouble…"

He didn't know exactly what was going on, and that was part of the problem. But he couldn't tell Maria that, couldn't confide any of this in her. He'd promised Liz, and he was scared enough for her that he didn't want to break the promise and risk losing her trust. If she didn't rely on him, who knew what kind of reckless of stupid thing she might try to do to figure out the problem?

"She's my best friend," Maria pressed. "I just want to help. She needs support. She's obviously really upset, even scared, about something. And it isn't like Max is helping any…"

Alex gave her a suddenly shrewd look, and idea coming to mind. "You want to help?" he said. "How about you give Max a little talk about how a relationship has to go both ways. Liz has been there for him… so maybe he should try to be there for her."

A glint came into Maria's eyes. "And if I do that?"

"Then I will do everything in my power to convince Liz to talk to you. But I can't make any promises about it, Maria. I can't force her to confide in you and I can't… I made a promise."

Maria huffed. But her anger at being left out of the loop did not outweigh her concern for her friend, and so she slowly agreed to Alex's words. "Fine. Just… promise me you are looking out for her."

"I am. I swear."

"Alright," Maria said firmly, a smirk pulling at her lips. "Then I am going to go have a little chat with King Max."

* * *

Next Chapter: Confrontations

Due: Sun 2/22


	42. Confrontations

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Sorry for the delay. I had this chapter written, but FFN wouldn't let me log into my account for two days... so it took a while to get the story updated.

* * *

Chapter Forty-One: Confrontations

When the doorbell rang, Diane Evans had been expecting Liz. Isabel would have just walked in, given that it was her house, and Michael more often then not used the window of Max's room to gain entrance, a fact that she was well aware of, although her children might not realize that. And since Isabel wasn't home, there was little reason Alex would have been at the door.

So when the doorbell rang, Mrs. Evans wiped her hands on her apron, pushed aside the lasagna she was making for dinner, and walked quickly to the door, a smile already forming on her face. She did really like the brunette girl, and was glad that Liz and her son had managed to patch things over and get back together.

But when she pulled the door open, she found Maria DeLuca standing there instead.

"Maria," she said, surprised. She did not know Maria well, except as a friend of Liz and Alex's, and possibly a romantic interest of Michael's. She had paid some attention to her with all the recent media coverage of the explosion at Copper Summit, particularly since she knew that her children occasionally hung out with the blonde girl. But she was still surprised to see her standing at the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Evans," Maria said politely. "Is Max here?"

"Oh, he's in his room. He isn't feeling well," Mrs. Evans replied.

"I heard," Maria answered quickly. "I… uh, Liz wanted me to check on him. She can't… she has to work. But she wanted to see if he was feeling better and… uh… to send over some homework so he won't be too behind when he gets back to class."

Mrs. Evans smiled. "Oh, that was very thoughtful of her. And you. Please, come in."

"Thank you."

Maria stepped into the house, and Mrs. Evans closed the door behind her. "Just try not to wear him out," she said with a wink. "His room is upstairs at the end of the hallway next to Isabel's."

"Thanks."

Maria disappeared up the stairs, and Mrs. Evans returned to the kitchen with a small frown forming on her face, her thoughts on her son. She knew Max was sick, and so his listless and depressed behavior could be explained by that, but he hadn't been acting like himself for a long time now, and she was worried. And Isabel, too, had been acting different, more nervous and jumpy, more easily upset. It wasn't anything so noticeable with her, but a mother's intuition could still easily pick up on it.

Philip had determinedly argued that there was something wrong with his two children. And although she had agreed, she had been less willing to start snooping around behind Max and Isabel's backs. She preferred to trust that her children would come to her if they needed help.

But they hadn't come to her. They continued to keep secrets, to act out-of-character, to sneak around. They continued to worry her.

Maybe Philip was right. Maybe it was time they did a little investigating of their own.

* * *

Maria paused outside the door to Max's room. Although she had been in Liz and Alex's houses and Michael's apartment several times, she had rarely been in the Evans' home, and almost never without one of her best friends there as well. It felt a little odd, standing here by herself, about to confront Max.

But the thought of Liz's worn face and Alex's worried expression were enough to force her to strengthen her resolve, and with determination, she knocked on the door.

It swung open a moment later, and Max stared blankly at her, looking quite surprised to see her. A moment later, the surprise turned to fear, and Max demanded hoarsely, "Did something happen? Is anyone hurt?"

"Everyone is fine. Well, sort of," Maria answered, stepping around him and into the room. Max closed the door and turned to face her, obviously still very confused, and she folded her arms across her chest and gave a sardonic smile. "Although you're being a complete jerk to the woman who loves you."

"What are you talking about?" Max demanded angrily.

"Liz? You remember her, right? Brown hair, brown eyes, sweetest girl in the world, loves science?" Maria drawled. "Do you even know what you are doing to her?"

The anger turned into resentment. "What do you mean? I'm not doing anything to Liz."

Maria rolled her eyes. "Have you looked at her lately? I mean, really looked at her?" Max didn't answer, and Maria pressed on, "She looks tired. She's got these big circles under her eyes. She's always distracted, she spaced out completely today in class. She looks… worn down. Like… well…" she tilted her head to the side and regarded Max seriously for a moment, "she looks like you."

Max winced at the comment, and Maria smiled with satisfaction. But the hybrid king turned away from her and shook his head slowly, before saying, "She hasn't told me that anything is wrong."

"Well, of course she hasn't," Maria snapped, exasperated. "She wouldn't want to burden you with it. So she keeps all her problems to herself, and you dump all of your problems on her, and it just makes everything worse. You know a relationship has to go both ways."

Max spun towards her, temper flaring. "What are you suggesting?" he asked, his voice dangerously low. "That I don't care about Liz?"

Maria glared back, refusing to be intimidated. "I am suggesting," she answered coolly, "that you are too caught up in all your own problems to realize that Liz isn't doing well either. I mean, first you screw her over when you think you are Zan and go all psycho on us, and now that she's taken you back, you just keeping asking for her support and don't give her any in return."

"I didn't ask her to take me back," Max retorted, flushed. "She was the one who wanted to get back together, and I kept telling her that it was a bad idea."

"Oh, get over yourself! You love her, don't you?"

Max narrowed his eyes and gave Maria a chillingly cold stare, and when he spoke, his words were bitter and icy. "I do. I love her so much. But that doesn't change anything. I told her it was a bad idea for us to get back together, but she wanted to. She thought it would work." He sank back onto the bed, his anger fading until he looked weary and exhausted. "I guess she was wrong."

"Oh, great. So now that things get a little difficult, you're going to run? Break up with her… _again_… and pretend like you don't mean anything to each other?" Maria asked derisively. She leaned against the wall and gazed at him with a mocking look. "God only knows what Liz sees in you in the first place."

Max wrapped his arms around himself in a defensive gesture and averted his gaze. "You're the one who said she was hurting. You're the one who said _I_ am hurting her. I don't want…" He stopped, seemingly at a loss for words. Then he shrugged and said simply, "I'd rather do this alone than risk hurting her."

"I think if you broke up with her again, that would probably hurt her, too," Maria pointed out logically.

Max shot her an irritated look. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Just be there for her," Maria answered, rolling her eyes once more at him. "Like you were last year. When the two of you were all… sickeningly in love." She smiled inwardly, a little surprised that she was actually saying this. Last year, she had vehemently disliked the way Max and Liz would stare at each other for hours on end, completely oblivious to the fact that there were other people in the room. It had driven her insane and on several occasions she had had to force back the urge to slap one of them.

But Liz was her best friend. And if this fixed the problem, if this made Liz happier…

But Max just frowned. "It isn't that simple, Maria. I don't… it isn't like I asked for any of this to happen. I didn't want to become Zan, I don't want to have the weight of the world on my shoulders, I don't want to know what Nasedo has done because of us…" He stopped, drew a shaky breath as though trying to pull himself together. Softly, he muttered, "I don't know how to deal with this and not have it affect Liz."

"It isn't that hard, Max," Maria countered.

Max shot her a look and asked pointedly, "How would you know? It hasn't happened to you."

To which Maria found she had no reply. She didn't know what Max was going through, and with any luck she never would. And that was a problem for the conversation. How could she continue this argument with him when she couldn't come up with an adequate response to his comeback?

So, instead, she tried a different tact.

"If you're going to breakup with her, do it soon. At least that way she'll have the chance to go out with Nate."

That got Max's attention. His eyes snapped to her face, jealousy flaring momentarily in the tawny orbs. "Who?"

Maria smirked as she explained, "Nate. He's a senior. He's playing Othello in the show. He's nice, and it was pretty obvious that he liked Liz. He even asked about her." She paused, considering it for a moment, then said, "You know, I told him that you and Liz were dating. But if that is going to change… well, I am sure he would like his shot with her."

"He likes her? Does Liz like him back? Is he a creep? Is he dangerous? Is he a skin?"

"Okay, seriously," Maria interjected, throwing her hands into the air, "what is it with you hybrid boys and assuming everyone who might potentially be interested in one of us is a skin? I swear, you and Michael have accused every single person who has ever even looked at us cross-eyed of being an enemy."

Max didn't answer. He seemed far too wrapped up in his own worries about Liz and the new guy in the picture.

Maria sighed. "Max, you obviously do not like the idea of Liz dating anyone else."

"Of course not," Max replied. "I love her."

"But you also want to break up with her?"

"I don't want to," Max countered, "I just don't want to hurt her either. I don't want her to have to deal with my problems if it is causing her so much pain and stress."

"She wants to deal with your problems. You two are a couple, you do things together. She wants to be there for you when you need her. You just have to be there for her when _she_ needs _you_."

"And how do I do that?"

Maria shrugged. "You love her. You'll figure it out."

* * *

"So, you must be Nathan."

Nate looked up, a frown appearing on his face as he stared at the person who had appeared in front of him in the crowded diner. "Uh… Michael Guerin, right?" Michael nodded, and Nate offered politely, "You can call me Nate."

"What are you doing here, Nate?" Michael asked bluntly.

Nate blinked and looked around, confused. "It's the Crashdown," he said. "I'm here for dinner." He glanced past Michael and saw several of his friends sitting around a booth at the far end of the diner. The place was packed as it always was for dinner, and he was glad to see that they had actually managed to secure a good booth.

"Don't be smart with me," Michael hissed. "She's not working tonight."

Nate blinked again, now thoroughly bewildered. "Who?"

"Maria," Michael retorted through gritted teeth.

"Oh. You mean Maria DeLuca? I didn't… I didn't think she was working. Which isn't to say that I didn't think she _wasn't_ working, either. I just… I didn't think about it. About her."

Michael snorted in disbelief. "Sure you didn't. Like you haven't been interested in her since the beginning."

"The beginning of what?" Nate demanded. "Look, Mike, I think you've got me confused with someone else…"

"It's Michael," Michael said forcefully, "and I haven't got you confused with anyone. Stay away from her. I mean it."

Again, Nate glanced around, wondering if this was some sort of joke. But no one else seemed to be paying him any attention, and Michael certainly wasn't laughing about anything. So why was he being told to stay away from Maria? He'd never even been interested in her in the first place.

At that moment, he caught sight of Liz, who had just stepped out of the backroom. She had one hand on her antenna headband, adjusting it slightly, and the other clutched around a pad of paper and a pencil. She saw him across the room and gave a friendly smile, which melted into a look of concern when she saw that he was talking to Michael.

She started towards them.

"Look, I really think you've made a mistake," Nate said to Michael. "I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not… I'm not interested in her."

"Good," Michael snapped. "Keep it that way."

And he turned and walked away, leaving a thoroughly bewildered Nate staring after him.

"Nate? Are you alright?" Liz asked, coming to his side. "You look distressed."

"Do you know Michael Guerin well?" Nate asked.

Liz nodded. "Yeah, he works here. In the kitchen. He's really good friends with Max Evans. He's also Maria's boyfriend… sort of. Why?"

Nate shook his head. "Nothing. You just… uh, you have very odd friends. That's all."

Liz laughed. "Yeah, I know."

* * *

Tess stood in the doorway of Kyle's room, watching as her human brother flipped through the pages of his history book, a puzzled look on his face. She shook her head in amusement at his obvious frustration with whatever assignment he was working on, and then cleared her throat, announcing her presence.

He looked up. "I hate history."

"Nice to see you too, Kyle," Tess replied sarcastically, stepping into the room.

"I saw you a million times today," Kyle protested. "I drove you home after school!"

"You also drove Trudy home after school, and you spent the entire time talking to her. You hardly even said two words to me."

He laughed. "Jealous?"

Tess wrinkled her nose. "I liked you both a lot better when you weren't so pathetically obsessed with each other that you occasionally deigned to speak to us mere family members." She stepped further into the room and added, "Although Trudy seems determined to change you into a sensitive, caring, not-so-much-of-a-jerk boyfriend than you were last year, and I can't blame her for that."

"You're going to hold that whole thing over me forever, aren't you?" Kyle asked with a sigh.

"Oh, you mean how you asked Trudy – one of my best friends – to go out with you, and then crushed her heart by spending the entire time you were dating pining after Perfect Liz Parker? Or the part where she finally moves on and stops getting upset with how you treated her, and you go and pick a fight with Jason because you don't like him spending time with her?" She smiled wickedly. "Yes. Yes, Kyle, I am. Trudy has obviously forgiven you for that, but why should I forgive you when I can get so much mileage out of making you feel guilty?"

Kyle rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Tess?"

"World peace," she answered. And a day without having to constantly worry about Nasedo, Nicolas, Courtney, Khivar, Trevor, the Mayor, Grant Sorenson, and the FBI, she added silently to herself.

"Tess," Kyle said warningly, shooting her an annoyed look.

Tess gave him a faint smile in reply. "Trudy keeps going on about a triple date. Chris and I, you and her, Isabel and Alex."

Kyle snorted. "Yeah, right. Like I'd want to do that."

"Your girlfriend seems to think it is a good idea," Tess pointed out mildly. "And Chris has agreed to it as well. It could be fun." She paused, ran a hand through her curls, yanking at a few tangled strands. "Why not?"

"Because I don't like Whitman, and I only put up with Isabel because she's your friend," Kyle replied. "Why would I want to spend more time than absolutely necessary with them?"

"Because Trudy wants you to," Tess answered as though that should have been obvious. But Kyle still didn't cave to her arguments and he shook his head, looking back at his textbook. She sighed, "Come on, Kyle."

"Why do you even care so much? You don't like Whitman either."

Tess didn't reply. She didn't like Alex, and probably never would. But Isabel liked him, and at the moment, that was enough of a reason to put up with the computer geek's presence in her life. Besides, though her feelings towards Alex, Liz, and Maria would probably never be anything more than civil tolerance and faint disapproval, they were part of the group.

Not that she could explain it to Kyle.

So, instead, she said, "You remember how annoyed you got when people made fun of Liz? Back when you were dating her?"

Kyle shot back pointedly, "Yes. Although I seem to remember that my annoyance never actually _stopped_ you."

Tess responded with a smirk, "No, it didn't. But, come on. Cut Isabel some slack. So she likes a geek, not such a big deal."

Kyle regarded her suspiciously. "That does not sound like something you would have said last year."

"People change. It is a woman's prerogative to change her mind, after all."

Kyle frowned, but nodded. "Fine. I'll go on the stupid triple date. But don't expect me to be happy about it."

"I won't," Tess answered as she left the room, and Kyle turned his attention back to his assignment.

* * *

The bouquet of flowers sitting on her desk caught Liz by surprise. She stared at them for a moment, then crossed the bedroom quickly and reached out to touch one. They were irises, bright yellow and purple, arranged artistically in a blue vase.

"Max left them for you."

Liz glanced over her shoulder at her mother who had followed her into the room. "He brought them here?"

Mrs. Parker nodded. "I asked them if there was any special occasion. He said he just wanted to give them to you. He would have stayed, but you were working your shift in the diner, and he had to get back home before his mother sent the National Guard after him."

"He wasn't feeling well," Liz said. "He missed school today. Mrs. Evans probably didn't like the fact that he left home… to bring me flowers."

"They're beautiful."

Liz nodded. "They are."

"Is everything alright, sweetheart?" Mrs. Parker pressed. "Usually a boy does not bring his girlfriend flowers just randomly."

Liz swallowed uneasily, but said, "Yes, everything is fine. He's just being sweet." She shifted through the flowers until she found a card, and carefully removed it from the stems. Slipping her fingers underneath the seal, she tore the paper binding and opened the note.

_Liz – Just a little color to brighten up your day the way you always brighten mine. Love always, Max._

* * *

Next Chapter: For Better or For Worse

Due: Sun 3/1


	43. For Better or Worse

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Forty-Three: For Better or Worse

Mr. Turner clapped his hands together once, signaling for his two actors to stop their rehearsing of lines. "Nathan," he said firmly, "you are in love with Desdemona. I need to see the passion on your face, I need to hear it in your voice. Why are you acting so skittish?"

Nate ran a hand through his hair, feeling sheepish. But he couldn't very well explain to the director, or to Maria, that he inwardly cringed every time he drew near the blonde. That would require revealing his conversation with Guerin, and he was perceptive enough to know that telling Maria what had transpired between the two was not a good idea.

And, although he would never admit it out loud, he was also more than a little worried that Guerin would completely lose whatever little remaining sanity he had, and the last thing Nate wanted was another confrontation that might turn physical.

"Sorry, Mr. Turner," he said, looking back at Maria.

"What's the matter?" Maria teased with a smile. "Don't you find me attractive?"

Nate flushed slightly. Not as attractive as Liz, he thought to himself, but both girls were off limits. He was far too decent to go after another student's girlfriend.

Something Michael obviously did not understand.

"Alright," Mr. Turner said, "everyone take a break. Get some water, we'll start up again at 3 o'clock sharp."

Maria jumped off the stage and hurried over to join Alex and Liz. Liz had arrived at school that morning looking much better, and Max had somehow gotten over his mysterious illness and joined them as well. Although Maria wasn't sure exactly what had happened between the two, she could tell by the way that Liz practically glowed at Max that things were going to be okay.

That didn't make her any less curious about what had gone wrong with Liz in the first place, though.

But when she sent Alex a questioning glance, he just shook his head silently. She would have to demand answers later, because she could tell by the stubborn look in his eyes – so out of character with his usual malleable personality – that he wasn't going to discuss this with her quite yet.

"Nate's being a little strange," Alex remarked as Maria flopped down into a seat next to her two friends. "He never had problems pretending to be passionately in love with you in any of the previous rehearsals."

Maria grinned, flashing her white teeth. "What can I say? I'm just that loveable."

"Not today, you aren't," Alex replied, slanting a frown towards Nate. "I don't get it. It is like he's afraid to touch you. What happened?" With a look of mock concern, he demanded, "What did you do thim?"

Maria rolled her eyes and slapped him lightly on the arm. "I didn't do anything. Maybe he's just having an off day."

Liz had remained entirely silent throughout this exchange, staring at Nate with a calculating look. Her lack of participation in the conversation had not gone unnoticed by Maria, however, and the blonde was suddenly very suspicious.

"Liz? Do you know something you'd like to share with the rest of us?"

Liz blushed, color creeping up her neck and into her cheeks. "No. Nothing. I don't know anything."

Alex raised his eyebrows at her and commented dryly to Maria, "For someone who has managed to keep our Roswell Royals a secret from the entire world for over a year, she's remarkably bad at lying."

Liz bit her lip apprehensively. "Look… I probably shouldn't tell you this, but…" She drew a long breath and said all in a rush, " It's just, I… uh… IsawhimandMichaeltalkingattheCrashdownlastnight and… uh… helookedalittlescaredwhenMichaelleft."

"Huh?" Alex muttered.

But Maria only needed a few seconds to decipher what Liz had said, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You saw him and Michael talking at the Crashdown last night and he looked _scared_ when Michael left?" She jumped to her feet, anger suffusing her face. "First he doesn't even care that Courtney is in this, then he suddenly cares so much that he wants me to drop out, and now he's trying to intimidate Nate? Oh, I am going to _kill_ Michael Guerin."

Alex shook his head. "You were right, Liz. You shouldn't have told her that. Now we're going to have to figure out a way to bail her out of jail when she gets convicted of Michael's murder."

"Don't worry about it," Maria replied, waving her hand dismissively at Alex. "Once the jury hears my side, they will deem it justified homicide. I'll get off." She glanced towards the doors. "Where is he right now? Is he working at the Crashdown? Is he at his apartment? Oh, I am going to…"

"Uh… Maria? You realize we are still in the middle of rehearsal and you can't leave just to go find and murder your boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend. Or whatever he is."

Maria frowned at Liz, but nodded slowly, seeming to realize the truth in that statement. "Fine," she said reluctantly, giving in without grace. "Fine. I'll wait and kill him afterwards."

"I don't know… it could be considered flattering," Alex argued.

"How? How is it flattering that he apparently wants to control every aspect of my life?"

"Don't you think you are exaggerating a bit there?" Alex countered. "All he did was try to scare away someone he thought might be interested in you." At Maria's blank stare, he sighed and shook his head. "Seriously? Maria, just think about it. He isn't doing this to annoy you. He's _jealous_."

And Maria, with a mischievous grin, remarked, "Then maybe there are a few other things besides killing him I could do to get even…"

* * *

"I found some more articles about bone marrow transplants," Liz remarked as she dropped a stack of papers onto Max's bed. "And a few things about leukemia in general. I think they might be good to read, just to get a handle on the background. There is a experimental drug trial happening at NIH that I want to look into and…"

"Do you want to go to the Crashdown?"

Liz stopped, mouth falling open as she stared at Max. "What?"

He shrugged. "It's a Friday night. I thought maybe you'd want to go out to dinner. We could go somewhere nicer if you don't want the Crashdown. Isabel really likes this nice little Mexican restaurant on Main Street, we could try that…"

"But all of this research…?" Liz asked, gesturing to the articles.

Max shrugged. "It will still be here when I get back. I haven't really been sleeping much lately, so I'll probably be awake enough to read it then. And I can just write down my questions and ask you tomorrow."

"Oh… are you sure?" Liz questioned diffidently.

Max nodded. "Positive."

She hesitated, head tilted to the side. "You haven't been sleeping well?"

Max rose to his feet and crossed his bedroom, taking her hands in his. "Liz, I don't want to be with you just because you are an amazingly caring person. There are so many other things I love about you as well, and I don't need… I don't _want_… you to drive yourself insane trying to help me. Just being around you is more than enough for me."

Liz swallowed back the lump in her throat and nodded silently because she doubted she'd be able to form coherent words. Finally, after a long pause, she managed to find her voice. "I'd love to go out for dinner," she said.

"Great. Let me get my coat," Max replied, moving to his closet and opening the door. "Oh, by the way, I do have one thing I was hoping you could explain."

"Yes?"

He slipped the coat on and turned back to her. "What on Earth is going on with Maria and Michael?"

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I was at the Crashdown about an hour ago, picking up Isabel. And Maria was describing to Isabel, in great detail, one of the scenes from _Othello_ in which she and… what is his name… Nathan, maybe? One of the scene in which the two of them make-out."

"Max, there are no scenes in Othello which involve that type of… physical interaction. This is _Shakespeare_. Holding someone's hand in considered risqué."

Max nodded. "I know. That's why I assumed she was making the entire thing up. But I didn't understand why she would be lying to Isabel about the play until I realized that Michael was standing a few feet away, listening to the entire thing."

"_Really_?" Liz gasped, both surprised and amused. She had not even bothered to ask Maria what her plans were for payback against Michael, but she should have known it would be something like this. Still, it did seem like a remarkably below-the-belt way of getting even… not that Liz could blame her for it. Michael did really have it coming after all he had tried to do.

"Do you know something I don't?" Max questioned with a slight grin, taking Liz's arm and leading her from his bedroom.

"Michael threatened Nate. At least, that's what we think. Told him to stay away from Maria. It made Nate really jumpy today at rehearsal. Maria was not pleased."

Max laughed outright at that, and the two descended the stairs into the living room. "Mom?" the hybrid King called out, "Liz and I are going out for dinner."

Mrs. Evans appeared in the hallway. "Are you sure you feel up to it?" she asked in concern, giving Max a long look.

He smiled reassuringly. "I feel a lot better now, Mom. And don't worry, I promise not to wear myself out too much."

Mrs. Evans nodded, then said to Liz, "You'll make sure he keeps that promise, won't you, Liz?"

"Of course, Mrs. Evans."

They left the house, stepping out into the warm night air. "So what happened? What did Michael do?" Liz asked, both curious and a little frightened by all the possible answers to that question. Still, Max would be telling the story very different if anything unfortunate had actually happened, she figured, so it couldn't have been that bad?

Could it?

"Nothing. Michael just stomped away angrily, and Maria started laughing. I didn't get the joke then," he paused with an amused shake of his head, "I get it now, though." He reached over and opened the door of the car, gesturing for her enter. Then he walked around to the driver's side and climbed in, pushing the keys into the ignition.

"I'm sure it will work itself out eventually," Liz said.

"As long as Michael doesn't do anything stupid." Max sighed and pulled out into the street. "A few times when we were younger, Michael tried to scare off all the boys that even so much as looked at Isabel. He was very protective of her. That would always lead to some sort of argument, and then I would have to come in and intervene, smooth things over."

"I doubt you have to worry about it now. Maria can take care of herself. She'll hold her own."

Max grinned. "I don't doubt that," and there was something in his voice that caused Liz to give him a sharp look, wondering what he was thinking about. He did not elaborate, even though she continued to stare, and that only made her wonder eve more.

"Max? Anything you want to tell me?"

He gave her a quick look before turning his eyes back to the road in front of him. "Let's just say Maria and I had… words. She put a few things in perspective."

"Oh?" She didn't press beyond that, and Max didn't volunteer any more information. But Liz was smart enough to hazard a guess at what those words might have been, and she made a mental note to thank Maria, and Alex, the next time she saw them.

* * *

Saturday morning came quickly, covering the ground with a light rainfall that dried almost as soon as the sun rose. Winter was creeping towards them, bringing with it the promise of vacation. And Christmas.

Isabel padded silently down the stairs of her house. Max was still asleep, he had come home late and stayed up even later, talking to Liz. Her father had left to finish up some last minute work at the office, and her mother was out grocery shopping.

The house was silent.

She stared around the kitchen for a moment, wishing she knew how to cook. It had never been one of her strong points – for some ironic reason it was Tess, the least domestic girl she knew, who had been blessed with the ability to make sense of any recipe.

But pancakes, at least, she knew how to make. They were easy enough, and it was very unlikely she would accidently burn the house down.

And anyway, she wasn't cooking alone.

A knock on the back door caught her attention, she hurried over with a wide smile. Pulling it open, she gestured for Alex to step inside.

He kissed her on the cheek. "Good morning."

"Good morning. Glad you could make it."

"I would never turn down breakfast with my girlfriend," Alex replied. "Although… I was a little concerned, given that you were the one who came up with the idea even though you hate mornings and cooking."

"A girl can't want to spend a little quality time with her boyfriend and pancakes?"

Alex gave her a searching look, as though wishing he could find some sort of explanation in her expression. But she just stared back with a smile for a mask. When Alex didn't say anything else, she gestured for him to take a seat at the table.

"I'm just going to get started on some pancakes. Do you want anything special in yours? Blueberries? Chocolate chips?"

"Fancy. I didn't realize you were such a chef…"

Isabel bit back a sarcastic remark and shook her head, giving him a look. "You know perfectly well how lousy of a cook I am."

"And yet I still agreed to come over for breakfast."

"I guess sanity was never really one of your skills."

Alex smiled at the banter, but his expression grew to one of more concern. "Seriously, Izzy. Is there anything wrong? I just… I _am_ worried."

"It's just pancakes, Alex," Isabel countered. It wasn't as though she could say anything else. The truth of the matter was that she had invited him over because she didn't like how much time he was spending with Maria and Liz, and she knew _exactly_ how he would respond if she tried to tell him that. It was better to just try to spend more time with him herself than to worry about his relationships with his two best friends. No good could come from any conversation about _that_.

"If you're sure…"

"I'm sure," she said firmly. "Besides, I thought it might be nice to have some time, just the two of us." She pulled out a mixing pull and a bag of flour, then moved over to the fridge. "You've been spending so much time with Maria and Liz, and I've been so consumed with Max and my own past-life problems, that it just feels like we aren't…" She grabbed a carton of eggs and turned to him with what she hoped was a casual shrug. "I just like spending time with you. You are my boyfriend, after all."

Alex sighed. "You're right, of course. I'm being silly."

"Of course I am right. I'm always right."

"Always?"

"_Always_. Well, except, of course, for the few occasions when I've been wrong…"

"Of course."

Isabel wrapped an apron around her waist and then held out a mixing spoon to Alex. "Care to help?"

"Always."

They stood side-by-side in silence, content to simply work in each other's company. After a few moments, in which Alex had successfully managed to dump two eggs on the floor and Isabel had knocked over the flour in an attempt to reach for the milk, Alex broke the silence with a short burst of laughter.

"I guess I am not such a good cook either."

Isabel kissed him on the cheek. "That's alright. You have other talents."

"I'm glad you think so." A pause, then Alex ventured, "Hey, Isabel?"

"Yeah?"

"Liz is going through some stuff right now. And Maria… well, we all know what Maria's been dealing with. And I've been trying to help them both as much as possible. But… I am glad you invited me over for breakfast. We… we haven't really spent a lot of time together, have we?"

She handed him back the mixing spoon and dumped a cup of flour into the mixture. "We've been busy. That can change."

He started mixing with a smile. "Yes, it can."

* * *

Everything happened so fast, that even afterwards, Maria wasn't sure if she could explain how the whole thing had occurred. One moment she was standing on the sidewalk of Main Street, a small shopping bag of cedar oil and Echinacea in her arms, and the next she was stumbling into an alley, fear coursing through her veins, the bag falling from her arms.

She didn't recognize the man who attacked. She hadn't expected to recognize every alien who showed up in Roswell, but this one had targeted her specifically, and she thought she should have at least known who he was.

He was tall, with black hair and black eyes and a cold smirk. He grabbed her by the arms, and his skin was hot to the touch, nearly burning her. She opened her mouth to scream, but he clamped a hand firmly over her lips, preventing her from making any noise at all.

"Stop struggling, and I will make your death relatively painless."

Maria fought harder, biting at his hand, kicking her knees and feet upwards. He jumped backwards, still holding onto her, and she lost her balance and fell against him, colliding with his skin. Some of it tore away on impact, shedding, and she felt nauseous at the sight.

"So, the General's little sweetheart thinks she's strong enough to fight?" the man hissed in her ear. He tightened his grip on her arm and shoved her against the side of the building to her right. She winced in pain, but he did not let go. Instead, he dug his fingers into her skin, his nails drawing blood.

Tears pricked at her eyes.

"Not strong enough, are you?"

She wrenched one arm in front of her and brought her hand up to his face. She tried to slap him, but he jerked his head back and laughed cruelly as she ended up only managing to brush the side of his face.

"Pathetic. But you are only human, I suppose it is to be expected."

The hand on her arms grew hotter, and started glowing. She stared, horrified, convinced that this was the end, that she was about to die…

"Hey! Get away from her!"

Maria and her attacker both turned towards the voice, but a white flash of light momentarily blinded them. When Maria, blinking rapidly, managed to regain her sight, she found herself staring at a pile of dried skin at her feet, the only remnants of the alien that had attempted to kill her.

She turned towards her savior.

"Courtney?"

Courtney stared at the flaked skin, her expression dark. Then she snapped her gaze up to Maria's face. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I… how did you…"

Courtney frowned. "I was on the other side of the street when I saw him attack you. I thought…" She trailed off and didn't say anything for a moment. Then she muttered, "He wasn't supposed to want you dead."

"You know him?" Maria gaped, incredulous.

Courtney gave a bitter laugh. "I knew him. He's not really alive anymore, is he?" She looked down at his remains and shook her head. "He was one of us. Or, at least, I thought he was."

"A Michael worshiper?"

Courtney raised one eyebrow. "Is that what you're calling us?" she asked with faint derision. "Well, I suppose from your point of view it would be accurate enough." She turned towards the end of the alley. "But none of us would be stupid enough to attack you. Not so blatantly, and not in broad daylight. I don't know why he did."

"Maybe you're not as in the loop as you thought," Maria said snidely.

Courtney nodded slowly. "Maybe I'm not," she agreed, worried, apparently oblivious to the mocking in Maria's tone. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

"What about the skin? If we just leave it here and someone finds it…"

"They'd hardly suspect it was the results of a destroyed alien husk," Courtney finished, giving her a pointed look. But Maria refused to back down, and Courtney sighed, annoyed. "Fine." She pointed her hand at the pile of skin, and her fingertips sparkled for a moment, energy crackling along the surface of her skin. Then the energy coalesced into a single point and she flung it at the skin. There was a flash of light…

And the pile of shed skin was nothing more than dust.

"Happy?" Courtney demanded sarcastically.

Maria swallowed uneasily, more than a little dismayed by the amount of power she had just witnessed Courtney display, but refused to look away from the other girl's level gaze. "Ecstatic."

"Good. Now come on, we need to get out of here. Move back onto Main Street, just in case there are others waiting to attack. They won't risk it, not if you are back out in plain sight of everyone else."

"How do you know?' Maria snapped. "And why would I believe you anyway?"

Courtney have Maria a truly incredulous look. "Gee, how about because I just saved your life?"

"Yeah? How do I know this isn't all some sort of set-up?"

Courtney just rolled her eyes again, apparently bored of the conversation. "You can believe what ever you want, Maria. Right now, your conspiracy theories are the least of my concern." She walked briskly towards the street, and Maria followed, still scared, still seething.

"I don't trust you."

"Yeah, I got that much already," Courtney muttered. "The first million times you told me that."

"And yet, somehow, you keep acting as though we are on the same side," Maria retorted.

They were standing on Main Street, the sun pouring down on them, warming the ground. The fight in the alley had not been noticed by anyone around, for which Maria was thankful. But she still did not like the fact that Courtney had somehow turned up at miraculously the right moment, ready to save the day.

Courtney, however, really did not seem to care at all about Maria's suspicions. Her eyes were unfocused, and she was clearly lost in her own thoughts as she let her gaze wander around the street, not really seeing any of it.

Finally, she said, "You should go find Michael. Or Max, or Isabel. Or Tess. Someone who can protect you. Tell them what happened. I don't know why you are a target, but you could still be in danger."

"And what are you going to do? Go home and plot more ways to ruin my life?"

Courtney stepped closer to Maria, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You really don't get it, do you? Do you know what he was doing to you? That little trick where he channeled heat into his hands?" She waited, watching as Maria glanced down at the burn on her arm, then said, "It would have killed you. He was going to burn you up from the inside out. And I have _no idea_ why."

"You don't know anything? What a shock!"

"It _is_," Courtney answered. "Because he was supposed to be on my side. Which means either we have a leak, or my side has suddenly started keeping secrets from me. Either way, it puts all of you in a lot of danger. If there is another faction out there making a move…" She did not finish the sentence, but merely shivered, looking truly frightened by that thought.

Maria took a few steps backwards, away from Courtney.

"You should go," Courtney said. "You'll be safe for right now, I don't think anyone will try to attack you again so soon after the last failed attempt. But find Michael and tell him what happened. And for God's sake, Maria, do _not_ let your guard down."

And then she was gone, hurrying away across the street.

Maria watched her go in silence. She knew that Courtney was a phenomenal actress, she had survived as a spy for decades, after all. And she knew that Courtney could not be trusted. But she also knew that what she had seen in Courtney's eyes was real, genuine fear. Whatever else Courtney might be lying about, she was not lying about this. She really did not know what was going on or why the strange alien had attacked.

And that worried Maria.

She turned her footsteps towards Michael's apartment, hoping he would have some insight.

* * *

As it turned out, Michael reacted rather predictably. His first instinct had been to track down Courtney and shake her until she spilled out everything she knew. He had managed to delay acting on that instinct, however, and within three minutes of Maria finishing her story, he had called the entire cavalry for back up.

Liz arrived first, and rushed in, threw her arms around Maria, and hugged her so tightly the blonde nearly stopped breathing. Isabel and Alex arrived next, and Alex's reaction was slightly less effusive than Liz's, but still clearly just as worried. Isabel gave Maria brief smile and a nod, relieved that the other girl had survived the encounter. Max had drifted in shortly after Alex and his sister, and offered to heal Maria's arm. She declined, saying she would just wrap it, and although Max frowned, he did not press the issue. Tess arrived last, and she walked in, shut the door firmly behind her, and flung herself in a remarkably bored-looking manner onto the sofa.

"So, what now?"

"Maria, you're sure the alien was after you specifically?" Max asked, taking a seat on the edge of a chair.

"Yes," Maria answered with a shiver, remembering the cruelty in his eyes. "I was the one he was looking for. He said so. He called me the General's girlfriend. Who else could he have meant?"

"And Courtney just happened to be in the right place at the right time?" Isabel asked suspiciously.

Maria sighed. "I know what you are thinking, Isabel. I thought the same thing at first. But you… you didn't see her reaction. You didn't see the way she… she was so worried… so frightened… I really don't think she knew the attack was going to happen."

"You trust her?" Alex demanded incredulously.

"No," Maria retorted instantly, shaking her head vehemently. "Not in the least. Not ever. She isn't innocent of every crime… I just think she might not be guilty of _this_ one."

"So what now?" Tess repeated. All eyes turned to her, and she gave a half-shrug. "It's great that we can call these fun little pow-wows and all, but do we actually have a plan?"

"I say we talk to Courtney again," Michael suggested. "She might know more than she is saying. Even if she wasn't behind this attack, she still probably knows something. At least it is a place to start."

"Who is going to talk to her?" Isabel asked.

"It should be Michael," Max answered before anyone else could offer ideas. Maria gave him a very irritated stare, but he ignored it. "He's the one she thinks is practically God, right? She'd be more likely to open up to Michael than to any of the rest of us."

"Yeah, and that's not the only thing she's going to want to do with him," Maria muttered.

"I don't know," Liz said uneasily, glancing between Maria and Michael. "Maybe someone else should talk to her. I could, or Alex? We'll both see her at rehearsal tomorrow."

"No," Max and Isabel said in unison. Michael rolled his eyes and Tess smirked at their emphatic chorus of disagreement. Even Max managed a small smile.

Then Michael said, "They're right. It is too risky to send either of you, Liz. You can't protect yourselves."

"Fine, send Space Boy," Maria said darkly. "I'm sure you could come up with something to use to bargain for information from her, Michael."

"I'll come up with that," Michael retorted, "and you can go make out with Nate."

"Hey, here's a thought," Tess interjected before the argument could spiral any more out of control, "why don't the two of you settled your own personal issues at some other point in time. Right now, let's just focus on staying alive. Got it?"

Maria glowered at her, and Michael sulked slightly with a frown. They did, however, both lapse into silence, allowing for the others to think through the plan they had just formulated. And it was Isabel who expressed the most concern to it.

"I don't like the idea of sending Michael to talk to Courtney alone. We don't know the extent of her power, but we do know that she wants him… uh, Rath… to lead them all to victory. I don't trust her, and I certainly don't trust her intentions in regards to Michael."

"I could go with him," Max offered, sending his sister a questioning look.

Isabel nodded slowly, but Liz objected, "I'm not sure that's a good idea." She traded a glance with Alex and Maria, silently conveying her fears to them. It had been Courtney who had created the disastrous emergence of Zan, and she did not like the idea that the skin would have a chance to do the same sort of thing once more.

Alex gave her a subtle nod, indicating that he understood her concerns. But there was no way to express them to the rest of the group without revealing the truth, and Liz had been adamant that she did not want that to happen.

Strangely, the entire conflict was avoided when Tess interjected before anyone could ask questions, "I'll go."

Liz breathed a sigh of relief. Isabel gave Tess and appreciative glance, and Max nodded in slow agreement. Even Maria seemed pleased with the offer, as though she trusted Tess to keep her sort-of boyfriend in line.

"When?" Michael asked, his mind moving to the specifics of the confrontation now that the rest of it had been agreed upon.

"Tomorrow is Sunday," Tess answered. "Anytime during the day should be fine."

"Hey… uh… anyone else find it a little concerning how everything seems to happen to Maria?" The question took the others by surprise, and several sets of blank eyes turned to Alex. He gave an apologetic shrug, sorry he had to bring up a difficult subject, but pressed forward anyway. "Copper Summit? It was Maria who was targeted by the reporters. The Harvest? It was Maria's body that Nasedo used as his disguise to infiltrate the skins' meeting. It's like lately everything has been about her."

"Are you jealous? Would you like people to attack you?" Tess asked with a mocking tone.

Alex gave her an annoyed look and said, "It just concerns me, that's all."

"She wasn't the target when Whitaker kidnapped Tess," Isabel murmured softly. "And she wasn't the target when some unknown alien changed Max into Zan. Not everything has been about her."

Liz dropped her gaze and inhaled sharply, wishing she could tell them that it wasn't unknown, that the alien had been Courtney. Or that Maria had not been a target when Michael came back from the future to visit her and turn her life upside-down. But she couldn't say it, any of it, and so she just waited in silence for the others to speak.

"I think Isabel is right, it is just a coincidence," Max said finally. He looked between Alex and Liz and added, "At Copper Summit, they would have targeted you two also, had you been there, just as long as you were human. As for the Harvest, well… us four aliens were the targets. Maria was just supposed to be the bait."

"So basically Maria has been really unlucky?" Alex asked.

Max nodded. "Yes. But that doesn't mean she shouldn't be careful. We should _all_ be careful."

The rest of the meeting passed rather unproductively, and finally Tess rose to her feet. "Michael, I'll call you tomorrow morning and we can head over to Courtney's house. Isabel, Alex, I will see you tonight."

"Tonight?"

Tess gave Isabel an annoyed look. "Triple date, remember? You two, Chris and I, Kyle and Trudy?"

"Oh, right. What fun," Isabel deadpanned, and Tess just shook her head and walked out the door.

* * *

Next Chapter: Risks

Due: Sun 3/8


	44. Risks

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Forty-Four: Risks

"I really don't want to do this," Alex said under his breath as he followed Isabel through the door of the restaurant. She flashed him a winning smile, the kind that usually made him melt, and he was only barely able to retain his own power of thought and so not give in to her whims.

It was a narrow escape, though.

"Why does Trudy think it is so important?" Alex continued in a whisper as he glanced over at the table that currently help Isabel's supposed friends. Kyle and Trudy were talking, laughing about something, and Tess was rolling her eyes at their antics. Chris was leaning back in his seat, shaking his head with amusement as he broke into the conversation.

"Because she is interfering and annoying and really, honestly believes that everyone can get along if they just try hard enough," Isabel hissed back. "She's also my friend."

Alex held his hands up in surrender. "Fine. Have it your way then." He slid his hand into hers and added, "Just remember I am only doing this because I love. And so that you'll owe me later."

"I promise to go out to dinner with your friends next weekend," Isabel retorted instantly, grinning, "and I'll even be nice to Liz and Maria."

Alex laughed and shook his head.

"Hi," Trudy said cheerfully, looking up as they approached the table. "Glad you guys made it. I was starting to get worried."

"Sorry we're late," Alex replied, nodding politely to Kyle and Chris and giving Tess a tight smile. "Isabel took forever to get ready. You know how girls are."

"I did not!" Isabel protested, flushing slightly.

To her surprise, however, Kyle laughed and said, "Trudy is like that, too. I swear, it takes hours to pick out the appropriate pair of shoes."

"Hey! I am sitting right here," Trudy interjected pointedly. Then, with a smirk for Tess, she added, "And anyway, none of us could possibly be as bad as your sister. You're just lucky you've never had to go shopping with Tess, she spends hours trying to figure out if she should buy the shirt in blue or in red."

Tess smiled as she answered, "And then, of course, I end up simply buying both. It is always the safer choice anyway, you never know what color you're going to need."

"She's not as bad as my sister," Chris grumbled. "Lil takes forever. And I literally mean forever. I swear, she'd bring her entire closet to school if she thought she could, just so she could change clothes every period."

"Why are we talking about clothing?" Alex asked, taking a seat next to Chris.

Isabel slid into the seat next to Trudy, across from her boyfriend. She met Tess' gaze, and for a moment she tried to decipher what the other girl was thinking. But Tess looked away, glancing over at Chris, and Isabel dropped her gaze.

"No idea," Kyle replied, tossing a menu at Alex. "Figure out what you want to eat."

Alex caught the menu and looked at Kyle. The moment of levity had passed, and Kyle was back to his usual self, still harboring sour feelings towards Alex and his geek friends. A tension fell over the table.

Tess had explained, rather reluctantly, that she had not been able to completely remove Kyle's feelings when she had mind-warped him. And so while he might not remember anything about aliens or the FBI or all that had happened the previous year, his anger and sense of betrayal had not faded. He simply did not know exactly why he felt that way, but the feeling was as strong as ever.

Alex had accepted this all, knowing that he would have been just as hurt, had he been in Kyle's position. But he also knew that he would have acted differently on that emotion, would not have lashed out at everyone just because he could.

He sighed, silently asking himself if making Isabel happy was worth having to sit through this dinner.

But then Isabel reached over and squeezed his hand, giving him a smile, and he melted. In the end, making Isabel happy would always be worth it.

It was official. She had him wrapped around her little finger.

Maria would most likely be mocking him right now, if she could have seen the scene.

"So, I hear you're doing the school play," Trudy said after a moment of awkward silence.

Alex started, a little surprised at the direct question, and nodded. "I'm not actually in it. Just working with the tech crew." He paused, feeling as though he should say more, and so eventually offered, "Liz is assisting in stage management, and Maria is actually acting."

"It is Othello, right?" Chris asked with a yawn. "My sister is doing it. God only knows why."

"Maybe she likes acting," Tess suggested.

Alex flipped open the menu and glanced down at it, scanning his choices as he listened to Kyle retort sarcastically, "Standing on stage, waiting for a whole bunch of to laugh at you while you stumble through lines that don't make any sense anyway? Yeah, who wouldn't love that."

"Sarcasm is not your best trait," Tess shot back.

At the same time, Alex said, "You know, Michael had exactly the same reaction."

"Guerin?" Chris asked, leaning forward. "Well, at least he actually has some common sense."

"Some people actually like acting," Trudy pointed out, resting her elbows on the table, her chin supported by the palm of one hand. "They think it is fun."

"It's a school play," Kyle countered, shaking his head. "I'd understand if it was a movie, or Broadway, or… I don't know. Anything more prestigious than a school play. But seriously? Standing on stage in front of bored parents who are only there because it would look bad if they didn't support their kids? What's the point?"

"It could be fun," Isabel argued. "Getting to be someone else for a while."

Across the table, Tess raised one eyebrow questioningly as she answered, "Do you really think you would enjoy pretending to be someone you're not?" The question had more than one meaning, although those hidden points were lost on everyone besides Isabel and Alex.

"All I can say is it was a very good thing she had you to stop her from actually auditioning for the thing," Chris remarked, smiling at Tess. "I don't know if I would have been okay being friends with Isabel if she had decided to join the play. It would have shown a serious lack of common sense and judgment."

"As much fun as it is to sit here and listen to you insult my girlfriend," Alex said, "let's change the subject."

"To what? Computers and organic chemistry?" Kyle asked with a sardonic laugh. Trudy kicked him under the table, and he sent her a silent, long-suffering look. "Fine," the popular football jock muttered, "what do you want to talk about?"

"Rainbows and puppies?" Chris muttered under his breath.

Alex was saved from having to answer by the appearance of the waitress. The conversation was temporarily put on hold as they each went around and ordered. But once the perky waitress left with a smile and promise to bring out the food soon, another silence fell over the group, a clear indication that even Trudy's determination was unlikely to make this dinner go smoothly.

"So… anyone see any good movies recently?" Trudy asked, her tone filled with forced cheerfulness.

"Yeah, I saw one last weekend," Kyle replied. Then, with a frown, he added, "I don't remember what it was called, though. I think I fell asleep at one point."

Trudy shook her head in exasperation. "When I said 'good movies' I was actually referring to ones that did not put you to sleep, _darling_. But thank you for your input anyway."

"Well, _sweetheart_, it was one of those ones that was really predictable. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Lots of complicated things get in the way, but in the end, love triumphs over everything. I think I woke up around the point where boy and girl declared their love for each other and rode off into the sunset."

"Okay, did anyone see any _interesting_ movies?"

Kyle raised his hand. "Am I allowed to answer, _honey_, or are you just going to mock me?" he asked in a voice filled with pretend hurt.

"As long as your answer is better this time than it was before, _baby_," Trudy replied.

"I'll try…" Kyle floundered for a moment, before adding, "_Clementine_."

"I'm not sure Clementine qualifies as a pet name," Chris interjected with a bemused smile. "What exactly are you saying about her? That she's nutritious and full of vitamin C?"

"That could be seen as a compliment," Isabel said thoughtfully, giving Kyle a contemplative look. "I mean, citrus fruits keep away colds. So maybe Kyle is saying that Trudy keeps him from getting a cold?"

"How is it a compliment to compare someone to a fruit?" Tess retorted pointedly.

"I've heard it used as a pet name before," Alex answered. "Although… I think it was more of a Southern thing." He slanted a look at Kyle. "Is anyone in your family from the South? Georgia, Louisiana, Texas?"

"Figures you would know about nerdy things like linguistics," Kyle snapped back. "And no, we're all from around here. Although, technically New Mexico is south."

"Not the true South," Trudy countered. "The Southwest. It is different. And I think linguistics are cool."

"I'm not sure that is something I would admit to people," Chris suggested lightly. "It is like saying you think chemistry and math are cool. They'll think you're weird. Or insane."

There was another break in the conversation as the waitress reappeared with plates of food and a bright smile, and Alex shifted uncomfortably. He had known the meal would not be as pleasant or cordial as Isabel wanted to believe, but so far it hadn't been that bad. Sure, every time he opened his mouth, Kyle found a new way to insult him, but it wasn't as though he had expected anything else. This was _Kyle_, after all.

"A lot of people like science and math," Alex said after the waitress had left and everyone had started eating.

Kyle gave him a mocking look. "Of course they do," he said sarcastically.

"Play nice," Trudy murmured, patting Kyle's hand.

"I don't think he knows how," Tess said sweetly, giving her human brother a saccharine smile.

"Hey, I'm not the one who went and decided to start dating a geek," Kyle replied. Trudy glared at him, clearly not happy with his attitude, and Tess sighed and shook her head, clearly not having expected anything different from the evening.

"You dated Liz," Alex pointed out reasonably. "Don't you think she qualifies as a… geek?" He grimaced slightly at the fact that he was calling his best friend a geek, but it wasn't exactly an insult. There was nothing wrong with being smart, and he liked the fact that Liz was talented at science.

Kyle raised both eyebrows. "And then she went and cheated on me with Max Evans. Probably not the poster child for reasons I should like you."

Alex flushed, and opened his mouth automatically to defend his friend. Before he could get the words out, however, Tess had interrupted.

"Here's a thought. Let's talk about something actually _interesting_."

The conversation shifted as Trudy and Chris jumped in to start a different topic. Kyle lapsed into a sullen silence for a few minutes, but soon he, too, was caught up in the conversation, and moments later Isabel joined them. Alex was left to sit back and listen, lost in his own thoughts and suddenly furious with himself and with Tess.

Liz _hadn't_ cheated on Kyle. She would never have done anything like that, and yet because of Tess, everyone now believed it. And maybe no one really cared anymore, maybe it had all been forgotten as newer and more exciting clique-oriented scandals took place, but it didn't change the fact that Liz's reputation had been trashed.

Alex knew, rationally and logically, that Tess had only done what was necessary at the time to keep the real truth, the fact that the four of them were aliens, from being discovered by all the wr0ng people. And he knew that Liz didn't really care anymore, since those lies had kept Max and the other safe. And he knew that even if Liz had not cheated on Kyle, she had lied to him. They all had.

But he also knew, rationally and logically, that Liz had not done anything wrong, and that Tess honestly did not care that she had caused that damage to Liz's repute. At the very least, he would have liked the hybrid Queen to feel guilty about it. But she didn't, and she never would.

He glanced over at Tess, watching as she laughed at something Chris had said. He was starting to remember just why he had never really liked her, or most of her friends, in the first place.

* * *

Courtney did not appear at all surprised to find Tess and Michael on her doorstep the following morning. She just raised one eyebrow, then pulled the door open even further and said, "I just started making some coffee. Would you two like a cup?"

"No," Michael said sharply, obviously annoyed by her calm demeanor.

But Tess seemed to consider the offer for a moment, and then, to Michael's surprise, she said, "I'd love one."

For a moment, Courtney was silent, at a loss for words. Thrown by Tess' answer, it took her a moment to recover and ask, "Cream? Sugar?"

"Just cream," Tess replied, and she stepped into the house. Michael followed, glowering at her back, and Courtney led the way towards the kitchen.

"This isn't a social call," Michael hissed at Tess.

She gave him a frown in response and answered, "No reason to be rude. Or to turn down a free cup of coffee." After a moment's hesitation, she added in a low voice, "Play nice, Michael."

His expression turned from annoyance to incredulity. "Play nice?" he mimicked. "Why?"

Tess did not get a chance to answer that question, however, as Courtney chose that moment to say, "There is cream in the refrigerator. Top shelf. You can get it yourself."

Tess walked over to the refrigerator and opened the door. Her eyes landed on the small carton of coffee creamer, and she pulled it out. Balancing the carton in one hand, she asked, "Did you want the cream also? Or milk?"

"Uh… cream is fine," Courtney said, giving Tess a strange look.

It took Michael a moment to realize what was happening, and them he found himself smiling inwardly at the scene before him. Tess was being nice, and it was entirely out of character for her, that Courtney was even more on edge than she would have been had Tess walked in and threatened her.

Michael watched as Courtney stepped over to the cabinet next to the sink and pulled down two mugs. She turned back to the coffee maker, but Michael quickly stepped in her path. "Here," he offered politely, "let me help you with that." And without waiting for a response, he lifted the coffee pot and poured the bitter liquid into the two mugs.

"Uh… thanks," Courtney said softly.

Michael glanced at Tess, and she gave him the tiniest of smiles and a shadow of a nod.

"Would you like to sit in the living room?" Courtney suggested, handing Tess her coffee and then gesturing towards the indicated room.

Tess let her gaze wander over the sparkling clean kitchen. The floor had recently been washed, and the counters had been scrubbed. Everything was put away in its proper place, and even the sink was devoid of stains, water marks, and dirty dishes. It was spotless.

"I've had a lot of free time on my hands," Courtney remarked casually, noting Tess' gaze. "It is nice to have things clean."

Tess nodded. "Of course," she said with a forced smile. For some reason she could not quite identify, the complete and utter lack of clutter bothered her. Maybe it was because it seemed so unusual for a kitchen to like that, or maybe it was just her own dislike of Courtney presenting itself in strange ways. No matter the reason, Tess bit her lip and frowned, uncomfortable.

Neither Courtney nor Michael noticed.

The three of them made their way to the living room. Courtney sank into the armchair, and Tess took a seat across from her on the sofa. Michael chose to stand, his expression still tense despite his best efforts to appear friendly.

"How is Maria?" Courtney asked.

Tess took a sip of her coffee and traded glances with Michael. "Shaken up," she answered finally. "Which I suppose is still infinitely better than dead. It was lucky for her that you were there."

Courtney nodded slowly. "I still don't know why it happened."

"You don't have any ideas?" Michael asked quietly, forcing his tone to remain light and devoid of accusation.

Courtney looked at him as she shook her head and replied, "No. I haven't asked around yet. I don't want to… show all my cards. If we have a mole, I do not want to raise suspicion. Not yet. It would be too dangerous."

"But you must have suspicions about who it could be," Tess countered. "After all, you've worked with these people for decades, haven't you?"

Courtney gave Tess a thoughtful look. "And I can honestly say I did not think any of them could be…" She stopped abruptly, then sighed. "I never would have believed that any of them were traitors to our cause. But I suppose some of them could be reckless enough to try something like that."

"Who? Anyone we know?"

Courtney chuckled softly at Michael's question. "You don't know any of us," she pointed out logically, "except me. And I was not behind the attack."

Tess cut in before Michael could reply, "When you say you know some of your… allies… could be reckless, does that mean you believe this was not condoned by the full group?"

Courtney shook her head firmly as she replied in an emphatic tone, "Of course not. It was a remarkably stupid thing to do."

"But you do know the man who attacked Maria."

It wasn't a question, but Courtney answered anyway. "I knew him." The use of the past tense was enough of a reminder to the other two that the man was dead, that Courtney had killed him.

"Do you have any plans to deal with this problem?" Tess asked finally, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the three of them.

"Not really," Courtney answered. "Not yet. I don't know… we need to be careful."

"Who is in charge?" Michael asked, giving Courtney a shrewd look. She returned his gaze with a frown of her own, and Michael added, "Someone has to be calling the shots. Who is it?"

Courntey hesitated, as though trying to come to some sort of decision. For a moment, Tess was sure that Courtney was planning to lie, but when the skin spoke, her words were soft and resigned, and Tess knew it was the truth.

"The Mayor."

"He's one of you?" Michael demanded incredulously. "But we thought…" He stopped, glanced at Tess again, mentally kicking himself for giving that much away already.

"You know the Mayor is a skin?" Courtney asked, and although she did not sound particularly surprised, it was clear that she had not been expecting that response from Michael. She frowned, studying his expression for a moment, then glanced at Tess. But any attempt to read her thoughts was brought to an abrupt end when Courtney realized that she simply could not decipher Tess' closed look.

"What does the Mayor want with Isabel?" Tess asked finally. Courtney gave her a blank look, and she elaborated, "He was involved in the Vilandra Project, wasn't he?"

But Courtney shook her head. "No. He… we… were against it. But I… when Nicolas still trusted me, I was slipping information to the Mayor about the project. We were trying to sabotage it. We don't want Khivar to get Vilandra back. It would ruin everything."

"What about Grant Sorenson?" Tess pressed.

Courtney blinked. "The archeologist? He didn't find anything on the skeleton, so the Mayor sent him home. He's not a threat."

"What about my brother?"

The question was so quiet that for a moment Tess wondered if she had imagined Michael asking it. But the taciturn hybrid was staring at Courtney with a look of burning intensity in his eyes, clearly needing to know the answer to the question.

"I… I don't know," Courtney answered honestly. "I imagine he's gone back to Nicolas by now. I'm sorry, Michael, but he's not… he's not one of us."

Michael shook his head. "How can he not be one of you?" he asked sharply, angrily. If he wasn't a rebel skin, it meant that he was one of Khivar's supporters… it meant that he had taken sides against his own brother, it meant that he had willingly allowed his family to die in the war.

"He just isn't," Courtney answered sympathetically. "He doesn't support our cause. He… he never wanted you on the throne."

Tess sent a warning glare to the other girl, and Courtney returned it with a smirk of her own.

"I'm just telling the truth," Courtney said sweetly. "I can't help it if Michael's brother doesn't care about him."

"Courtney, back off," Tess hissed.

"Now we're getting back the Tess that I am used to," she remarked caustically. "That whole fake-niceness did throw me for a few minutes. Good to see it was just an act."

Michael started pacing restlessly, ignoring the two girls. His thoughts were complicated and confusing, and left him with the unwelcome and unwanted taste of bitterness in his mouth. Hadn't he known, all along, that his brother did not care about him the way Max cared about Isabel? The way Tess cared about Kyle? He hadn't wanted to face it though, hadn't want to deal with the simple truth that his brother was the enemy.

"Can we please focus on the issue at hand?" Tess interjected, his words pulling Michael out of his grim thoughts. "Maria was attacked. Are Liz and Alex in danger? Will an attack happen again?"

Courtney gave a frustrated sigh and answered, "I told you, Tess, I don't know. I don't know anything at all about the attack. I don't know why…" She ran a hand through her hair, tugging at a few knotted strands, and gave Tess a long look. Then she said, "The Mayor would not want to kill Maria. Or Alex, or Liz."

"Then someone is working against him. Would Khivar have ordered it?"

"I don't know," Courtney answered.

"So you really don't know much of anything, do you?" Tess sniped, rolling her eyes.

"What do you want me to say?" Courtney shot back. "I _can't_ tell you what I don't know."

"We need something," Tess pressed. "If they come after us again…"

Courtney rose to her feet. "I've told you everything I know. What else do you want from me, Tess?"

Tess did not answer that question. Instead, she asked one of her own, "If you are so sure that the Mayor is not behind the attack, why haven't you told him about it yet? If there is a mole in his ranks, he would be the best equipped to find and deal with that person. Or group of people."

Again, there was a pause before Courtney answered, "I don't… want… to give up that information right now. Information is power."

"You're willing to put Maria's life in danger because of a power play?" Michael snarled, taking a few threatening steps forward.

"I'm willing to risk anyone's life to make sure the right side wins this war," Courtney answered calmly, not frightened by Michael's sudden rush of anger. "And right now, it is highly unlikely that Maria is the one you need to worry about. This is about _you_. Alex and Liz may be targets as well, maybe even either Kyle or the Sheriff…" Tess flinched visibly, but Courtney paid her no attention, "but the four of you are the main targets. You are the ones who need to worry."

"Not if they try to get to us by killing off our family," Tess snapped.

Courtney shrugged.

"I won't let you use Maria…" Michael started, but Tess cut him off.

"She's not." Tess rose to her feet as well, folding her arms over her chest and giving Courtney an annoyed glare. "She's just lying to us." Courtney opened her mouth to protest, but Tess lifted a hand, forcing her to stop. "You aren't withholding this from the Mayor because you are after power. You just don't trust him."

Courtney said nothing.

The silence seemed to give Tess some other clues, and she said, "Or you don't trust the people around him. You don't trust his judgment."

Courtney bit her lip. "He works with people I don't trust. He has to, war forces people to make… unlikely… bedfellows. But I…" She stopped, fidgeted, sighed. "I don't trust all of them. Some of the mercenaries… they switch sides to easily." She looked back towards the kitchen, then added, "And I was not lying when I said we all needed to proceed with caution."

They spoke for a few moments later, but when it became obvious that Courtney had little else to tell them, Tess and Michael took their leave. On the path outside the house, they both paused, glancing at each other.

"What do you think?" Michael asked finally.

"She wasn't lying to us," Tess answered softly, "but she wasn't telling the full truth either. She knows something."

"Do you think she knows who was behind this?"

"No. If she knew, she would have taken care of the problem already. But she suspects something… or someone. And it worries her."

That didn't bode well for them, and so Michael and Tess silently walked back to Tess' car, both trapped in their own concerned and anxious thoughts.

* * *

Courtney watched from the window as the two hybrids left her house. Once they had climbed into Tess' car and driven out of sight, she turned and walked back into the kitchen.

Tess was smart. Smart enough to tell that Courtney did not fully trust the Mayor. And Michael, though not always prone to thinking before speaking or acting, was still perceptive enough to see through most lies. Which meant that it was very unlikely either of them believed her completely.

But what else could she do? She was not stupid enough to risk showing them her hand, not right now. There was too much at stake, and she still did not know exactly why Maria had been attacked or who had been behind that disastrous plan. She could not afford to give them any more information that absolutely necessary, not until she had a better idea of what was going on.

Information was power. She had not been lying about that.

She sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall and rubbing her temples with two fingers. The migraine was stress induced, she knew that. If she could just figure out a way to control her stress…

She sighed.

Easier said than done.

What chance could she take now? What was she willing to do to figure out what was happening? What was she willing to risk?

She had been a spy long enough to know that it was just as important to understand what people were willing to risk as it was to know what they were determined to protect.

Liz, for instance, had been willing to risk her own sanity to help Max. She cared about others more than she cared about herself. It was admirable, but incredibly stupid and easily manipulated.

Michael was willing to risk almost anything if it meant taking action against perceived threats. He did not pause to think through matters, even when he should. If someone he cared about was in danger, any risk was worth it. Reckless behavior was a sure sign of strong emotions. And strong emotions could be used to influence, to control.

Isabel was willing to risk strain on her relationship with her boyfriend and her friends in order to maintain the illusion of a perfect life. She wanted too much, wanted what was beyond her reach. So she pushed and pushed and pushed… and eventually, something was going to snap. Someone was going to push back.

Max wanted to risk nothing. And that, she thought with a snort, was the reason he would never make a good enough leader.

Maria and Tess were harder to read, and Courtney didn't even bother attempting deciphering Alex. She didn't need to, not really. She understood Liz, Michael, Isabel, and Max. And that was more than enough.

She looked at the clock on the wall. She was running out of time, figuratively and literally. She had to find out who had attacked Maria, and why. And then she had to determine if she could trust the Mayor with that information. And then…

Then she needed to proceed to the next phase of the plan.

* * *

Next Chapter: On the Other Side

Due: Sun 3/15


	45. On the Other Side

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Important! I feel compelled to warn you all that this chapter contains some disturbing scenes and mentions of physical/emotional/sexual abuse. There is nothing graphic, and most all of it is implied anyway, but be warned. It isn't a happy chapter.  
Also, for this chapter we leave behind the Roswellians and focus instead on those living on the other side of the country. We will return to Roswell shortly.  
And, lastly, I've opted not to use the accents for the Dupes because, as someone who has spent a lot of time in New York City, I can tell you that the majority of people do not actually talk like that.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Three: On the Other Side

The girl with the short blonde hair glanced around nervously as she tried her best to blend into the crowd. It was not easy, given her multiple piercings, the streaks of color that passed through her hair, and the dark make-up that enhanced her eyes and lips. Even harder to conceal were the two bruises, one on her cheek and the other at the base of her throat, dark and purple against her pale skin.

But this was New York City, and people barely gave her a second glance.

It was not the strangers on the street she was worried about, however, and as she hurried through the crowd, she grew more and more anxious, casting worried looks in every direction.

Eventually, her movements turned into a rapid dash, but she did not pay enough attention to where she was going, and that sent her careening into a well-dressed business man. She stumbled back and fell to the ground, taken entirely by surprise, and the man dropped his suitcase.

He gave a huff of annoyance at the girl, but then caught sight of her bruised and battered features and the fear in her eyes. His annoyance faded as quickly as it had come, replaced now by concern.

"Are you alright?" he asked, leaning over and helping the girl back to her feet.

She nodded and said in a rush, "I'm fine. Thank you. I'm sorry. I should go now. Thank you." She tried to push past him, but he was still holding her arm and she gave him another frightened look.

"Hey, sweetie, I'm not going to hurt you," the man said softly, dropping her arm and raising his own hands in a sign of surrender. "But are you sure you're alright? Do you need directions somewhere? A hospital or…" his eyes travelled across her face to the bruise on her cheek, "or maybe the police?"

"No!" she said, a little too quickly. He started, eyes narrowed slightly, and she said again in a calmer tone, "No. I'm fine. I… I just need to go."

The businessman nodded, then reached into his pocket and withdrew a wallet. "Here. Let me give you some money for a taxi. It is winter, and its getting pretty cold out." He looked at her thin shirt and torn jeans. "You're not dressed properly for this weather. No sense in you having to walk."

"Oh, I don't mind…" But he had already withdrawn two twenty-dollar bills and shoved them into her hand. She took them, a faint smile on her lips, and murmured, "Thank you. I just… Thank you."

The man nodded and walked away, giving her one last backwards glance as he disappeared into the crowd. She watched him go, feeling a little lighter than she had in a while, and shook her head in near disbelief that anyone had been that nice to her. Then she turned to go…

…and froze.

There, standing directly in front of her, was a boy. A teenager, by the looks of it about her age. He had rough, tawny eyes and messy, dark hair. He was pierced as well, silver studs in his ear. He smirked at her, his gaze filled with ice.

"Going somewhere?"

"No… nowhere," she whispered, shrinking backwards and away from him.

He stepped to her side, glancing down at the money in her hands. "The nice man gave you money?" he asked, his words caring a second meaning as his gaze hardened. "What did you have to do for it?" he asked mockingly, taking the money from her shaking fingers.

"Nothing," she said, her voice still barely audible. "He gave it to me to take a taxi."

The boy stepped to her side and wrapped his arm tightly, possessively, around her shoulders. "You don't need a taxi. I'll just walk you home."

She shivered, cold, but did not even bother attempting to pull back from his grip. Instead, she nodded slowly, obediently, and forced herself to walk by his side.

"You know I'm just looking out for you," the boy continued. "I love you. You know that, don't you?"

She did not meet his gaze, did not lift her chin to face him. She continued to stare at the ground, at her own feet as they moved, one after the next, following him back towards the place she'd been running from. A few tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away before they could fall and drew a shaky breath, praying for the strength to stay calm.

The arm tightened around her shoulders, squeezing painfully.

"You didn't answer my question, Ava."

She inhaled sharply and replied, "I know you love me, Zan."

* * *

They entered the dark sewers, walking quietly along the damp platform. Zan did not apparently see any reason to talk, and Ava was not about to start a conversation if she did not need to. The faint light glowing up ahead signaled the presence of Rath and Lonnie, and she bit her lip to keep from crying out in frustration and despair.

The last thing she wanted right now was to face them.

Rath was the first to look up as Zan and Ava approached. He was lounging on a worn-out sofa, and his eyes lit up as he gaze a lascivious grin. Untangling himself, he sat up and stretched out his long frame, then ran a hand over his spiky hair. " Well, hello, Ava. Nice to see you decided to join us."

Lonnie glanced at Rath, then let her gaze fall onto Ava. Her short, cropped hair stuck out around her face, showing off the angular perfection of her made-up features. Her eyes were lined in smoky shadow and her lips were smothered with a black lipstick. She wore a plunging V-neck shirt and low-cut jeans, a choker around her neck, and several obsidian bracelets on her right wrist.

Ava squirmed out of Zan's grip and walked over to a chair across from Rath. She sat down, pulling her knees into her chest.

"Did you get food?" Zan asked, momentarily pulling the attention away from Ava.

Lonnie and Rath both nodded, and Rath tossed a hamburger wrapped in a McDonald's foil wrap at the other hybrid. Zan caught it, and nodded appreciatively.

"You didn't actually pay for this, did you?" he asked.

Rath gave a bark of laughter. "Of course not. Stole it off some family that wasn't paying close enough attention to their tray." Then he frowned and nodded at the forty dollars in Zan's hand. "You got money, though. How'd you manage that?"

Zan shrugged and stuffed the bills into his pocket. "Some guy gave it to Ava. It's mine, now."

Rath rose to his feet and crossed the floor of the sewer quickly, coming to stop before Ava. She drew back from him, but he leaned forward, pressing himself close into her space, and placed one hand on her shoulder, the other on her hip. "If I gave you forty dollars, would I get whatever he got, too?" he asked in a low voice.

Ava pressed herself back against the chair, feeling the broken edges of the woodwork pushing into her skin. Rath was just inches from her face, and when she tried to look away, he reached out and caught her chin, pulling her face around so that she was forced to look at him.

Then, suddenly, he was yanked backwards and away from her. He lost his balance and fell, crashing into the floor.

Zan stood over him, hands clenched into fists.

"Hey, man, you know I was just screwing around," Rath said, pulling himself to his feet and backing away from the angry hybrid.

"Yeah?" Zan replied sharply. "Go screw around with someone who isn't _my_ girl." He turned away from Rath and walked over to Ava, handing her his hamburger. "Here, eat this," he said in a softer voice. "You look like you're going to faint from hunger."

Lonnie had watched the entire exchange silently, but now stood up and said, "You boys wanna sit around and throw punches all day or do you wanna actually do something?"

"There's nothing to do, Lonnie," Rath snapped back, glaring at her. "What, unless you want to screw? Good enough way to pass the time, I guess."

She snorted and rolled her eyes at him, and for a moment the attention was off Ava. The petite hybrid relaxed slightly, letting her guard down, letting the weariness show in her eyes. But it was only for a second, and she caught sight of Zan looking at her. She slammed the shutters back over her sapphire blue orbs, praying that no one had seen what was hidden there.

She wanted out.

Not that she would ever get it. She was smart enough to know ever failed attempt to leave just brought her a little bit closer into this mess, like a bug straining against the confining strings of a spider's web.

* * *

Ava stared at her reflection in the chipped mirror, noting the way her skin looked just a little too pale, her eyes looked just a little too red. She did not like the appearance of the girl looking back at her, did not like the fact that she _was_ that girl.

"A frown does not become you."

She turned sharply, having not heard Zan approach. He was leaning against the wall, staring at her. All around them, the drip of water running down the damp walls echoed through the expanse of the sewers, drumming a steady rhythm in the air.

"I can't look at myself and not frown," Ava replied, shaking her head even as she forced a smile for his benefit. She did not want to complain too much, she knew he did not like it when she complained. But it was true, she could not help but glower at her own reflection, annoyed at the way this lifestyle had exacerbated the flaws in her features.

Zan crossed to her side and wrapped his arms around her. "Why?"

She leaned back against his frame, taking a moment to cherish the warmth of his body. "I look hideous," she said at last.

Zan raised both his eyebrows at that and gave her an incredulous stare. "You could never look hideous," he countered, surprised. "Why would you think that?"

Ava shrugged. "I just… look at me! I'm too pale, I'm too tired, I'm too… short. I look…" She trailed off as she realized Zan was laughing. "It isn't funny!" she protested, a little hurt by his response.

He leaned over and pressed a kiss into her hair. "You are beautiful," he said firmly. "You are the most beautiful girl in the world."

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Liar."

He kissed her neck. "I'm not lying, gorgeous. I would never lie about that. You will always be stunning to me. _Always_."

* * *

"Oh… sorry." Ava looked aghast at the boy she had just accidently walked directly into. He had dropped all of his books, and they now covered the wet ground, pages bent askew.

The boy just shook his head and smiled. "It's my fault. I should have been watching where I was going."

It wasn't true, of course. It had been her fault, entirely. She'd slipped and went careening into him, a mistake that had cost him his well-organized and neatly kept books. The fact that he would take the blame for it meant one of two things; either he saw her bruises and felt sorry for her, or he saw her perfect figure and wanted something else entirely.

"Here, let me help you with that," she offered, bending down to gather up his fallen books. At the exact same moment, the boy too had leaned down, and they ended up hitting heads. She pulled back, rubbing her forehead with one hand and giving a sheepish grin.

The boy laughed. "I can't seem to do anything right, can I?" he commented dryly, rolling his eyes at his own lack of grace.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ava caught sight of Rath walking towards her, and her grin instantly faded. She took a few steps away from the boy, her expression grim. "I have to go," she said, her words little more than a choked whisper, and she left the boy standing confused and alone, watching her retreating back as she disappeared into the crowd.

Rath caught up with her soon enough, and she stood her ground and faced him. She hadn't done anything wrong, although she had no idea if that would be enough to protect her from him.

"Where are Zan and Lonnie?" she asked nervously, biting her lip.

Rath let out a whistle before replying, "Don't know. They went off into the crowd. Maybe picking some pockets. Who was the boy you were with?"

"No one," Ava answered. "I just accidently ran into him. Knocked his books out of his hands." Every word of it was the truth, and yet Rath was inching closer to her, and she desperately wished Zan would show up soon enough to do something, to stop it.

"No one?" Rath echoed. He reached out suddenly, his hands intertwining through the strands of her short hair. She winced as he tugged sharply, and placed her hands against his chest in a futile effort to push him away. For a moment, she considered using her powers against him, but it was too public, too open, and he would still be stronger than her anyway.

He pulled her into the nearby alley, away from the rest of the crowd. It was New York, and no one looked down alleys, no one paid attention to the things they did not want to see. The shadows fell over them, and Ava knew no one would ever see.

"It was no one," she said again, biting off the words. "I didn't even know his name!"

He yanked her forward, eyes flashing. She collided into his body, the sheer impact leaving her breathless. She pushed away from him, but he placed a hand on her back, refusing to let go, and still kept a firm hold on her hair. Any struggle was in vain, but she could not just stand there and do nothing while he invaded her personal space.

"Back off."

The two words were calm and casual, but underlined with a pure steel, indication that the person uttering them expected instant obedience.

Rath released her and stepped away, turning towards Zan. The hybrid had appeared almost silently, with Lonnie drifting into place at his side. Ava felt a wave of relief wash over her as he turned his tawny gaze towards her with a slightly reassuring smile.

"Just wanted to know why she was flirting with that human boy," Rath sneered, and Zan's expression hardened. "Laughing and talking."

"What boy?"

Almost as suddenly as she had appeared, Lonnie drifted away, clearly not wanting to stay around to watch her brother and Ava discuss yet another argument. A moment later, Rath was gone, too, and that left Ava and Zan standing relatively alone in the alley.

"No one," Ava whispered.

He pushed her backwards, and she fell to the ground, the air leaving her body. Struggling to reclaim her breath, she tentatively lifted her eyes up towards Zan, flinching at the fury she saw there. She tried to move away from him, half-scrambling over the ground, but her body did not want to obey her mind, and her movements were weak and awkward.

"What were you doing?" Zan snarled, his face twisted in rage. "Why were you talking to that boy?"

Ava swallowed back her fear and forced herself to say, "I bumped into him. All I said was I'm sorry. That was it. I _swear_!"

But Zan just laughed, a chilling sound that sent shivers racing up and down Ava's spine. "Rath said you were talking to him. Laughing at something he said. Rath said…"

Ava cut him off, daring to interrupt. "I… I wasn't! He asked me if I was okay, apologized for being a klutz. It wasn't… nothing _happened_, Zan!"

Zan reached down at grabbed her by her arm, yanking her back to her feet. "Nothing?" he asked, his voice dangerously low. "Nothing?"

She whimpered, nodded quickly. "I swear it."

His grip tightened and she winced at the pain that ran up and down her arm. Her shoulder throbbed from where it had hit the ground, and her back and legs felt stiff and sore. She could still taste blood in her mouth from biting her tongue, but she ignored it, focusing instead on Zan.

He twisted her arm, asked again, "Nothing?"

"You're hurting me," she whispered, unable to keep the words at bay as tears pooled in her eyes.

He dropped her arm suddenly, as though it had burned him. Surprised by the movement, she lost her balance and stumbled, almost falling. He reached out quickly and caught her before she could fall, however, and gently steadied her.

"I'm sorry, Ava," Zan whispered, wiping the tears away from her eyes with his thumb. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I love you. But you have to be careful. You can't trust anyone but us. The rest of the world… they're the enemy, Ava. And I don't want you to get hurt."

She leaned against him, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "I know," she murmured, her words muffled by his body. "I know you're just trying to protect me."

* * *

Ava rested her head on Zan's chest and stared up at the night sky. The inky blackness was dotted with tiny white lights, a thousand stars stretched out over the vast eternity.

"Which one do you think is home?" Ava asked.

Zan leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, then ran his hands through her hair. "You're my home, Ava," he answered. "Wherever you are, that's home for me."

She giggled and looked up at him, sapphire blue eyes watching his every expression. "Very romantic," she teased, "but not what I meant."

He swatted her lightly with one hand. "I know. But it is still the truth."

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and leaned in, kissing him. "Love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

It was raining. Ava glanced around, pushing her wet hair out of her face as she huddled underneath the umbrella Zan held above her. The streets were slick beneath her feet, and she held tightly to Zan's arm. The air was cool, and the warm sweater that she had pulled over her long-sleeve shirt did not successfully keep out the chill.

Rath and Lonnie were a few steps ahead of them, talking to each other in hushed whispers. Lonnie was wearing her usual style of clothing, the kind that revealed as much skin as possible and caught the eye of every man she passed. Rath was getting angrier and angrier by the second, clearly not liking the attention she was receiving from complete strangers. But Lonnie just smirked at his jealousy and laughed off his rage.

"I don't want to do this," Ava said quietly, glancing at Zan. "Why do we have to see this movie?"

"Come on, Ava," Zan said with a smile, "it will be fun. You'll like it."

She bit her lip and didn't answer. They'd snuck into movie theaters before – it was easy enough, given their powers. But she had no interest in seeing this movie, and didn't understand why she had to be dragged along. Except, of course, that Zan would never have left her alone in the sewers.

He didn't trust her enough to do that.

Zan frowned at her ill-disguised distaste for the plan, and said sharply, "If you want, you can wait outside the theater. I'll have Rath stay with you to make sure you don't get into any trouble."

Ava's eyes darted ahead to Rath, her expression clouding. "No…" she faltered. "No, that's alright. I'll come with you."

"Are you sure?" Zan asked, his tone dripping with insincerity. "I know he wouldn't mind." As though to prove his point, he raised his voice and called out, "Rath. Hey, man, stop a second!"

Ava started trembling as she said hurriedly, almost pleading, "No. No, it's fine, Zan. I want to go. I want to be with you."

Rath turned back, one eyebrow raised questioningly. Even Lonnie stopped to see what her brother had wanted.

"Never mind," Zan said with a slight smirk. "It doesn't matter anymore."

Rath laughed, his eyes raking over Ava with a lecherous stare. "Sure it doesn't," he agreed, his tone sardonic. He took a few steps, pausing at Ava's side. "Did you need something, sweetheart?" he asked with a suggestive wink.

Ava sank back into Zan. "No," she said wearily.

But Zan shook himself free of her grasp and pushed her into Rath. "Of course you do," he said. "You were going to ask him to skip the movie with you."

Ava felt Rath's hands circled around her arms, holding her upright. She pulled back, enough that she could see him leering at her, and turned a nearly panicked look to Zan. But he just stared back, his expression blank, not moved by the pleading in her eyes.

"Is that so?" Rath purred, his words low and guttural.

"No," Ava said with more determination this time. "No, I want to see the movie. With you, Zan." She felt Rath's hands slide down from her arms to her sides, and then down along the curve of her body to her hips. Pulling backwards, she twisted out of his grasp and nearly fell into Zan. "With you," she said again, desperately sliding her hand into his.

Zan nodded. "Alright. Well, then that is settled." He pulled her back under the umbrella, out of the rain. Rath sighed and shook his head, gave Ava one last smirking stare, and then hurried forward to join Lonnie again, and the four continued on their way.

* * *

When the rain finally turned to hail, the four hybrids were forced back into the sewers, unable to enjoy the freedom of walking around the city. Trapped and confined in a small place, tensions started running high, although this was nothing that Ava did not expect, had not experienced every other winter over the past decade.

Rath and Lonnie were talking again. She watched them from the shadows, leaning against the sewer wall. Lonnie had one hand resting suggestively on Rath's chest, and was smirking up at him. The reject hybrid Queen watched the interplay between the two of them, watched the way Rath flicked Lonnie's hair with a couple fingers, watched the way she rolled her eyes and kissed him in reply.

"I'm going out," Zan announced suddenly, appearing at her side.

She turned, eyebrows raised. "It's hailing out. And freezing," she protested.

"We need food," Zan answered simply, giving a shrug in response to her concern. "You coming?"

"Sure," Ava agreed readily enough, mostly because she knew that it was the right answer, that he was expecting her to come with him whether she really wanted to or not.

"Hey!" Zan called out to the other two. "You guys wanna get some food?"

It didn't take long for all of them to venture up into the cold, all four eager to get out of the confines of the sewers. Lonnie had actually decided to wear slightly more clothing than usual and pulled her coat closer to her body. Ava wrapped her arms around herself and leaned into Zan, huddling for extra warmth despite the turtleneck sweater she wore. Rath walked ahead of them, not minding that the hail and sleet soaked through his clothing and dripped down his skin.

"Where are we going?" Ava asked.

"Subway," Zan decided after a moment of thinking. There was no sense in going to any of the street markets, the most usual place to find food, because the weather would have scared away most of the crowds and made it harder to shoplift. On the other hand, fast food places were still a good possibility, since they were indoors and therefore more likely to be packed with people who wanted to get out of the rain.

"Can't we just go to a grocery store?" Ava asked with a yawn. "I don't want Subway."

Zan looked down at her. "I want Subway," he retorted, his tone firm and unyielding.

She relented quickly, seeing the dangerous look in his eyes. "Alright. Subway is fine. I can eat that."

And then everything changed.

In retrospect, she wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. They were all stepping out into the street, Zan just a little bit ahead of her and Lonnie, but behind Rath. The car came speeding around the bend in the road, sliding on black ice that covered the street. Rath jumped ahead quickly, out of the way of the oncoming vehicle, and Lonnie and Ava both moved backwards, back onto the sidewalk. But Zan…

_I want Subway._

_Why were you talking to that boy?_

_You know I love you._

_Of course you do. You were going to ask him to skip the movie with you._

_Wherever you are, that's home for me._

_The nice man give you money? What did you have to do for it?_

Without thinking, Ava reached out her hand and used her powers…

…and threw Zan directly into the path of the oncoming car.

His body slammed into the bumper and rolled up along the hood before being stopped by the force of the windshield. It shattered upon impact, glass flying into the car and imbedding itself in the hands and arms of the driver, who was frantically trying to regain control. Zan's body then rolled over once more, back the direction it had come, sliding off the hood and landing in a still and broken heap on the wet street.

Ava stood completely still, her eyes wide with horror before she turned her gaze down towards her still outstretched hand.

"Oh, _God_…" she breathed.

Her gaze slid past Zan's dead body to Lonnie and Rath, both of whom were staring at her with wide eyes, clearly not having expected that action from her. A crowd was beginning to form around them, and several bystanders rushed forward at the sight of Zan. The air was soon filled with the cacophonous shouts of panicked strangers calling for the police, for an ambulance, for any kind of help. But Ava could focus on none of it, on nothing at all as her entire world came to a screeching halt.

Lonnie took a step forward, moving towards Ava.

That was all it took to launch the other girl into action, and she took off running, leaving behind nothing more than the echo of her shoes slapping against the wet pavement. She did not look back to see if Lonnie and Rath were following her, she did not look back to see if anyone at all was giving chase. All she wanted was to put as much distance in between her and the incident as possible.

All she wanted was to disappear.

After what seemed like an eternity, although it was probably only ten or fifteen minutes, she stopped running. Glancing around and gulping a few breaths of air, she was able to determine that she had not been followed. Rath and Lonnie were nowhere in sight and she could not even sense their presence. She wasn't sure if it was relief or disappointment she felt, but either way, she knew she was alone.

She looked up at the street signs. She was in midtown, and though it was not as crowded as it had often been during the warmer months, the sidewalks were still crammed full of people with umbrellas going about their daily business, all unaware that a short while ago, murder had been committed.

Something hit her from the side and she turned, startled and scared, to find herself staring into the warm, gentle, caring brown eyes of the well-dressed businessman who had just a few days ago given her forty dollars to take a taxi home.

Home. The thought almost made her laugh, the word choking her suddenly. She didn't have a home anymore.

The man frowned and shifted his briefcase from one hand to the other. "Are you alright?" he asked, giving her a long look as though he couldn't quite place her. And then, a moment later, realization sparked in his eyes, and he said, "Hey, didn't I run into you last week?"

She chewed her bottom lip and nodded.

"Do you need anything?" the man asked. "I can… I can help. I can take you… somewhere. Anywhere you want to go." His gaze travelled from her eyes to the almost-faded bruise on her cheek, then lingered on the blue and purple of the bruises on her throat and her wrists. They snapped back to her eyes, and it suddenly occurred to her that she was crying.

"I'm fine," Ava said, trying to sound as though she meant it, as though this was more than a vague lie.

She looked over her shoulder, wondering where Rath and Lonnie were, wondering if they would find her soon. She had to keep moving, had to put as much space in between her and the two other hybrids as possible. She had to… she had to escape.

But where would she go? She didn't know how to do this, couldn't even begin to comprehend what it would take to survive on her own. She was Ava, she was part of a family, and she did not know how to be anything other than that. Without Zan, what was she?

What had she done?

"Uh… miss?" the man asked, breaking into her thoughts. "I… I really think… you should…"

"I'm fine," she said again, but her voice shook and her tear-filled eyes indicated that she was not even close to fine.

"Look… I know some people. People who can help you," the man said finally. "If you don't want to go to a hospital or… or anywhere else, I can still… let me help you."

She couldn't go to a hospital, she knew that. She could not allow any doctor to get his hands on her blood, to see that it was not, in fact, human. She could not go to the police because she had nothing she could tell them. Would they believe her if she said she had used her alien powers to kill her hybrid boyfriend?

What had she done?

"Please," the man said, "let me help."

And because Ava did not know what else to do, she gave a slow, reluctant nod. "You got a name?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

The man smiled. "I do. It's Nicolas. Nicolas Crawford."

* * *

Next Chapter: Doppelganger

Due: Sun 3/22


	46. Doppelganger

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So, part of this chapter has a scene from Othello taking place (during rehearsal), and the quotes are interspersed in between Alex's musings. I don't own any of those quotes, they all belong to Shakespeare.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Six: Doppelganger

doppelganger: a ghostly counterpart to a living person, an alter-ego

_New York City…_

"I don't like this."

Rath looked up from the worn sofa and rolled his eyes at Lonnie. "Heard that one before, babe. You're a broken record."

"We don't even know this woman. Carla. Why would we trust her?"

Rath sat up and gave Lonnie a hard stare. "What we do know," he snapped, "is that Zan is dead because the girl we thought was a harmless doormat _killed_ him. Through his body in front of the damn car! You want to hang out in the sewers for the rest of our lives?"

Lonnie didn't even flinch. "Better than getting killed. We don't know a thing about her. So she's from some group of aliens who worships your pathetic excuse for a…"

"You just don't like it because she doesn't worship you," Rath interrupted.

"So you don't find it weird that there is another set of… us… in Roswell, New Mexico? I mean, Roswell? _Really_?" Lonnie ran a hand through her cropped hair and added, "You don't find it weird that this woman shows up and tells us about the four in Roswell just _hours_ after Ava murders my brother? Do you _want_ to end up like Zan?"

Rath huffed. "Don't pretend like you ever cared about him. He's gone. You should be celebrating." He folded his arms over his chest and said finally, "What other choice do we have? I promise you, Lonnie, if Carla betrays us, I'll kill her myself. Until then, let's tag along for the ride."

Lonnie, still unsure, gave a slowly reluctant nod.

* * *

_Roswell…_

"Who is't you mean?"

"Why, your lieutenant, Cassio. Good my lord, if I have you grace or power to move you, his present reconciliation take. For if he be not one that truly loves you, that errs in ignorance and not cunning. I have no judgment in an honest face. I prithee, call him back."

Alex smiled to himself as he watched Maria and Nate exchange lines, moving back and forth across the stage under Mr. Turner's direction. Maria, he mused, was actually quite a talented actress, and he could see Desdemona's fiery determination reflected in his friend's expression.

He glanced across the room at Liz. The brunette was flipping through the script, a look of concentration on her face as she switched her gaze back and forth between the pages before her and Maria and Nate on stage.

"Went he hence now?"

"Ay, sooth; so humbled that he hath left part of his grief with me, to suffer with him. Good love, call him back."

Desdemona was desperately trying to reconcile her husband, Othello, with his lieutenant, Cassio. The split had been caused by Iago, the villain of the tale, and would grow even more throughout the course of the play until all the characters suffered for it.

Alex shook his head and sighed. The choice of play was oddly appropriate for their lives at the moment, it chronicled the way suspicion and jealousy could tear apart friends and family. He wondered, idly, if they'd had playwrights like Shakespeare on Antar. Had they had stories such as Othello? Tales of epic love that ended with the destruction of society?

He looked over at Courtney. She was sitting by herself in one of the seats in the audience, reading through her lines. She looked up as though sensing his eyes on her, and met his gaze with a steady look of her own.

Alex diverted his attention back to the stage.

"But shall't be shortly?"

"The sooner, sweet, for you."

There was chemistry between Maria and Nate, Alex mused. Enough that he could see why Michael would be jealous. But it was all stage-chemistry, nothing real, of that much the human boy was convinced.

Still… it would be interesting to see how Michael reacted to everything.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Courtney get up and walk over to Mr. Turner. The director turned away from the stage for a moment and listened to her, then gave a nod, and the blonde skin walked quickly from the room.

Alex frowned and switched his gaze to Liz, and then to Maria, but neither of them seemed to have noticed Courtney's departure. Maria was too wrapped up in the dialogue, and Liz was busy pouring over scripts.

Alex sighed and shook his head. He knew he should spend less time worrying about Courtney and the rest of the alien mess. There was very little he could do about any of it at this point, and following Courtney to demand to know where she was going would be both reckless and pointless.

"Shalt be tonight at supper?"

"No, not tonight."

"Tomorrow dinner, then?"

"I shall not dine at home. I meet the captains at the citadel."

He forced his thoughts away from Courtney, his gaze moving to the stage where Maria and Nathan continued their lines, but he found himself worrying about Isabel instead.

The two of them had worked so hard to find some sort of method to deal with their differences. He loved Isabel, and he desperately did not want to let the relationship flounder and fail. But the date had only served to remind him that, try as he might, he could not bring himself to tolerate her friends.

Tess he would put up with because she had come through for her family enough times that he knew she actually had something resembling a soul. Trudy was actually remarkably nice, which probably just meant that the other girls hadn't managed to completely corrupt her yet. But Kyle and Chris? Sara, Jessica, Cliff?

"Why, then tomorrow night, or Tuesday morn, on Tuesday noon, or night, on Wednesday morn? I prithee name the time, but let it not exceed three days. In faith, he's penitent, and yet his trespass, in our common reason... save that, they say, the wars must make examples out of their best."

Maria was entreating Nathan, trying to form bonds that had already been broken. Desdemona was doomed to fail. Alex wondered, idly, if Isabel was doomed to fail as well. She could not force her friends to like him any more than she could force him to like her friends.

And yet... this was important to Isabel. Those friends were important to Isabel. And so they should be important to Alex as well. But shouldn't it also work the other way around? Shouldn't they tolerate him because they were friends with Isabel?

But they wouldn't tolerate him. And he doubted there was anything he could do to stop that. Trying to force a reconciliation between people who did not want to be reconciled was impossible. It simply could not ever work.

It seemed like no matter what, they would end up back at this same spot.

"I will deny thee nothing, whereon I do beseech thee, leave me this - a little too myself."

"Shall I deny thee? No. Farewell, my lord."

* * *

Later that afternoon, after Alex had contemplated the twists and turns of his own relationship and come the conclusion that he had no idea how to proceed, Max was across town, sitting in a booth at the Crashdown, watching as his girlfriend worked. Her brown hair was swept back in a pony tail, and it bobbed when she walked, matching the movement of the antennas on her headband.

Life, he decided, was slowly getting better.

He still shuddered every time he thought of what he had done while under the influence of his alien half. More than that, it hurt him to know what he still could do, what he was capable of.

And his inability to save Sydney weighed on him just as heavily as everything else.

But Liz… Liz had offered him her love and support.

And, he reflected, he really did have to thank Maria for her interference. Though he did not like the way the abrasive blonde had gone about pointing out his flaws, if it had not been for her words, he might have continued destroying his relationship with Liz.

And then where would he be? Probably completely falling apart…

Liz paused in front of him, smiling. "Are you going to order?"

He shrugged. "Can I have the waitress?"

Liz flushed furiously and nearly dropped the pile of dishes she was holding. "Max!" she hissed, although she could not keep the smile off her face. Struggling to regain her composure, she added, "She's not on the menu."

"Come on," Max replied, "get rid of your antennas and let's do something."

"I can't," Liz replied, although it was clear that she was rather tempted by the idea of ditching her work. "But…"

"No buts, Max. I can't bail on this," Liz said sternly, trying her best to appear stern. She glanced at the clock, noting that she still had a couple hours until her shift was over, and said with a resigned sigh, "You don't have to stay here, though. You could go do something fun and we could meet up later."

"That's alright," Max countered, "I'm having a perfectly good time sitting here." He leaned forward and whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "You see, there is this girl here that I like."

"Really?" Liz asked, her smile widening. "I had no idea."

"God, you two are sickening."

Max and Liz both started as Michael arrived and threw himself down into the seat across from Max.

"What are you doing here?" Max asked, obviously not thrilled to have his conversation with Liz interrupted. With a slightly mocking smirk, he added, "I thought for sure you would be over at Maria's house, making sure she isn't having any extra _rehearsal sessions_ with Nathan Swift."

Michael scowled. "You sound like Isabel."

Max narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You take that back!" he ordered.

Liz shook her head and laughed as Max and Michael proceeded to bicker. She moved away from the table, balancing the dishes on her arms. Max and Michael were best friends, but more than that, they were practically siblings, and siblings argue with each other. Constantly.

It was good, though, she reflected, to hear Max argue so light-heartedly. How long had it been since he'd given a true smile? Since he'd laughed at a joke, or offered one of his own? At least now he seemed to finally be shaking off the depression that had settled over him while he was Zan.

She paused at the door to the back room and glanced over at Max one last time. He caught her glance and gave her a smile and a small wink. She flushed, and turned away.

All in all, she thought to herself, things were looking up.

* * *

Jim Valenti folded his arms over his chest and adopted a look of pure defiance as he spoke firmly, "You've run your tests for several weeks and come up with nothing. The skeleton is _mine_."

The mayor retorted, "How do you know I've found nothing, Sheriff Valenti?"

"Because if you had found something," Valenti answered, "you would be obligated to report it to me. This is still a homicide investigation, and it will remain as such until a cause of death is determined. I've given you leeway for weeks, but I am taking my case back now."

The mayor leaned back in his seat and gaze Valenti a searching look. "If this is about territory…"

"This is about the law," Valenti interrupted.

The mayor gave an indulgent smile. "Of course it is," he said, although his tone was slightly mocking. "And I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact that you just don't want me to have control of _your_ case." He leaned in and said in a hushed tone, "Do you really expect me to believe this is more than just a power play?"

"You are the one making grabs at power you should not have," Valenti argued grimly. "I have asked politely for the case back, and you have refused. I am no longer asking politely. This country has separation of powers for a reason, and unless you can prove to me that this is a matter of city-wide security, I _will_ take back the skeleton."

The mayor hesitated, then rose to his feet. "Very well. I see Roswell is lucky to have such an honest Sheriff. But I _will_ be looking over your shoulder."

Valenti could not help but breath a sigh of relief as he exited the mayor's office a few minutes later. He had been a little worried about showing up in person, remembering Tess' warning that the mayor was dangerous and was not to be taken lightly. But he had been forced to come down to the office because he could not simply stand back and let the mayor ignore due process.

He got into his car and drove, glancing once or twice in the rearview window. He did not notice the other car that was following him until he'd made it about halfway back home. The car sped up abruptly, swerving in front of him on the road and coming to a stop at an angle that blocked Valenti's ability to go forward.

The Sheriff sighed, put his car into park, and climbed out of the driver's seat. He was almost entirely positive that this was a bad idea, that the person in the other car meant him harm, and so he slid his hand carefully down to the handle of his gun, his fingers wrapping around the smooth metal.

Of course, he reasoned, they were in the middle of the town. Granted, it was a side-street, residential and far enough away from any of the commercial areas that it was unlikely there would be that many people around, but it was still not the safest area for anyone to start a fight. And surely if it was an alien in the other car, that person would not be stupid enough to take a risk like that.

Then the door of the other car opened, at Courtney Banks climbed out.

"Ms. Banks," Valenti said, giving her a hard stare, "that was rather reckless driving."

Courtney smirked in response to the comment and answered, "You can give me a ticket if you like, Sheriff. Although, if you are going to lecture me on being reckless, perhaps you would like to explain what you were thinking when you went to see the mayor?"

He knew she couldn't be trusted. Tess had adamantly said that the only people he could trust were the four royal hybrids, and even then she had not been thrilled about putting his safety in anyone else's hands. But Courtney was standing calmly before him, looking harmless, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to lull him into a sense of safety.

What did she want from him?

"Official city business," Valenti answered. "That's my job." He glanced at the row of houses to his right, all in a perfect line, all surrounded by white picket fences and perfectly manicured lawns. "What are you doing here? What do you want from me?"

"Official business?" Courtney repeated, sounding a little skeptical. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at him, trying to read his expression. "About the skeleton, I presume?"

It took Valenti only a moment to realize what was going on, and he said slowly, a little disbelievingly, "You're fishing for answers. You really don't know why I went to see the mayor. I thought…" He trailed off and shook his head. He had thought there were only two sides to this war – Tess and her friends, and everyone who was against them. But if Courtney and the mayor were both aliens, and yet not on the same side…

What was going on?

He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the answer to that.

His hand tightened around the gun.

"You thought what?" Courtney questioned, one eyebrow tilted upwards in an amused expression. "You thought you knew everything that was going on? Trust me, your daughter and her friends haven't told you the full story." She shrugged, took a few steps towards him while still staying close to her own car, "It's probably for the best. The more you know, the more incentive others have to kill you."

Valenti scowled as he answered, "I'll keep that in mind."

"You do not appear shaken up by your encounter with him," Courtney observed casually and in a detachedly curious tone. "You really were just talking about the skeleton. He made no threats, you did not talk about aliens or war."

"Very good deductions."

Her eyes narrowed again, flashing dangerously. "Don't patronize me, I'm actually quite a bit older than you are."

Valenti sighed. "You stopped me on the road, far enough away so that the mayor would not know, but also not too close to my home or the Crashdown or any other place you might run into Tess, Max, Michael, or Isabel. You are afraid of them."

Courtney did not answer, but her eyes smoldered with frustration at his words.

"Which side are you on?" Valenti pressed.

She laughed, a mocking scoff at his naïve question. "There are more than just two sides, Sheriff." She looked past him, towards the direction of the distant building that housed the mayor's office. In a softer voice, she commented more to herself than to Valenti, "And I don't know what side I am on anymore."

"You should go, Ms. Banks," Valenti said finally, when it became clear that she had nothing else to say. He slid back into his car, calling to her, "I'll let you off the hook for reckless driving this time. But don't push your luck."

As he drove the rest of the way home, he couldn't help but think over what he had learned in that brief encounter with Courtney. It was obvious that there was a lot more going on than he knew about, and in all honesty he was just fine remaining partially in the dark. He didn't need the minute details to understand the overall picture.

And the overall picture was that Courtney no longer belonged to any particular side.

Or, at least, that's what she wanted him to believe.

Making a mental note to talk to Tess that evening, he pushed the rest of those thoughts to the back of his mind and wondered just what he was supposed to do now that he had control of the case. He still had to find some way to make it disappear, and make sure that anyone who stumbled across it would not ask questions.

With that dilemma in mind, he continued the drive home.

* * *

"You're glowing."

Liz frowned at Alex and retorted, "I am not pregnant."

"I never said you were pregnant," Alex protested.

Liz rolled her eyes. "That's is what it means when you tell someone that they are glowing. It's code for 'I think you're pregnant.'"

"Sorry, I didn't realize that," Alex said, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender. "You aren't glowing. You are… gleaming?"

"Now you make me sound like a car. Like you're commenting on my paint finish."

"Uh… radiant?" Alex suggested.

Liz wrinkled her nose. "Only if you think I'm destined for sainthood."

"Shiny?"

"Again, sounds too much like a new car."

In exasperation, Alex threw his hands in the air and snapped, "Fine. You are none of the above. You are dismal and gray. Is that better?"

Liz laughed and beckoned for Alex to step into her room. "I'm just happy, Alex. I had a nice time with Max this evening. I'm allowed to be happy."

"Of course you are," Alex grumbled. "And I still think glowing was a perfectly legitimate description." He sat down on the edge of the bed, and Liz leaned back in her desk chair and gave him a questioning look. With a slight sigh, he said, "I just came over to find out if you'd started hallucinating the end of the world again?"

"Oh…" Liz looked down and shook her head. "No. I haven't, actually." She winced slightly at the memory, not particularly wanting to remember what that had been like. But ever since the stress of constantly worrying about Max had been lifted, she'd stopped having nightmares… and stopped hearing voices.

"That's good," Alex said with a sigh of relief.

"Yeah. Maybe it was just the stress," Liz suggested softly.

Alex gave her a look and then replied, "You don't believe that."

"I don't know what I believe," Liz countered. "But I do know that whatever it was, it hasn't happened again. And until it does, I am going to assume it was just stress and leave it at that."

Alex accepted this, still somewhat unconvinced. But Liz was looking better now, less nervous, more relaxed, more at ease. That at least was something to be happy about, and he wasn't going to do anything to ruin her newfound peace. Not without solid proof.

Liz pulled her legs into her chest. "Do you really think I'm glowing?" she asked.

Alex's eyes widened. "Oh, God. You didn't actually sleep with Max, did you?"

"No!" Liz retorted, flushing darkly. "I told you, I'm not pregnant." She shivered slightly and wrapped her arms more tightly around herself. "I was just curious what you thought. I am happy."

Alex smiled. "And you look happy."

"Good," Liz said decisively. "That's how I want to look."

* * *

"You know, you don't actually have to walk me home," Isabel remarked as she and Michael crossed the street.

"It's night. It's dangerous. What are you going to do if someone attacks you?"

"Blow them up with my nifty alien powers?" Isabel suggested. She'd been at the library most of the evening working on yet another homework assignment, and on her way home she'd run into Michael. She was walking, since Max had the car and it wasn't really that big of a town anyway. But Michael had decided to accompany her home to make sure she made it safely.

Although, she was starting to think he was only doing this to annoy her.

"Why aren't you hanging out with Maria?" Isabel asked. "She is your girlfriend, after all."

Michael muttered something incoherent and Isabel paused, turning towards him. A wicked smirk played across her features as suspicion appeared momentarily in her eyes.

"Amy DeLuca still thinks you slept with Maria, and she won't let you into the house," the hybrid Princess deduced.

"She thinks I slept with Maria because you two and Alex told her that!" Michael snapped.

Isabel shrugged. "We did what we had to do to keep her suspicions at bay," she defended herself, completely unapologetic. "Maybe if you hadn't gone rushing off to Copper Summit, we would not have been in that position in the first place."

"I still don't understand why the only way to save us all had to involve lying about my sex life."

"And I'm surprised you didn't just throw caution to the wind and sneak into Maria's room anyway. You know, if you hang out by yourself, Maria might just have to go find different friends… like Nate."

Michael gave an exasperated huff. "Why is everyone so convinced that I am jealous?" he demanded.

"Uh… because we've _met_ you?"

"Whatever. He isn't that good-looking anyway. And who cares if he's a senior? All it means is that he won't be around next year."

Isabel rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Yeah, you aren't jealous _at all_."

They crossed another street and Michael glanced back and forth, feeling suddenly uneasy. But there did not appear to be anything out of the ordinary around him. They were close to the bus station, and just a few blocks away from Isabel's house. Everything was perfectly normal…

Until Isabel inhaled sharply and froze, her body stiffening against him. Instinctively, he placed a protective arm across her shoulders and turned to follow her gaze…

And found himself staring a teenage girl. She had cropped hair and dark lips, heavy make-up covering both lids, and several studded earrings that matched the color on her throat. Her shirt was low-cut, her jeans were low-rise, and she wore black leather boots laced up the front.

And she looked exactly like Isabel.

* * *

Next Chapter: Double, Double (Toil and Trouble)

Due: Sun 3/29


	47. Double, Double Toil and Trouble

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Once again, there are some allusions to abuse in this chapter, although not much. Just assume that as long as Rath, and to a lesser extent Lonnie, are in the chapter, then there will be less-than-pleasant, immoral actions.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Seven: Double, Double (Toil and Trouble)

Isabel's first instinct was to scream. That impulse was followed quickly by the desire to lash out, to use her powers against the obvious shape-shifter standing before them. Both impulses she held at bay, however, and exchanged a worried glance with Michael.

"Who are you?" Michael demanded forcefully, stepping forward and moving protectively in front of Isabel.

The Isabel-clone raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow and said, "Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing."

Her accent, Isabel decided, had just a slight East Coast twang to it. New York, probably.

The look-alike continued breezily, "Although, I bet I could guess who you are… Rath."

"You know," Michael said calmly, coolly, "it is rather stupid of you to assume the shape of Isabel, particularly when the real one is standing right in front of you." His gaze wandered over her body and he added, "And trust me, no one would believe you are really Isabel in _that_ outfit."

"I'm not Isabel," came the response. "My name is Lonnie."

Isabel bit her lip. "Short for Vilandra?"

"Who are you?" Michael repeated again, extending his hand in a warning gesture. "And the whole truth. No lies."

"Look, I know you're buggin' out right now," Lonnie said cautiously, her eyes flicking back and forth between Michael's outstretched arm and Isabel's nervous face. "I'd be buggin' out, too, if I were you." Then she paused, a smirk on her lips. "Well, I _am_ you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Isabel demanded hoarsely.

"There were eight pods originally," Lonnie replied bluntly. "Four and four. Our creators made a duplicate set… just in case something went wrong."

"I don't believe you," Isabel whispered faintly.

"I ain't really expecting you too, sweetheart," Lonnie drawled with a tired sigh. She frowned for a moment, then said, "You know nothing about the past, do you?"

"Do you?" Isabel asked before she could stop herself.

"I remember some. In dreams, mostly."

Before _that_ particular conversation could continue, Michael asked sharply, "Fine. And let's say there were two sets of us. Where are the other three? Your Max and Tess… your version of me?"

"Zan and Ava are gone," Lonnie answered. "Rath is around."

"What do you mean by gone?"

Lonnie took a step closer to the other two, ignoring the way Michael tensed and Isabel immediately lowered her gaze. "I mean gone," she said harshly, voice wavering with some emotion Isabel could not identify. "As in not in the picture any more."

"How is that…"

"You want the full story?" Lonnie snapped, cutting through Michael's question. "Fine. You are your pod squad settled here in this middle-of-nowhere town, but me and my gang went to New York."

"New York?" Michael repeated.

"The Big Apple," Lonnie explained with a sneer. "Center of the universe. Amazing pizza. And all is well and good until Zan goes and gets himself offed by an enemy, and Ava disappears later. So me and Rath, we're on our own, and I figure we've got crazed aliens after us, so it's time to get the hell outta Dodge. You know?"

Isabel did not say anything, but Michael looked less than convinced.

"So you decide to come find us now? Not at any point in the past ten years?"

"Hey, I ain't known about you _that_ long," Lonnie answered defensively. "And yeah, now seemed as good a time as any to see you. Or did you miss the part where my brother got murdered?" Michael met her answer with his own stony glare, and she said in exasperation, "Something's cookin'. Something big. I already lost Zan and Ava… I don't wanna die. I don't want Rath to die. And I thought maybe you all could help."

"Help how?" Isabel questioned.

"Been contacted by this woman," Lonnie explained. "Calls herself Carla. She's a weird kind of alien. Don't really know what to call her. She's got this weird skin thing… it sheds…"

Michael and Isabel exchanged yet another glance, then Isabel asked worriedly, "You've been contacted by a skin?"

"Yeah, sure, if that's what you wanna call her," Lonnie answered with a careless shrug. "She's got this weird obsession with Rath, though. Thinks he's a God-send or something."

Isabel digested this bit of information quietly. If this Carla was a rebel skin, then that made her an ally of Courtney's. But they'd already established that Courtney could not be completely trusted, and Courtney herself had admitted that she didn't fully know what was happening with her faction.

"Where is your… uh… Rath?" Isabel asked softly, repeating the earlier, unanswered question.

Lonnie shrugged. "Dunno. Still with Carla." She looked uncomfortable for a moment before she added, "I didn't wanna leave him with her, but he said he could handle it. And I thought, well, if that woman's got plans for the lot of us, I wanted to find you first. You know, so nothin' will happen."

"Plans?" Isabel questioned.

"Yeah. She said some guys from our hood wanna hook up and have a sit-down."

"Our hood?" Isabel echoed disbelievingly.

"Our star system," Lonnie elaborated. "You know… home?" She glanced up at the sky as she spoke, then said, "The ruling families of the five planets. They want this summit meeting. A chance to talk about peace. An end to the war."

"Look, all of this is fascinating," Michael interrupted sharply, "but why should we believe you? It doesn't even make sense that there are two sets of us anyway. Why bother with that?"

"They couldn't get it right," Lonnie answered. "At least, that is what Carla said. You guys were too human, we were too alien. Don't know, though." She glanced around the street for a moment, then said, "Look, I ain't wanting to cause trouble, but if someone comes by and sees us right now, it's gonna be difficult to explain why me and your Isabel look identical. You wanna go some place private?"

"Not really," Michael sneered. "I still don't buy your story, and I see no reason to believe you aren't a shape-shifter."

"So what are you going to do?" Lonnie mocked him, rolling her eyes. "Kill me in plain sight?" Gesturing to the houses around them, she added, "You sure no one will see? Willing to bet your life on it?"

Michael hesitated, unable to answer. And Isabel knew that while she certainly did not want to trust her New York clone, they couldn't just leave her do to whatever damage she intended. And on the off-chance that she was telling the truth, that Lonnie was on their side, they couldn't turn their backs on her.

And, although she was reluctant to admit it, she was a little bit intrigued by Lonnie's comments about this summit.

* * *

Kyle slammed his car door shut as he stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of his house. The lights were on in the living room and in Tess' room, indicating that both his father and his sister were home. He yawned and ran a hand through his hair, wondering if he could get by them without having to explain why he was out this late.

He really did not want to explain to his father what exactly he had been doing with Trudy… Although maybe he could just say they were stargazing or something like that.

Not, of course, that either his father or Tess would believe it.

A shadow fell across his path, and he turned, frowning in surprise. "Guerin? What the hell happened to you?"

Michael was standing before him, dressed in torn jeans, his hair short and spiky, a few stud earrings in his ears. It was a strange mixture of Goth and punk and so out of character for the taciturn teenager that Kyle just gaped at him.

"Uh… nothing, man. What's with you?"

"What are you doing standing outside of my house?" Kyle questioned curiously. "And why are you doing it dressed like that?"

"Party, man. Punk-themed. You missed out, it was fun."

Kyle smirked as he answered, "We don't exactly run in the same crowds, Guerin. Doubt I would have enjoyed hanging with your friends. And theme-parties… not exactly how a jock spends his time. Looks like DeLuca is rubbing off on you."

Michael didn't say anything in response, and that struck Kyle as a little odd. Usually, Michael was quick to answer with some sharp retort, a growl, or, if aggravated enough, his fists. The lack of response did not make sense…

"You still haven't explained why you're standing in front of my house," Kyle prompted. "Are you looking for Isabel?" It was the only logical reason he could think of, and he really did not want to stand out in the cool night and play twenty-questions with Michael.

Michael glanced towards the house. "I was. She's not here."

"Well, then you should leave or I might start to think you're a stalker," Kyle said dryly. "I could ask my Dad to come out and… remove you. He is the Sheriff, after all."

"See you around," Michael said, and turned and walked away.

Kyle shook his head in confusion, but deciding that trying to analyze the conversation was not worth the effort, he pushed the entire encounter from his mind, turned, and walked up the path and into his house.

* * *

Across the street, Rath watched as the human boy closed the door to his house. "Brat," he hissed under his breath. "Stupid human."

He did not appreciate being spoken to that way, and had it been anywhere else, he would have blasted the offending boy. But he had to retain his cover, and using his powers in public on the Queen's human brother would have been problematic.

Still… it was tempting. It was almost worth it, imagining what it would be like to make him pay for his words…

He stared at the house, watching as shadows moved across the window curtain. The Queen had entered the living room and was speaking to the two humans in the house.

Tess Harding.

Rath wondered silently what she was like. He'd made the mistake of underestimating Ava. They all had, and Zan had paid the price. But Ava had been a pathetic, spineless coward for most of her decade on Earth, and it had only been Zan's protection that had kept her safe. They had no idea where she was now, but they had to be ready if she came back into their lives.

Would Tess be like her? Easily manipulated? Scared and terrified all the time? A meek mouse? Or would she be like Ava had been in the end, fierce and unpredictable, able to take a life in an instant.

He wondered if Lonnie had made contact with the others yet. He'd left Carla an hour before, agreeing to get back in touch with her as soon as they had gotten in touch with Max Evans. Zan.

He leaned back against a tree and folded his arms over his chest, waiting. If Tess Harding was anything like the other aliens, she would have the ability to sense that something was a little off, to try to figure out what was going on…

And sure enough, a moment later the curtain in the living room was pulled back, and Tess' sapphire blue eyes peered out into the gloom. She caught sight of Rath standing on the other side of the street, and her eyebrows lifted questioningly. Then the curtain fell back into place.

Rath smiled grimly.

He'd told Lonnie to deal with the other three hybrids, and he would take Tess. It wasn't that he thought she was much of a threat, but merely that he needed to know what to expect from her.

Memories of Ava were too fresh in his mind.

"I won't make that mistake again," he whispered.

The door of the house opened and Tess stepped out onto the lawn. She pulled a coat on, wrapping her arms around her body and moving towards him.

"Hello, Tess," Rath said when she drew closer.

She stared at him, her eyes narrowing in a calculating gaze. "You're not Michael."

Rath smiled. Well, she was obviously perceptive and powerful enough to know that he was not who she had been expecting.

"Not really. Well, sort of. It's complicated."

"Who are you? A shape-shifter?"

She hadn't made a move to attack him yet, but he could see the tension flickering in her eyes. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, her lips pressed into a thin line.

"I'm like your Michael. Same DNA. Turns out there are two of all of us. Eight total. Long story."

"Fascinating," she deadpanned.

His eyes travelled over her body, lingering for a moment before flicking back up to her face. Ava had been attractive, and this Tess was as well. Although, she certainly would have looked better if she'd get a bit more edge… The Roswell four would be far too goody-goody for him, he could tell that already.

"Lonnie… your Isabel's double, is searching for the other three of you as we speak," Rath explained. "We need to talk."

She bit her lip and gave him a contemplative stare. Then he felt something brush against his mind, a brief warning before Tess forcefully shoved her way past his mental defenses. He scrambled to protect his memories, but not before a few had slipped out.

"_Rath! Where are you?" a seven-year-old Lonnie sobbed as a mass of passengers separated her from her family on the train. Rath pushed towards her, hand stretched out in an effort to grab her before she was pushed away._

"_This is ridiculous, Zan! You ain't a king. You can't be," ten-year-old Rath snapped irritably as Zan finished explaining about his most recent dream._

"_What's the matter, Ava? You scared?" thirteen-year-old Zan leered as Ava shrunk away from the snake he held in his hands, and Rath and Lonnie watched impassively._

"_We're royals. We're freaking royals from some distant galaxy trapped as teenagers on Earth," fifteen-year-old Ava muttered under her breath, glancing in between Zan and Rath. "None of this makes sense."_

Rath rubbed his head with one hand and glared at Tess as the flashes subsided. "That ain't very nice of you, sweetheart."

"You'll get over it," Tess snapped in response.

Her response, her flashing blue eyes, were enough to firmly convince Michael that she was nothing like Ava. At least not the meek version. She held her own in the group, she wasn't easily controlled. At least she wasn't as unpredictable either.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't underestimate her, but she wasn't a threat either. Not any more than any of the others.

Briefly, he wondered what making-out with her would be like. He'd never gotten the chance to do anything with Ava, Zan was always in the way. Maybe Tess would be fun… At least the chase would be interesting. He'd have to add her to his list of possible conquests.

Maybe Roswell would have some other nice girls for him as well.

Like Isabel.

"You're probably gonna get a call from one of family soon," Rath said finally. "We gotta have a little talk."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tess retorted.

"You don't trust me," Rath said. It wasn't a question, the suspicion in Tess' eyes was enough to indicate her thoughts. "What do you want? Ask me a million questions, see what I saw in response."

"You could lie," Tess replied honestly. "And your memories have already told me you are, in fact, who you say you are. Although that is hardly enough of a reason for me to trust you."

"Interesting," Rath commented, giving her a searching look. "You don't waste time with pointless questions when the answers won't provide anything, but you also don't give your trust even after you've seen my memories. Realistic… pragmatic… and paranoid."

"Thanks," was Tess' sarcastic response.

"Then let me provide you with some unasked-for answers," Rath shot back. "We're here to talk. My Zan and my Ava are both gone, and that just leaves me and Lonnie running from the enemies. But some old friends wanna have a little get-together to talk about peace. And I ain't about to turn my back on that."

"You're for world peace?" Tess asked with a slight smirk.

"You not for it, sweetie?" Rath drawled in response.

"I don't even know what the war is about," Tess answered. "Do you?"

"I know enough," Rath answered. "It's about us… the original royal four. Some kind of revolution happened, and they were all killed and sent to earth to be reborn. Ever since then, the hood's been a war zone. And now they want peace. But they need the Royal Four for peace, and we ain't got it. We need an Ava and a Zan."

"You still haven't explained why I should trust you," Tess said, and Rath noticed then that her hands had not unclenched, that the tension had never once left her eyes. She had not let down her guard, and despite the fact that she seemed to believe him a little bit, she was still prepared to attack him at a moment's notice.

"I know it's kinda screwed to lay all this stuff on you, but it's all we really got. Without us… there's no summit, and there is no peace. Millions of lives hang in the balance. So… we all gotta step up."

Whatever Tess would have said was cut off by the jangling of her cell phone, and she reached into her coat pocket to pull out the device.

The caller I.D. said Michael.

She glanced at Rath for a moment, then flipped open the phone. "Yeah?"

Rath could just barely hear Michael's voice – a voice that sounded exactly like his – floating through the phone lines.

"_You're not going to believe what just happened to Isabel and I…"_

Tess met Rath's eyes and then answered with a slight hint of ironic amusement in her voice, "You know, Michael, I bet I actually will believe it…"

* * *

"Courtney's upset," Carla said casually as she leaned back in her seat and regarded the mayor.

He shrugged, unconcerned. "I know. She'll get over it. Rath and Lonnie…"

"Currently making contact with the others. They'll convince them to go to the summit, and then we're good to go ahead with the plan." Carla paused, then asked cautiously, a little troubled by the entire situation, "Are you sure they will manage this?"

The mayor nodded grimly. "Positive. They're manipulative enough. And you know how pathetically weak the others are. The two Evans will hear that sob-story about how enemies got to the beloved Zan, and they'll jump in, eager to help, eager to make sure that they don't lose any of their precious family. Once they get over the initial suspicion, of course."

Carla shrugged and gave a very reluctant nod. "If you're sure," she replied finally, "I won't argue with you. Although, I'm fairly certain they've been less than truthful with us."

The mayor gave a short bark of laughter. "Of course they have. We have been less than truthful with them. We should expect the same treatment." Then he gaze Carla an appraising look, and said with a very satisfied smile, "You know what they've been lying about."

Carla nodded again. "Wasn't difficult. They don't protect their memories well when they sleep. Certainly, they aren't adept enough to notice the presence of anyone else." Her eyes glittered with smug triumph as she added, "Too arrogant. They assume no one could possibly hurt them… although Ava proved them wrong on _that_ account."

"What about Ava?" the mayor demanded, intrigued.

"I did not get the full story," Carla admitted, sounding a little disgruntled at having to say that. "I guess they had some subconscious protections. Still, I saw enough to make a few very educated guesses about what really happened."

"More to Zan and Ava's deaths than meets the eye?" the mayor hazarded a guess.

"Indeed," Carla shot back. "Because Ava _isn't_ dead."

The mayor's jaw dropped for a moment, not having expected that answer. But he quickly schooled his expression back into neutral and gestured for Carla to continue her explanation.

"Looks like our defective alien Queen was a bit of a doormat. Got pushed around a fair bit. Nothing like Ms. Harding, trust me. Well… that is right up until the end." She paused dramatically, leaning forward with a feral gleam in her green eyes. "Right up until she threw him in front of an oncoming vehicle."

"Ava _killed_ Zan."

"Precisely. Then took off into the sunset. God only knows where she is now." Carla rose to her feet and walked over to the window, glancing out into the night. "This isn't the Rath we want."

The mayor, still trying to make sense of what Carla had told him about Ava, only half-heard her comment and responded distractedly, "Why not?"

"He's brutal, malicious, abusive." Carla paused, turned back to the mayor for a moment, waiting until the mayor had given her his full attention. "They're rejects for a reason. Zan wasn't any better than Rath, just more discreet about it. I didn't get a good read on Lonnie, but her aura rubs me the wrong way. The three of them… they're cruel."

The mayor raised one eyebrow questioningly, surprised by her comment. Carla herself could hardly be considered sweet or loveable, and she was not unfamiliar with cruelty. She was a missionary, after all, who backed the side she thought would win and had no compulsions about switching loyalties if she saw a better option.

"This is a war," the mayor said finally. "Cruelty is necessary."

"It is," Carla agreed immediately. "But it should not be _enjoyed_."

After a moment of contemplation, the mayor nodded. "True." He couldn't argue with her assessment. Although he had certainly killed, betrayed, and manipulated others, and although he rarely felt regret for it, it had never been for pleasure. The ultimate goal was always to bring about an end to the war, and if a few had to suffer to stop the suffering of the entire planet… well, he was alright with that.

"If Rath gets the others to the summit, that is enough," the mayor said at last. "We can get rid of him once he's served his purpose. And Lonnie as well." He licked his lips, still thinking, then asked, "No sign of the General's brother?"

"No. There were rumors of Nicolas, although I did not see him. But not even a whisper of… what does he call himself now? Trevor?"

"And Ava?"

"No idea where she is." Carla hesitated, then added, "She's a bit of a wildcard. But she might not be as defective as the others. She certainly didn't seem to _enjoy_ inflicting pain on people."

"Perhaps. But perhaps she just never had the chance. If she was bullied as much as you say… always the victim, never the perpetrator…" the mayor trailed off thoughtfully, then cast a pointed glance towards Carla. "She did kill Zan in the end," he said softly. "She might be more like them than even she realizes."

"People do crazy things when they are desperate," Carla countered. "She was bullied, really tormented. The way they treated her… even Zan…" She shrugged. "Doesn't surprise me that she got fed up with it."

"I suppose that is true," the mayor agreed. "But the desire to kill him had to be there. She wouldn't have done it otherwise. They kept pushing her, knocking her around, and she bent and bent and bent… until it was too much. And she snapped. All that residual anger and hatred and hurt… with Zan dead, where will it go? It will turn inwards on herself, most likely."

"You think it will corrupt her, make her like them?"

"I think we need to be concerned about her," the mayor answered wearily. A pause, then, "I do wonder what she is like now, without the other three looming over her. Keep an eye out for her, Carla, we can't afford to make the same mistake Zan did."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Summit

Due: Sun 4/12

Author's note: I'm going out of a town for a week, so there will be a slight delay until the next chapter…


	48. The Summit

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I know that there hasn't been as much Michael/Maria interaction in the past few chapters, although there certainly will be. I go through phases with each of the couples, sometimes focusing more on one, sometimes focusing more on another. But don't worry, the Candy part of this story is not over. Not at all.

* * *

Chapter Forty-Eight: The Summit

It was all just a little too weird for Liz. She sat on the sofa at Michael's apartment, her gaze going back and forth between the two supposed hybrids before her. It was like looking at Michael and Isabel… sort-of. The differences were there, big bold strokes against otherwise identical canvases. But the underlying image was the same, and she could not quite wrap her head around the fact that she was staring at a replica of her friends.

Her gaze was drawn back to Rath. Something about him rubbed her the wrong way, though she couldn't quite put it into words. But she didn't trust him, and she silently hoped the others wouldn't either.

"So… there are five planets in your solar system?" Alex asked curiously, leaning forward from where he sat next to Liz. Lonnie had just finished explaining about the Summit, and a few of the details had struck Alex as particularly odd.

"Yeah, why?" Rath asked, giving Alex a look.

"Five _inhabited_ planets?" Alex pressed. "All around one star? Because the probability of finding five planets that could support life in neighboring systems is pretty slim. But to have them all orbiting the same star? That's practically impossible."

"Maybe Antarian life can survive in different places, Geek," Rath retorted in annoyance. "I ain't too sure of the details, but Carla…"

"Carla is a skin," Isabel cut in sharply. "She can't be trusted. And don't insult my boyfriend." She stepped closer to Alex, standing behind him and resting her hands on the back of the sofa, her expression hard and accusatory.

Lonnie jabbed Rath with her elbow and said to Isabel and Alex, "Ignore him. He's being his usual idiotic self."

"Oh, I don't know," Tess cut in smoothly, lips quirked into a slight smile, "Alex _is_ a geek." Blue eyes switched to the aforementioned geek, and she added, "But I am intrigued. Why would it be impossible for five planets to circle the same star?"

"They'd get in each other's way," Alex replied. "There is a very small window of space in which our Earth can reside and still remain hospitable to life. If we get too close to the sun, we burn. If we're too far away, we freeze. But imagine if there were five planets that all had to have the same orbit. Our gravity fields would interact negatively with the others, and it just… it wouldn't work."

"Alex is right," Liz added, looking from her friend to Max. "It's basic physics."

Max accepted this in silence, his gaze wandering over to Rath and Lonnie. He had been pulled away from his planned activities for the evening, and thrown in this situation that reminded him eerily of the Twilight Zone. He didn't like it, didn't like the nervous shivers that ran down his spine.

"Maybe Antarians can survive on planets unlike Earth," Michael muttered. "Maybe they don't need oxygen and all that other… stuff."

"Other stuff?" Tess repeated mockingly. "Good to know you've paid so much attention to biology class, Michael." He glared at her, but she just rolled his eyes and smirked in response.

"You guys thinkin' we might be a little off-track?" Lonnie asked pointedly, huffing slightly.

"Aw, sweetie," Rath drawled, "let them have their fun throwing pointless and kinda stupid accusations at us."

"It isn't stupid," Maria said angrily, flushing slightly. "If you're lying…"

"They've already said the information came from this rebel skin, and we know they can't be trusted completely," Max interrupted thoughtfully. "Although, I don't know why they would pick something like this to lie about…"

"Lonnie is right," Isabel cut in, a little reluctantly. "We are arguing over the wrong things."

"I don't know…" Liz said thoughtfully. "I mean, if they were able to mix human and Antarian DNA to come up with you guys, then… well… humans and Antarians must share basic biological traits. Otherwise that sort of splicing wouldn't really work. So the planets would all need to have at least some basic traits in common with Earth."

"Fascinating, really," Tess deadpanned. "But what's the point?"

"Well, I think it is interesting," Liz defended herself, throwing the hybrid Queen an annoyed look. Tess merely raised an eyebrow in reply, and the brunette turned back to Rath and Lonnie. "So there are five planets in your… group of solar systems."

"Sure, whatever," Rath replied. "Look, we ain't got anything to tell you besides what Carla told us. They got these five ruling families of the planets, and they want us to have ourselves a little sit-down."

"To talk about world peace," Michael drawled sarcastically.

"That so hard for you to believe?" Rath demanded hotly, glaring at his counterpart. "Maybe they got tired of the war. People dying and all that…"

"They _started_ the war," Max countered pointedly.

"_Khivar_ started the war," Lonnie corrected softly. "And maybe the other planets are the ones pushing for peace. Maybe they want it all to be over. We ain't gonna know much unless we show up to the meeting and ask."

"And where is this Summit?"

"New York City," was the reply.

Michael gave a dark chuckle. "You want us to drop everything and fly to New York? You think no one is going to notice if we just disappear for several days? We can't miss school."

All eyes turned towards Michael, each mirroring their own looks of incredulity. It was Maria who voiced what the others were thinking.

"Since when do you worry about school?"

"I just think we need to be cautious," Michael snapped in reply.

"Since when do you worry about caution?" Isabel asked, muttering under her breath. The words were quiet enough that only Alex and Liz heard her, but Michael saw the expression on her face, and that was enough to tell him exactly what she had been thinking.

He scowled.

"Okay," Alex said suddenly, "I've been thinking about this. If the stars were close enough to each other, and set up at all the right angles, the five planets could have orbits that overlap each other in such a way that it might look like they were all connected. All in the same system. But the angles…" He trailed off thoughtfully, then said, "For the pull of gravity for each individual star not to disrupt the other fields, the stars would need to be in a formation resembling a pyramid. Maybe an upside-down pyramid."

There was a complete silence, then Max said quietly, "You mean a V?"

"Yeah," Alex replied, clueless, not quite understanding why what he had said had caused such a reaction. "A v-shaped constellation."

Max and Michael exchanged significant looks and Tess said softly, "Guess Carla was telling the truth about that one."

"I still think we're getting off topic a bit," Lonnie grumbled.

"So, about this Summit," Rath started, but Max interrupted.

"Unfortunately, Michael is right. We can't all just leave. It will look suspicious. And it won't go over well with my parents."

"Well, we don't all gotta go," Lonnie argued. "Me and Rath can go, ain't no one gonna miss us. Then we just need a Zan and Ava." She glanced at Max and Tess. "You two complete the four. The rest of you can stay, we ain't gonna need you all."

Liz bit her lip and glanced at Max. She did not like the idea of Max going off on his own to New York. Particularly when they didn't know who could be trusted, and it seemed as though he was walking into a potentially dangerous situation.

Michael and Isabel seemed to be having the exact same thoughts, and it was Isabel who said sharply, "No way! We're not splitting up."

"What exactly is going to happen at this Summit?" Max asked, for the moment ignoring the others concern. Liz was giving him an absolutely horrified look, and Michael and Isabel both seemed ready to strangle him for his interest in the meeting. But he didn't feel as though he could just turn down the offer without any consideration. Particularly not if there was a chance it could end the war.

"I dunno. Lot of talking," Lonnie offered.

"Max," Maria hissed, "you can't actually be considering…"

"I didn't say I would go," Max said forcefully. "But I do want to know what is going to happen there." Maria placed her hands on her hips and opened her mouth to argue, and Max said sharply, "I'm not turning my back on the possibility of saving a planet from civil war!"

"It's stupid and reckless," the pixie blonde protested.

"Look, sweetie," Lonnie scoffed, "it ain't your call. If Max wants to consider it…"

"We're a group," Alex protested, not liking this version of the hybrid Princess, not liking she so carelessly dismissed Maria's opinion. "We do things together, we make decisions together. Especially since it affects all of us."

"Right," Rath sneered, drawing out the word. "You guys really thinkin' this is a democracy?"

"Max doesn't get to make decisions unilaterally," Michael replied furiously, glaring at Rath.

"No," Max hissed under his breath, "that's reserved for you. Because I certainly don't remember you consulting anyone before driving off to Copper Summit or Marathon."

"Oh, right," Michael retorted, flushed slightly, "and you checked with us before you healed Liz in front of a crowded diner?"

Throughout all this, Tess had remained impassively silent. However, as Michael and Max looked about ready to start a physical fight, she found herself interrupting the brewing argument, "Do you know anything about the people who rule the other planets?" she asked.

Michael and Max both quieted long enough to listen to Rath's answer, although it was clear that the anger was still simmering underneath the calm façade.

"Carla didn't say nothin' about them."

Tess rolled her eyes and demanded, "What exactly did this Carla tell you? Because given how little you seem to know, I'm thinking she might be holding out on you."

Rath opened his mouth to say something, obviously frustrated by the entire course of the conversation and angry at Tess' mocking words, but Lonnie shook her head at him and he lapsed into a furious silence.

"She said a little. Just that before the war we were more powerful than the other planets. That's why they didn't intervene when Khivar started makin' a grab for power. _Our_ power," Lonnie explained. "They were scared of us, of how strong Antar was. But I guess it turns out that war ain't so good for them either, and now they want peace."

"So you want Max and Tess to go to a Summit on the word of a less-than-truthful skin, in order to meet with a whole bunch of people who stood back and let them get killed in the first place?" Liz asked incredulously.

"I wanna stop a war," Lonnie replied defiantly.

There wasn't a whole lot anyone could say to that, and the silence that fell over them was filled with tension. Tess let her gaze wander of the others, before settling thoughtfully on Lonnie and Rath. She didn't trust them, hadn't trusted Rath since the moment she saw him. She had seen enough in his mind to know that he was everything he had claimed to be, but that did little to ease the ball of worry that knotted in her stomach.

They had a gift for sowing discord, the argument between Michael and Max, with Maria's own additions, had been proof enough of that.

But there was something else bothering her, something that had not quite made sense until she'd caught Max's eye. Then, as the two of them stared at each other, tawny orbs returning her own piercing blue gaze, she saw _that_ look shifting in the depths of his expression.

The look that reminded her that, underneath it all, he was still Zan.

He was Max again, he'd gotten through whatever mind games had changed him into King Zan. But although he was no longer governed entirely by his past life's personality, Zan was still there, lingering beneath the surface. And Zan, the King of Antar, could not possibly stand by and do nothing if there was a chance to save his planet.

She didn't like it. She didn't like what she saw, didn't like the fact that she knew that desire would make him rash, reckless, desperate.

She didn't like that she knew he was also right.

They had to do this.

"I think we should meet this Carla," she said finally.

Lonnie and Rath glanced at each other, then Rath shrugged and Lonnie said, "That can be arranged."

The meeting broke up shortly after that, with promises of bringing Carla to meet the others the following day. They all left Michael's apartment, drifting to their respective homes, each lost in their own worried thoughts.

Outside Michael's apartment building, Liz caught up with Tess.

"Hey, Tess, wait!"

The blonde turned, eyes widening slightly in surprise. "What?" she demanded.

Liz glanced over her shoulder at Max, who was getting into his car with Isabel. For a moment, she hesitated, unable to form the right words. Then she said, "He still remembers Zan."

Tess blinked. "I know. I… I saw it. At the meeting."

"Me, too." The brunette chewed her lip, then said, "If he goes… or, I guess, _when_ he decides to go to the Summit… you'll go too, won't you?" She looked up at Tess, doe-eyed filled with the unasked question. If Max went, if her boyfriend decided to risk his life to save the planet, she had to know he wasn't going into this alone. She had to know he was going with someone that she could trust to protect him, to watch his back.

And she didn't trust Rath or Lonnie.

Tess nodded slowly. "When Max goes," she promised, "I'll be going, too."

* * *

"_He makes another bid for my throne and you say you cannot intervene?" Zan demanded, rising to his feet as he glared at the twelve others before him. The Council of the Five Worlds had gathered, each leader, flanked by their two Seconds, sitting around the large table._

"_It is not our place," King Larek replied cautiously, his eyes lowered slightly as he spoke. To his left, his stone-faced General echoed the sentiment with a derisive mutter. To his left, his closest Advisor looked uncomfortable, but nodded in agreement._

_Zan glared at the three of them. "You begged for me to intervene when your enemies lead a revolt against you, Larek. And I did. You held onto your thrown against that mob because I helped. And now you say you cannot extend the same courtesy to me?"_

_Larek looked miserable, but nodded all the same._

"_I suppose I should not be surprised," Zan sneered. "After all, you will only do something if it is in your own interest. Why would you bother caring about anyone else?"_

"_You cross the line, King Zan," Larek's Second-In-Command snarled, rising to his feet._

"_I have not even begun to cross the line," Zan snapped. "I only say what is true." He clenched his hands into fists as he eyed them. Larek had been one of his closest friends since childhood, and the fact that the other King could turn a blind eye to the plight of Antar was a betrayal he would not tolerate._

"_Khivar is not our concern," Queen Kathana announced. "When you intervened on behalf of Larek, it was to prevent a war that would upset the balance between our worlds. Khivar's bid for power does not threaten us."_

_Zan spun to face her. "And when I lend money or support to you? Tell me, why do I do that? It does not help me in anyway, and it does little to help our truces."_

"_A goodwill gesture," Queen Kathana's Advisor said, speaking up cautiously, "goes a long way towards protecting our truces. Your actions are political as well, King Zan. Do not presume to claim otherwise."_

_Zan opened his mouth to retort, but a soft voice from his left caused him to stop._

"_Do you really believe that the instability of war will not cause any problems for you?"_

_Queen Ava had risen to her feet, and placed a hand on her husband's arm, silently signaling that he should be seated once more. She did not look at him, however, but instead had her steady gaze fixed on Kathana._

_Zan took his seat, and Ava sat beside him once more. The ruler of each of the planets could choose whomever he wished to come with him, although it was customary for them to bring their General and their Advisor. But Zan always brought Ava instead of his Advisor because, for all intents and purposes, she was the closest advisor he would ever have, save Rath._

_To his left, the General Rath caught his eye, a worried look passing between the two. He knew, already, that this would not end well for them._

_King Hanar answered Ava's question in his usual gravelly voice, "Do you believe this will come to war, Ava?"_

_It was Rath who answered. "This Summit was called in an effort to keep the peace, King Hanar. Do you believe we would have called it were we not worried about the possibility of war?"_

"_I believe, General Rath," Hanar replied, "that you would do whatever necessary to prevent Khivar from taking control."_

"_Is that wrong?" Zan demanded hotly. "Our planet has systems by which our citizens may register complaints, may protest. He has bypassed all of them, and for what reason? Not because he does not think they work, but rather because he does not have any actual complaints. He wants power, that is all. He is not fit to lead. The resulting war will be devastating to my planet, and I wish to protect it from that."_

"_Do what you wish," the last of the reigning families, King Sero, said coolly. "But do not expect help from us."_

"_And this if the final decision of the Summit? The Council will hear no other arguments?" Ava asked._

"_We have spoken," Kathana replied. "And we have reached a decision." She let her gaze wander over the others, then asked, "Is there anyone present who wishes to change their opinion?"_

_It was the custom of the Council that even General and Advisors could vote in any decision, although, as they were appointed by the Leaders, they tended to vote with their planet. But, because of that rule, there were twelve votes to be cast by the other four planets._

_And it was unanimous._

_Larek would not meet Zan's eyes._

_Zan rose to his feet, Rath and Ava following quickly behind him. "Very well," he said tightly, his words laced with bitterness. "I hope you do not regret your decision."_

"_We are not unsympathetic to your dilemma, Zan," Sero said unemotionally. "But it is not our place to intervene in domestic affairs unless such affairs will become problematic for our peace. You must understand this, we have no choice."_

_Zan met Sero's gaze for a moment, then shook his head. "No, Sero, that is not true. You have a choice. You always have a choice. If you do not wish to help me in the fight against Khivar, then I cannot force you. I accept that. But do not do me the dishonor of lying to my face. We both know the reason you have chosen this is because you do not like the prosperity of Antar. You wish to see a conflict, because that will bring us down, will cause us to lose some of our power. You want that, so that once more you will not feel as though we threaten you. You will willingly condemn my planet and my people to a brutal civil war because of your own near-sighted desires and your own fears. Yet what proof do you have that war will not harm you? That Khivar will not harm you? You are fools, unwilling to see what is right before your eyes."_

"_You go too far," Larek's Second-In-Command repeated._

"_Look me in the eyes, any of you," Zan said fiercely, "and tell me that what I said was not true." There was a silence, then Zan shook his head in disgust and turned away from the others. "You disappoint me, all of you."_

_He turned and walked from the Council Chambers, leaving the Summit behind. Rath and Ava followed, and a heavy silence fell in their wake._

Max snapped awake so suddenly that for a moment he wondered if he was still dreaming. The shadows of his room twisted and turned before his blurry eyes, and he had to blink several times to clear his blurry vision. Then he sat up slowly in bed, feeling as though he had sprinted a marathon.

He was still gasping for breath.

He ran a hand through his hair and rose to his feet, reaching out to steady himself. He was swaying slightly, the world started to spin, and suddenly he was almost to dizzy to stand.

The door opened, and Isabel crept in, drawn to his room by some sisterly intuition that told her something was wrong with her brother.

"Max?"

He sat down on the bed, and she took a seat beside him.

"Are you alright?"

Max nodded. "Yeah, I just… a dream. A really vivid dream."

"Of what?" Isabel pressed.

Max sighed and licked his dry lips. "Our past lives. It was… odd. Sometimes I have flashes or vague dreams… I never really remember them. Or, if I do, it is always emotions and feelings, sensations… But this was… vivid. I can… remember it."

"What was it a memory of? What specifically?"

"A Summit meeting. With the Council of the Five Worlds." He looked at Isabel, then lowered his gaze. "I was asking for help… help stopping Khivar. They refused, all of them."

"And now they want to meet?" Isabel asked, surprised and confused.

"Yeah," Max answered bitterly. "They stood by and did nothing while Khivar started a war, and now they want peace." He gaze Isabel a serious look and added, "I don't think this Summit is going to be a whole lot of help."

"So don't go," Isabel suggested.

"I'll talk to Carla, see if I can get some details," Max mused contemplatively. "But I think… I think I am going. I want to see them… the four of them. I want to look them in the eyes again."

"Max…" Isabel started warningly.

He smiled at her, and said reassuringly, "It isn't pride, or revenge. Although both of those emotions are there… I certainly will take great pleasure in hearing them admit they were wrong. But I… I don't trust them. And I am not going to sit back and let them make any decisions about my planet without me there. If I don't go…" He shook his head and said firmly, "No, I'm going to be there. This is my planet, and I won't let them destroy it. Not again."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Big Apple

Due: Sun 4/26


	49. The Big Apple

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Forty-Nine: The Big Apple

Carla folded herself calmly into the seat offered to her, and let her gaze linger on the others in the room. She had not been particularly surprised by the summons, although she had half-hoped to spare herself this pointless waste of time. Still… if they wanted to be convinced, she would convince them.

So they were gathered once more in Michael's apartment, but this time the atmosphere had changed. Instead of a tension existing between the two hybrid clones and the rest of the group, all suspicion and hostility was directed towards Carla.

She did not mind. Very little phased her now, not after having been witness to war for so long. It was rather ironic, she reflected, that these hybrids actually thought they could be intimidating. They should have known better. If they'd ever experienced _real_ war, they _would_ have known better…

"What can I do for you?" the rebel skin asked sarcastically, fixing her steady green gaze on Max.

Max paused, collecting and organizing his thoughts. Then he said slowly, "How did you find Rath and Lonnie?"

Carla leaned forward, idly flicking a few strands of hair out of her face. "I was looking for them," she answered coolly, factually. "That was my assignment."

"Assignment?" Isabel asked curiously.

"We all have various tasks," Carla answered smoothly. "Mine was to locate the other set of Royals." Something moved across her face, a regretful emotion, and she added softly, "I was unfortunately too late to find all four of them."

Liz glanced quickly at Max, watching the contemplation in her boyfriend's eyes. She continued to study him even after the look had faded, searching his face for signs of Zan. Sensing her gaze, Max turned and gave Liz a questioning look. She flushed and snapped her attention back to Carla, but not before she caught Tess' frown of concern.

At least she wasn't the only one worried about Max.

"And this Summit…?" Isabel prompted.

Carla shrugged. "The other planets have been pushing it for a while. They're getting tired of the war. That's part of the reason we were so eager to find the other four." Again, she looked at Rath and Lonnie, and felt a twist of anxiety in her gut. She did not trust them.

But then, they did not trust her, either.

"Why did you need to find them?" Maria asked in her usual blunt and abrasive manner. "If you already knew where these four Czechoslovakians were," she gestured to Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess, "why did you need others?"

For a moment, Carla just stared at her, speechless.

It was Alex who sensed the problem and jumped in with an explanation. "She means aliens. Czechoslovakians is just a term we use when there are people around and we don't want to give away what we're saying. We don't want to be overheard by the wrong people."

"Oh… okay," Carla said, nodding. "That makes sense."

But before the skin could answer Maria's question, Lonnie cut in sharply, "What's the matter with waiting to find us? You think we should be left behind in the sewers while you guys play royalty with the other planets?"

"That's not what I meant," Maria shot back, annoyed. "But it seems like a waste of time to be searching all over the world for you when people are dying from a civil war."

"Look, sweetie," Rath said condescendingly, "we ain't a waste of time."

Carla intervened with a smirk, watching the sparks still lingering in Maria's defiant gaze, "We wanted to make sure we had covered all our bases." She shrugged, added delicately, "The other planets can be… problematic. And we believed that the more… power… we had going into the Summit, the easier it would be to end this war." Inclining her head to Maria, she said, "People are dying. _My_ people. And we did not wish to take any chances."

"What is going to happen at the Summit?" Max demanded.

Again, Carla shrugged. "It is hard to know exactly. But it our only chance at a peaceful resolution."

"The four other planets… they want this resolution?" Isabel questioned quietly.

Carla gave her a long look. The hybrid Princess obviously knew more than she was letting on, and judging by the tension that had fallen over Max's features when his sister asked the question, he had remembered something from the past. Something about the Council, something about the previous Summit.

Her lips split into an ugly smirk. "They want some form of resolution," she said coldly. "I doubt they care much how it resolves, so long as they end up with the upper hand."

Max nodded. "Sounds about right," he muttered under his breath.

Michael narrowed his gaze. "Anything you'd like to share, Maxwell?"

Max sighed and said slowly, "I remembered a couple things last night. The other worlds… I'm not sure they can be trusted."

"They're on Khivar's side?"

Max shook his head. "No. But they're not on ours, either."

"No," Carla agreed readily enough, "they're not. And if you don't go to this Summit, they will make plans without you. They will make agreements with Khivar, they will decide the fate on Antar. _Without you_."

"That's not going to happen," Max hissed instantly, his words tight, his tone firm. "Not again."

Carla gave a smirk as she replied, "I'm glad you and I agree on this one."

"But this still brings us back to the original problem," Alex spoke up. "We can't all just pick up and go to New York."

Max considered this for a moment, then turned to his sister. "Can you cover with Mom and Dad for me?"

"And say what?" Isabel demanded. "They're going to notice when you suddenly disappear for a few days. All the lies in the world won't fix that."

"I can leave in the morning, when Mom and Dad think I'm at school. Then I'll tell them I spent the afternoon at Michael's and stayed at Liz's late. You can tell them that you heard me come in around midnight, and they won't know any better."

"And the most, that will give you two days," Isabel muttered. "And that is if you're lucky."

"Then let's hope it won't take more than two days," Max answered grimly.

"And what about you, Queenie?" Rath asked, directing the attention to Tess.

"She doesn't need to come," Max inserted quickly into the conversation. Tess frowned at him, and Rath and Lonnie both looked momentarily taken aback by his words, but Carla just rolled her eyes and chuckled dryly.

"Your desire to protect the people you care about from everything, including unknown situations with potentially dangerous people, is admirable, it is also remarkably stupid."

"As much as I hate to say this," Maria said, "the Michael-worshipping Czechoslovakian is right. Tess should go with you. You need some kind of back up. And Sheriff Valenti can cover for Tess's absence."

"I'll have Rath and Lonnie," Max protested.

Michael snorted and replied, "I think she meant people that you'd known for more than thirty seconds."

"But…"

"Max, the only reason any of us are comfortable with this plan is because Tess is going to watch your back. It is a dangerous situation, and I am not letting my brother walk into it by himself," Isabel countered.

"I appreciate the concern, Izzy, but I don't think…"

"It isn't your decision, Max," Tess said quietly, in a tone that indicated there would be no arguing with her. "It's mine. And if you go, I'm going with you."

And that was the end of the discussion.

* * *

The sound of footsteps on the sidewalk behind her was enough to give Liz pause, and she glanced over her shoulder nervously. But the street was empty, except for the occasional car that passed by and disappeared around the distant corner. Still, she could not quite shake the feeling that she was being followed.

Instinctively, her hand reached for her cell phone, flipping it open and wondering who she should call. Her first thought was Max, but he'd be at home now, and not close enough to help her if she was actually in trouble.

"But jumpy, dontcha think?"

She started and spun around once more, dropping the cell phone. Her heart was hammering rapidly in her chest, but she forced herself to remain calm as she replied, "Rath. You startled me."

The hybrid dupe gave a feral smile. "So you're the king's new girl, huh?" he asked, sidling closer.

Liz stepped back, away from him. He wasn't invading her personal space, not physically, but there was something about his leer, about the look in his eyes, that made her feel as though he'd backed her into a corner.

"Shouldn't you be thinking about the Summit?" Liz asked sharply.

Rath smirked, eyes dancing with laughter. "Ah, sweetie, I already thought about it. Your duke and his Queenie are the ones obsessing over it. Way I see it, we ain't got nothin' to worry about."

"Max thinks you do," Liz countered, swallowing nervously. "And so does Carla. They think the other worlds can't be trusted."

"Well, of course they can't be trusted," Rath snorted dismissively, waving aside her concern with a careless flick of his hand. "It's a war, sweets, and no one can be trusted." He folded his arms over his chest and said in a completely different tone, "So, what do you all do for fun around here?"

Liz bit her lip, anxious and annoyed. "You leave for New York tomorrow morning. Don't you think you have more important things to think about than having fun?"

Rath stepped closer to her, and now he was invading her personal space, trapping her in between him and the building at her back. "There ain't ever anything more important than having fun," he drawled.

Liz clenched her hands tightly around her purse and glanced at the cell phone she had dropped. It was lying, partially open, on the sidewalk. The faint neon glow of the screen flickered for a moment, then died.

She'd forgotten to charge her battery.

Rath hadn't really done anything to incur her unease, and yet somehow she could not stop the telltale shiver that forced her to look away from him, dropping her gaze to the sidewalk. It was nothing, she told herself firmly.

Except that it wasn't nothing. She couldn't explain it, but she wasn't about to ignore the feeling that twisted in her gut.

"You didn't answer my question, sweetheart," Rath continued, pressing the advantage. "What do you do for fun? 'Cause I could sure think of a thing or two." He gave her a suggestive smirk. "Particularly since the duke ain't around."

She put her hands on his chest, pushing him forcefully backwards. "Stop it. That's just… wrong."

"Come on," Rath said, laughing as he caught her hands in his, "you sayin' you don't want to have fun?"

"Let go of me," Liz hissed, face flushed darkly. "Get your hands off of me."

He dropped her hands and stepped back, holding his arms up in a sign of surrender. But he wore that same untrustworthy smirk on his lips, and Liz wanted nothing more than to turn and run away.

She bent down, quickly reaching for her cell phone. Rath made no move to stop her, and she snapped it shut, stuffing it in the pocket of her sweatshirt. Then, in a voice she hoped sounded stronger than she felt, she said, "You really should be thinking about the Summit."

"Would you chill?" Rath said, his tone now taking on an exasperated groan. "I mean, really chill. I ain't gonna do nothing to you. Just wanted to see how loyal you were to that king of yours."

Liz's eyes narrowed. "Yeah?" she asked skeptically.

"Yeah," Rath replied with an emphatic nod. "You think I would do anything to you if you didn't want it?" He rolled his eyes at her and said irritably, "You gonna go runnin' back to that prissy friend of yours and tell her all about me, right? God, you guys are like the freakin' Brady Bunch."

It took Liz a moment to realize that 'prissy friend' referred to Maria. Thinking of Maria made her think of Michael, and she wrapped her arms tightly around herself, studying Rath's face. For all he looked like Michael, he certainly didn't act like the taciturn hybrid she knew.

She wondered, idly, what Zan had been like. Was he sweet and soft like Max, or hard and rough like Rath?

Did she want to know the answer to that?

"Well, what was I suppose to think?" Liz challenged him, eyebrows raised questioningly. "You were acting like a… a…" She couldn't think of the right word, and that made Rath's smirk grow.

Before she knew it, he had closed the distance between them entirely, and she was pressed up against the cool stone wall of the building, while Rath looked over her, his face only inches from hers.

"A pig? Is that the word you're lookin' for, darlin'?" he drawled. "You're missin' out, babe. Hot alien sex, I gotta tell you, is _so_ worthwhile."

"Get off me!" Liz screeched, throwing him backwards with all her might. Rath merely stumbled slightly, his larger frame keeping him upright against Liz's push. But it was enough space for Liz to slip past and run, her feet slapping against the sidewalk, her footsteps echoing in the stillness of the night as she put as much distance between herself and the reject hybrid General as possible.

After Liz had disappeared, Rath sighed and said, "You got somethin' to say, Princess? Or are you just gonna hide in the shadows and watch?"

"I got plenty to say, Rath," Lonnie replied as she stepped out of the space between two buildings. It was clear she had seem most of the confrontation, and her glittering eyes showed just how little she thought of Rath's actions. "And in ain't all about that little brat you wanna jump."

He turned to face her, "So say it."

"You wanna screw the king's girl? Go ahead, I ain't gonna care. But don't screw _this_, alright? We got too much ridin' on it, and I don't want no extra trouble."

"Extra trouble?" Rath repeated with a snort. "Lonnie, trouble's all we got right now."

"Like I said, no reason to make it worse. You wanna jump her? You want it badly enough that you'll risk this? The Summit might be our only shot to get off this God-forsaken planet, and you wanna waste that just to kick it with some goody-goody?"

"We don't know nothin' about the Summit. Just what Carla said. And I ain't trusting her."

"Obviously." Lonnie licked her dry lips and hesitated, then said, "It's still somethin' Rath. And with Ava out there…"

"I know," Rath said coolly, "but I can take care of our little Queen."

"You thought you could," Lonnie retorted, "but thing's is different now. _She's_ different. And you obviously ain't thinking with your head. Screw the brunette all you want, but _don't_ screw this up."

"I won't," Rath grumbled, his eyes flicking to the direction Liz had gone. "Maybe I'll just wait and have my fun when we get back from the Summit."

"You think we're comin' back?" Lonnie asked, surprised.

"I think I ain't leaving any messes behind," Rath replied grimly. "I don't like loose ends."

* * *

When Liz got back to her house, she was not quite able to keep the fear off of her features, and it was the first thing her mother noticed.

"Lizzie? Sweetheart? What's wrong?" Mrs. Parker asked in concern, following Liz up the stairs.

The brunette waitress paused at the top of the stairs and looked back at her mother. "I… nothing. It isn't… anything."

Mrs. Parker wasn't buying it, however. "Liz," she said, her tone filled with both warning and sympathy, "it is obviously something. Is it about a boy? Max? Or did you get in a fight with Maria or Alex?"

Liz shook her head wordlessly. "No, Mom. Nothing like that. I just…" she trailed off with a sigh. Her first instinct was to call Max and tell him what had happened, but that seemed like a bad idea. Max would most likely get furious with Rath, and they couldn't afford an argument like that, not with this Summit looming over their heads.

And anyway, what would she tell Max? Rath hadn't even really done anything. He'd been crude and a little intimidating, but so what? Teenage boys were crude all the time, and that certainly wasn't the first time she'd had boys hit on her. Particularly when she'd been dating Kyle, and his jock friends hadn't always had the best sense of decorum…

So Rath had made a few lewd comments, invaded her personal space, seriously freaked her out… But what was she supposed to do? Charge him with sexual harassment? He _hadn't_ done anything. In fact, he'd specifically said he wouldn't have ever done anything she didn't want him to do. He'd said he'd been testing her loyalty, and she'd apparently passed.

So why did she feel so nervous?

"Liz?" Mrs. Parker prompted when Liz remained silent for too long.

Liz forced a smile. "It's nothing. I just ran into a couple of boys from school, and they were being their usual barbaric selves. Some of Kyle's friends."

Mrs. Parker clicked her tongue in annoyance. Although she had never gotten to know any of Kyle's friends, she'd heard enough snippets of conversations that passed between Liz and Maria, and from off-hand comments Liz would make about them. And she knew enough to know she didn't like them, although she hoped it was just a phase. Most boys were immature as teenagers, and maybe they would grow out of it, would become mature adult men.

"Don't worry," Liz said, "it's no big deal. I told them to get lost, and they did."

Mrs. Parker nodded, then climbed the last of the stairs and pressed a kiss onto Liz's forehead. "That's my girl," she said proudly. "But you let me know if they ever cross a line, won't you?"

"Of course," Liz promised, and her mother turned and walked back down the stairs. She watched her mother go for a moment, then walked to her room. Maybe she should warn Max, just something vague, so that he was on his guard. Maybe she should give him a hint or two, or maybe she should just call Tess instead. But either way, she knew one thing for certain.

She did not trust Rath.

* * *

The plane ride to New York was about six hours, and that gave Tess and Max both plenty of time to reflect on the task ahead of them. They'd divided up the seats, with Rath and Lonnie sitting two rows ahead of them. It meant that, though they would have to talk in low whispers, they did have some opportunity to discuss the upcoming Summit without being overheard.

Max, however, had other concerns and questions on his mind.

"Why is New York called the Big Apple?"

Tess gave him an incredulous look. "We're going to meet with other Czechoslovakian leaders to discuss world peace and _that's_ what you're thinking about?"

"I think it is a good question," Max defended himself stubbornly. "Don't you ever wonder about that?"

"I don't know," Tess said in an annoyed huff. "Maybe they had giant apples there. Maybe they had giant apple trees. Who cares?"

"Well, if it had to do with real apples," Max countered thoughtfully, "then shouldn't it apply to New England or Washington State? Those are the places with the apple orchards."

"Maybe the Big Apple is a metaphor for something," Tess said. "Why does it matter? It isn't going to help us end a civil war, is it?"

The guy in the seat next to Tess, a nondescript businessman with a bored expression perpetually plastered to his face, turned to Tess with a little start, obviously intrigued by her comment. But not intrigued enough to look any less bored than he had moments before.

Tess ignored him.

"You never know," Max replied. "It might be important. It might…"

"How, Max?" Tess drawled. "Do you really think they're going to give you a pop quiz before letting you into the Summit? And even if you were, do you think _that_ would be the question they would ask?"

Max turned to her with a frown. "How can you not be curious about this?"

"I'm just not," Tess retorted, her words dripping with contempt. "After all, I'm not as much of an idiot as you are."

"Remind me again why you're the one coming with me?" Max grumbled.

"Because Lonnie isn't Isabel and Rath isn't Michael and none of us from Roswell actually want you to die," Tess whispered, lowering her voice as much as possible. She ran a hand through her curls and sighed, "Although I'm starting to rethink that decision."

"That's sweet," Max muttered sarcastically.

The businessman gave Max and Tess one last look, apparently decided they weren't worth his interest, and went back to staring in boredom out the window, murmuring something under his breath about the annoyance of six hour plane rides.

"Liz texted me right before we got on the plane," Max said softly.

Tess raised an eyebrow. "Everything alright?"

"She said she had a bad feeling about Rath," Max whispered. "But I don't know why. I tried calling her back, but she didn't answer her phone."

"Are you worried?"

Max did not answer right away. He stared up ahead at the two hybrid dupes two rows ahead of them. They weren't talking, it was clear from the little of Lonnie he could see that she was staring blankly out the window. Rath, who had the middle seat, appeared to be asleep, although Max wasn't about to raise his voice and risk being overheard.

"Yes," he said finally. "Liz doesn't just panic and decide people can't be trusted. If anything, she's too trusting."

Tess accepted this thoughtfully. It was true, of course. That was how Maria and Alex had ended up learning the truth, because Liz had finally given in to their nagging. Well, Alex had read it in her journal, but Liz had agreed to his assumptions, and even filled in some of the details for him.

But Liz was also paranoid when it came to Max. She couldn't really blame the doe-eyed brunette, not after what had happened during the past months. But still… Liz did tend to see danger to Max everywhere she looked. That was part of the reason she had gone out of her way to make sure Tess would be going along on this trip, after all.

Tess glanced at Max, then up at Rath's form sprawled along the seats.

"I get… cold… when I'm around him," she murmured. "I don't know… Liz could be entirely wrong and I might be overreacting, but… I don't trust him either."

"I'm glad you came," Max said after a minute. "I didn't… still don't… want to put you in any danger. But I'm glad you came."

Tess shrugged a little uncomfortably, unnerved as always by Max's ability to be open and emotional. It was one of the things she could never get used to about the Evanses, how they all shared their feelings with each other. As though it was normal…

She thought of Jim. He had not been thrilled about this plan, but she had been adamant that she was not going to let Max go by himself, and at some point her adopted father and caved and said he would cover for her. He didn't say how worried he was, didn't say that he loved her and didn't want her to get hurt… but she saw it in his eyes. She saw that he hated this, hated that he couldn't protect her from her enemies. Hated that she was flying off into danger, and he was helpless to do anything for her.

That was the kind of communication she was used to, silent and simple, very few words involved.

"What do you think of Carla?" she asked finally.

Max shook his head. "Snake. Viper. Self-serving, self-interested. Don't like her. Don't trust her." He reflected for a moment on the rebel skin with the glittering green eyes and cold voice. She seemed even less trustworthy than Courtney or Nasedo, and he certainly didn't trust either of them.

She was sitting somewhere in the back of the plane, away from the other four, and Max was not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He was glad she wasn't around to listen in on their conversation, but at the same time, he couldn't help but wish she was somewhere where he could keep an eye on her.

"Yeah," Tess agreed. "Sounds about right." She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, lost in thought.

Max stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes as well. It was going to be a long flight, which gave him plenty of time to brood over the upcoming Summit. He didn't know what would happen or what the other leaders would be like, but his memory of them, of the last Summit, was filled with such bitter anger and resentment, that he couldn't help but think he was already doomed to dislike them.

After all, they'd screwed him over once before, and he had the sinking sensation that they'd be happy to do it again if they felt it best suited their interests.

His mind wandered to Larek. The name sounded so familiar, and it stirred something in his chest. He knew this Larek, had been friends with him. Close friends, close enough to be a confidant. Maybe even something akin to brothers.

And Larek had turned his back on him when he needed help the most.

He opened his eyes and glanced down at his hands, finding them curled into fists. He took a deep breath, tried to let go of the anger that consumed him. Slowly, he unclenched his fists, flexing his fingers.

It was going to be a very long flight, he thought regretfully, and that would give him far too much time to brood. So, instead, he tried to get some rest, forcing himself to think of happier thoughts. Like Liz.

Six hours later, as the plane touched down along the runway of JFK International Airport in New York City, Max turned to Tess and said, "Seriously, though, why do you think it is called the Big Apple?"

* * *

Next Chapter: The Five Worlds

Due: Sun 5/3


	50. The Five Worlds

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Any dialogue you recognize is probably taken from the episode _Max in the City_. Also, just a reminder that while Rath and Lonnie are working with Carla, they are _not_ working with Nicolas. They don't necessarily want Max dead, they just want to get home. By any means necessary.

Also, it was brought to my attention - at least I think this was the point of the review - that they wouldn't have texting on cell phones back when this is supposed to take place. I have no idea when texting was invented, but for the sake of this story, they've got it. If it doesn't jive with real life... well, this _is_ fiction.

* * *

Chapter Fifty: The Five Worlds

Max could not help the concern that rose within him, pounding against his chest. He watched in silence as Rath and Lonnie clambered onto the subway, pushing their way easily through the masses of people. Next to him, Tess shifted uncomfortably, and he could see his own worry reflected in her blue eyes.

He had been so determined to come, and that determination still lingered, but it was mixed with caution and apprehension. Even as he took a seat next to Tess on the subway, listening to the cacophony of sound all around, he couldn't help but wonder how this all would end.

What did he really know about war and peace and politics?

And that was his greatest fear. That he'd come to this Summit, and he would sit down before the other four leaders, and instead of seeing Zan, king of Antar, they would see a clueless kid from New Mexico, a teenager pretending to be someone he was not.

"Max," Tess whispered, "breathe."

He gave her a look, but nodded slowly, reluctantly. There wasn't a whole lot else he could do at the moment, he reasoned, so he took a slow breath and tried to feel as though the weight on an entire world was not resting on his shoulders.

They rode in silence for a while, until eventually Rath got to his feet and indicated for Max and Tess to do the same. They followed him off the subway car on onto the platform, with Lonnie trailing behind.

"You guys wanna do some sightseeing or somethin'?" Rath asked with a cool sneer and a lifted eyebrow.

"I think I'd like to rest," Tess said, stifling a yawn. Neither she nor Max had slept much on the six hour flight, and Max could see the exhaustion written along the lines of her face. Resting was a good idea, particularly given the need for them to be fully awake and alert at the Summit the next day. But despite that, he had a more pressing matter on his mind.

"Where's Carla?"

"Alerting the others," Lonnie answered with a shrug. "Got get that Summit all scheduled, right? It's intergalactic, takes a bit of time for the other four to get here."

"Keep your voice down," Max hissed, looking around quickly to make sure they weren't being overheard.

But Lonnie just laughed and rolled her eyes. "Sweetie," she drawled, "this is New York. Ain't no one here gonna give you a second look, no matter what you say."

And that seemed to be true enough. The platform was crowded with all sorts of people, well-dressed businessmen and women, college students in jeans and sweatshirts, high school kids in baggy clothes or tight skirts, and every possible color of hair dye and array of body piercings or tattoos. No one even bothered looking at Max and Tess, and only a few spared a second to glance at Rath and Lonnie, with their eccentric appearances.

"You wanna go back to our crib, Queenie?" Rath asked, leering at Tess.

It was Max who answered, "Sure, that sounds good," before Tess could get a word in edgewise. But the blonde just shrugged and followed the others and Lonnie lead the way across the platform towards a tunnel that disappeared back into the sewers.

Tess wrinkled her nose and muttered, "There had better not be rats."

They walked quickly, picking their way through the damp and dismal tunnels. The air was cold and filled with moisture, and a smell of mildew and rot tainted the air. Max shivered despite himself, and his feeling of unease and discomfort grew even stronger.

Eventually, the sewer tunnels opened out into a flat stretch of space, dimly lit by thin beams of light from the cracks in the ceiling above them. Lonnie crossed the room and flung herself on the sofa pushed up against the far wall, while Rath folded his arms over his chest and watched Max and Tess.

"Not quite Mayberry, is it?" Lonnie remarked casually.

"So… this is where you were born?" Max asked tentatively, glancing past Lonnie to the rest of the room, the chairs scatted about, the cabinet at the far wall, the floor littered with crumpled pieces of paper and fast food wrappers.

"Day One," Rath answered. "Wake up, crawl out of the membranes, and… here we are. Steppin' out of our pods into the brave new world of the sewers."

"And you live here now?" Tess asked, unable to keep the distaste from her voice.

Lonnie fixed her with an icy stare as she replied sarcastically, "Beats livin' in Brooklyn."

Max could practically feel the tension in the air, and he did not like the way Rath was staring at Tess, with a calculating and predatory smirk. Lonnie, too, bothered him, although for different reasons, ones he could not identify. He shifted from foot to foot, then walked further into the room, determined to change the subject, to bring the conversation back around to the salient point.

"I want to talk about the Summit," he said firmly. "When, where, what kind of…"

"Chill, duke," Rath cut in, turning away from Tess long enough to give Max an impish stare. "All this will come in good time, I'm sure."

"The time is now," Max countered, his tone laced with steel.

"Boys," Lonnie interrupted, "don't make me get off this couch and sort things out for the two of you. Just cool it, alright?" To Max, she added, "Look, we told you all we know. Without Carla, you demanding answers ain't gonna make anything happen. Wait until she contacts us, then we'll know."

"It's our Summit," Max protested, "and I don't like waiting for permission from a skin."

"Well, you ain't gonna be able to do anything about it now," Lonnie countered logically. "So why don't you not waste your time throwin' your kingly weight around. Let's talk about somethin' else."

"Like what?" Max asked with a weary sigh.

Lonnie gave him a suggestive wink. "How's about that hot brunette of yours?" she replied, lips curving into a lascivious grin. "You guys done the deed yet?"

"We're not talking about Liz," Max replied sternly, glaring at the lookalike of his sister. She seemed less and less like Isabel every time she opened her mouth, and the hybrid King could not shake the feeling that she, too, was trouble. But so far neither of them had done anything, and he did need to go to this Summit…

"Don't know why you bother with her," Rath remarked, coming to sit over by Lonnie. "Hot alien sex, that's where it's at, duke." His gaze flicked to Tess as he continued, "Accept no imitations. You should be doin' your Queenie, not that prissy little lovesick brunette."

Anger flared in Max, both at the slight to Liz and at the look in Rath's eyes, the leer that he had sent towards Tess. The normally quiet hybrid took a threatening step towards Rath, his words harsh, bitten off at the ends as he ordered tersely, "I told you to leave Liz out of this. _And_ Tess."

"Chill," Rath replied, raising his hands in a sign of surrender even as his eyes were filled with mocking.

"The Summit," Max prompted. "I want to know…"

"Look, all Carla said is that you gotta meet with the emissary. You gotta pass a little test, show that you're the real king and not some fake. Then we go. Now will you chill? We'll get you to the church on time."

Max nodded reluctantly, knowing there was little else he could say or do at the moment besides wait.

* * *

It was a few hours later when Carla finally contacted them, informing them that it was time for Max to meet the emissary. So they stood, Rath and Max together, in an empty alley near the northern end of midtown, waiting.

"You got it together?" Rath asked.

Max gave a slow nod, although his mind was not on the task before him. He had left Tess and Lonnie behind, and though he knew Tess was more than capable of taking care of herself, he still did not like it. They were stronger together, as a team, than they could ever hope to be separated.

He wondered, briefly, how Isabel was faring. Had she managed to cover for him with his parents?

That particular line of thought was cut off by the sound of heals on the ground, and Max turned to see Carla approaching, leading another man behind her. The man, the emissary, walked forward purposefully and paused in front of Max, giving him a long, piercing look.

"Uh… hi," Max said nervously, wondering if he was supposed to introduce himself.

But the emissary ignored his words, and instead lifted a hand, placing it behind Max's head. Max could not see what was happening, but a moment later something warm seemed to burst into his head, and then an image was projected before his eyes. The image was filled with a swirling mist of blue and black, but then five spheres of light formed, circling each other before ending in the shape of a V.

The emissary lowered his hand and the image faded. "Thank you," he said in a gruff voice. "You've passed the test… your Highness." And then he turned and walked away just as abruptly as he had come, leaving Rath, Max, and Carla standing alone in the alley.

* * *

"I passed," Max announced as he entered Rath and Lonnie's lair.

Tess looked up, a sarcastic smile gracing her features as she said, "Well, we did know you would pass. You are the king, after all." Then she looked past Max at Rath and Carla, and her eyes narrowed slightly on the rebel skin.

Carla smiled, not looking particularly worried by Tess' obviously unfriendly gaze. "The Summit will be tonight, at midnight."

"A little melodramatic, don't you think?" Tess commented dryly, rising from her seat on the sofa. She walked quickly to Max, wanting to stand by him, as though somehow the mere appearance of a united front might make her feel safer. She had not liked letting Max leave on his own, but she hadn't been able to come up with a decent argument against it, not without insulting Rath and Lonnie.

And, for right now, she felt the need to stay on their good sides, to avoid unnecessary agitation.

Carla shrugged in response. "They're a melodramatic group," she answered casually, calmly. "Anyway, they need some time to get it all together. Takes a bit of planning to possess the right people, after all."

"Possess?" Max asked, voicing the same question that was running through Tess' mind.

"Sure. The other four leaders aren't about to leave their planets," Carla answered as though it was obvious, as though she could not believe Max was even asking her such questions.

"So they possess humans?" Tess asked with a frown.

"Yeah. The humans serve as a vessel. The leaders reach out with their minds and take control of that vessel. Then the humans walk around like puppets, doing whatever the aliens need them to do. When it is all done, the alien leaders release their hold on the humans. And the humans don't remember what's happened to them. They think they've been abducted or something like that."

"But why don't they just come in person?" Tess pressed. "This Summit is important, isn't it?"

"Of course," Carla replied dismissively, and with an air of condescension, "but space _is_ rather large. It isn't easy to get around, and nobody comes to Earth unless it is absolutely necessary. A last resort, if you will." She turned to Max and added, "The only way anyone will come here in person is if you cut a deal with the others and find a way to get yourself home."

Tess gaped. "We can go home?"

"If duke here makes it happen," Rath interrupted smoothly. "You make a deal, bring peace and all that, and we gonna be heading home. Gonna live happily ever after, once we kick Khivar off your throne."

"Our mother sent us here for safekeeping," Lonnie added in a low murmur, "hopin' we'd come home one day. Well, that day is here and now."

"All the worlds are desperate," Carla agreed, "and so is Khivar. He wants the fighting to end, and this is your chance to send him back where he belongs."

Tess ran a hand through her hair as she watched Max, watched him struggle to absorb what he was learning. She knew that he had always considered the idea of returning home someday, but, like herself, he hadn't expected it to be so soon. And now that the Summit was sending this possibility sprawling into their laps…

Everything was happening much to quickly for her liking.

"What about Michael and Isabel?" Max asked finally. "Would they come back as well?"

"People are expecting the Royal Four, not the Royal Six," Rath replied.

Carla, however, said adroitly, "It could probably be arranged. These are all things for you to work out in the Summit." And as she spoke, Tess noticed that Carla gave Rath an unreadable look, so fleeting that the hybrid Queen thought she might have imagined it.

They still had a few hours until the Summit, and so Tess reclaimed her seat on the sofa and curled her legs into he chest, watching the others. Rath and Lonnie were eating hamburgers and fries, and Carla sat apart from the others, her exression grim as she wrote rapidly on a notebook. The time passed quietly enough, until Max came to her side and whispered, "We need to talk."

Tess rose to her feet and announced, "Max and I are going to take a walk."

Rath looked up and questioned with a callous smirk, "A _walk_? Is that what you lot are callin' it nowadays? Well, you go ahead and do what you wanna, duke, and I won't tell that little human of yours that you're two-timing her."

Tess felt her face heat up at the implication, but she simply rolled her eyes at Rath and did not bother replying. Max looked upset, but Tess rested her hand on his arm and gave him a warning glance. There was no reason to start anything now, not with the Summit so close.

Lonnie didn't even look up from her hamburger. "Don't get lost," she instructed.

They walked in silence for a while, clambering out into the street. The sun was setting, and the air was cold, getting colder every moment as night crept forward. Tess shivered and pulled her coat more tightly around her body, silently wishing she had thought to bring a hat with her.

"Christmas will be here soon," Max said, a little unnecessarily. "Can you believe that? Almost seven months since we found out the truth about who we were in the past…"

Tess didn't answer right away. Instead, she glanced up at the sky, at the faint glimmer of distant stars that began to shine now that the sun was disappearing. Once upon a time, they had been nothing more than dots of white light against and inky black background. Now, they meant so much more than that.

"Seems like forever ago," she murmured finally.

Max gave a dry chuckle. "I know the feeling."

"Max…" She stopped, a little unsure, then said, "I'm worried about Carla."

"Me, too," Max agreed readily enough. Then he stopped, turned to Tess with a serious expression and said, "What specifically are you worried about?"

"She's supposed to be one of the rebel skins. Like Courtney. Right?" As Max nodded, Tess groped for the right words to explain her fears. It took a moment, then she said, "So why is she talking to you and not Rath? You've seen how Courtney acts around Michael, how she looks at him. But Carla… she's talking to you like you're the king… like you're the king she wants. But we both know you aren't."

Max accepted this with a thoughtful frown, and Tess was relieved to see that the anger she had expected to flare at her words was kept tightly in check. He could not have been thrilled by her reminder that there was an entire faction out there that believed he was a lousy king, and his second-in-command would have done a better job at leading.

But hard though it was to hear, Max nodded at her words.

"She wants to get to the Summit," Max agreed finally, "by any means necessary. She doesn't care how it happens."

"Why?" Tess pressed. She didn't have a good answer to that question, although she had a few possible ideas. But it was evident that Max wasn't sure of the answer either, and he gave an uncomfortable shrug. There were far too many unknowns.

"I have to tell you something," Max started.

"You aren't going to confess your undying love, are you?" Tess quipped. "Because you already did that once, and it almost ruined everything for us."

Max huffed impatiently and continued as though she had not spoken, "I remember a bit about these leaders. Kathana, Sero, Hanar…" and infinitesimal pause, "and Larek."

"Larek?"

"I think I was friends with him. Or, at least, Zan was. But Larek turned on us in the end, went along with the others when they decided not to intervene despite Khivar's attempts to start war."

"And the others?"

"I do not think I ever liked King Sero. And he certainly did not like me. I don't know if he was sympathetic to Khivar, but he truly did not care about the civil war… I think his dislike for me might have played a role in his decision." Max ran a hand through his hair absently and added, "Kathana and Hanar were harder to judge. I'm not sure of their motives, besides the obvious wanting to see Antar brought down."

"So we will have to be wary of this Sero," Tess muttered, "and cautious around… Kathana and Hanar, you said?"

"Yes."

"And Larek…?"

Max sighed. "He might be more sympathetic to us, but I'm not sure I can look him in the eyes and not… not feel the same anger from that memory. He betrayed us. He felt guilty about it, but… he turned his back on us when we needed him."

"Don't let your anger blind you," Tess cautioned.

Max nodded, and they continued walking in silence.

At last, Max said, "Rath and Lonnie… any more insights into them?"

Tess' blue eyes hardened as she replied, "There is something off about Rath. The way he looks at me…" She chewed her lip, not wanting to make this suggestion, but knowing it had to be said, "When Liz texted you to say that you couldn't trust Rath… did she say anything else? Had she… seen him?"

Max shook his head, but the rage in his eyes was enough to tell Tess that he had been thinking the same thing. "If he did something to her…" he started, his words a low threat.

"Then she would have told you," Tess interrupted quickly, reassuringly. "If he did anything… actually _did_ something… you know she would have told you. Still…" she trailed off with a sigh, shrugging hesitantly before finishing, "maybe you should call her. Just to… check in?"

Max nodded and pulled out his cell phone, and Tess watched as he dialed the number and stepped away from her for some privacy with the conversation. But it was short, too short, and she knew he must have reached a machine. With frustration, she watched him hang up the phone and turn back.

It was probably nothing, but she didn't like the fact that he hadn't been able to reach Liz. She didn't like the feeling of being cut off from all the others.

She met Max's gaze for a moment, then looked away, back up at the sky.

And sent a fervent prayer to whatever higher power might be listening, that they would somehow manage to navigate this mess.

* * *

"If you get into trouble," Carla instructed, giving Max some last minute advice, "just look to me and I will help you out."

They were standing outside the entrance to a conference room, the conference room which would hold the Summit. Max was shifting with nervous energy, and Tess felt her own apprehension growing with every passing second. Still…

"I think he'll handle it," she said, not so much because she actually believed it, but because she knew he needed the reassurance, and all their lives were resting on how well he managed this.

"Someone talkin' to you, Queenie?" Rath demanded.

"Alright, that's it," Max said sharply, giving Rath an angry look, "let's get something clear right here, right now. I'm the one who passed the emissary's test. And that means, from now on, I'm the one in charge." He let his gaze move from Rath to Lonnie, and then finally it came to fall on Carla. "Got it?"

There was a nod of assent from everyone present, and Rath muttered under his breath, "Alright. Chill. You're the king."

"And she has a name," Max added, jerking his head at Tess even as he continued to glare at Rath. "It's Tess."

"You will be fine," Lonnie said with a smirk. "Just keep that attitude, Max. You are in charge, and these other worlds… they've come to _you_ for help. Remember that."

Max nodded, then stepped forward and pushed open the door to the conference room, and Tess quickly stepped to his side, entering the Summit with him.

The room was ordinary and plain, with one a single long table set in the middle, surrounded on either side be several chairs. Most of the chairs were empty, there were only four people sitting at the table. However, one looked incredibly familiar, and Tess heard Max utter what she had been thinking.

"Brody?"

"It's Larek, actually," the man answered, and Tess saw Max stiffen. Larek continued, "Are you Zan?"

"They tell me that used to be my name," Max answered. "But now my name is Max. Max Evans."

"If he does not know who he is, how can he be of any help to us?" the only woman said distastefully.

Max gave her a thin smile as he answered, "I am here because I passed the emissary's test, Queen Kathana. I have a different name now, but I am still the King of Antar."

Tess struggled to keep back the triumphant smirk that momentarily crossed her features as Kathana was rendered temporarily speechless by Max's words.

"Please, be seated, Max," Larek said, gesturing towards the empty seats to his right. Max complied, and Tess slid into the seat next to him, while Rath and Lonnie both pulled their chairs out from the table and sat back, further towards the wall.

Carla remained standing.

"I believe there is no reason to begin this with any sort of formal preliminaries," Larek said briskly, coming straight to the point. "We all know why we are here."

"Indeed," one of the other men said, and he gave Max a look of such dislike that Tess decided it was safe to assume that he was Sero.

Max looked Larek in the eyes and, from the stiff line off his jaw and the hardness in his gaze, it was clear that he had no intention of making this any easier for his one-time friend.

"I presume, Larek," Max said quietly, "that you mean to imply we all agree there is a need to stop this fighting? That perhaps the civil war is a concern of yours after all?"

Larek flushed at the implied accusation. But he pressed onward all the same. "We are here in the spirit of reconciliation," he said firmly. "We are not here to rehash the past, point fingers, or assign blame."

"Can we get on with it?" Kathana asked impatiently. "We've been at war for nearly fifty years. Our worlds are suffering. Khivar attacks Sero, Sero attacks Hanar, Hanar attacks Larek, Larek attacks me. The situation is intolerable."

"Agreed," Hanar said emphatically, his voice hoarse and gravelly. "We must find a solution. And soon. The longer we wait, the harder it will be to make peace."

"You have waited fifty years," Max pointed out logically. "What makes you think peace if even possible now? We may be too late to end the war."

"If you can form some form of agreement with Khivar, we will support you," Kathana suggested. "You could end the war through a peace treaty. Make a deal."

"A deal?" Max repeated incredulously. "Do you really think it is that simple?" Before Kathana could answer, he continued, "And what kind of support are you suggesting? Military? Monetary? Diplomatic? Political?"

"Political, certainly," Sero said with a distasteful sigh. "With our support, Khivar will be foolish not to accept an treaty you offer him."

"Is that it?" Max demanded. "You destroy my planet, and all you have to offer are pretty words?"

"Careful, Max," Tess whispered, resting her hand on his arm. Making sure her voice was low enough that the others would not hear, she added, "Don't let your temper get too out of control."

He slanted a look at her, but then nodded slowly. "I would like monetary support as well. Help in rebuilding the institutions that were destroyed during the civil war. Can you offer me that?"

"If you wish it," Larek agreed, and Hanar nodded as well.

Tess glanced quickly at Carla, and saw the same unreadable look in her eyes. Then she turned her attention to Rath and Lonnie, and both of them seemed pleased by the meeting so far. But Tess could not ignore the voice in the back of her mind, the quiet words whispering to her, telling her that something was wrong.

She looked at Max, and he stared back at her, and she knew he felt it, too.

"This is leading somewhere," Max whispered to her. "They… they've got something planned. They want to back me into a corner."

"How?"

"I don't know." Max turned back to the leaders of the other four worlds and said, "And what sort of provisions would you want me to put in this treaty with Khivar? What would make it acceptable to you?"

"Those are small details, and can be worked out later, if you agree to this plan," Sero said coolly.

"And if I don't agree to it?" Max asked.

"It is your choice, Max. If you do not agree to it, we will not force you," Larek said quickly, reassuringly.

"But we also would be unable to offer our support in your fight against Khivar," Kathana added.

And that, Tess knew, was part of the trap. They had to agree to the conditions of the other four planets, or they would not be able to defeat Khivar, to stop the civil war and end the needless bloodshed and suffering. But there was more to it, something else coming, something she wished she could stop. If she just knew what it was…

Max drew a slow breath, then asked, "And how do you know Khivar is even willing to make a deal with me?"

"Oh, he is willing."

Tess started and twisted in her seat, glancing back at the open door behind her, back towards the source of the voice that had spoken. Nicolas Crawford strode into the room, a cool smile touching the corners of his lips. He inclined his head to Max, then nodded to the other leaders and took a seat at the table across from Kathana.

"Did you start without me?" he asked with a mock-wounded tone.

"You're late," Sero said in annoyance.

"It seems like I am right on time," Nicolas countered. "Max, good to see you. And Tess."

Rath leaned forward and asked Max in a low tone, "You know him?"

"Long story," Max replied grimly.

"Be careful," Rath hissed.

Max gave a sardonic smile and answered, "That much I know."

Nicolas began speaking right away, not wasting any time. "Khivar has an offer. He will abdicate the throne and allow the Royal Four to return home under the following conditions; Max becomes king only in name, and all real power remains with Khivar. Max calls upon his followers to lay down their weapons and support the new government. And, most importantly… Max returns the Granolith to us."

Larek looked up sharply. "The Granolith?"

Nicolas nodded to Larek as he replied, "No, it is no longer on our world. And yes, we've known about it for a long time. No, Khivar did not feel theneed to tell you. And yes, we know where it is. It's with Max."

"Is this true?" Kathana asked, and Tess did not like the gleam in the other woman's eyes.

"Yes," Max answered slowly, "it is true."

"So, there you have it. Max comes home with the Granolith, and all is forgiven."

Max considered this for a moment, then asked, "And you would also have some conditions to put in that agreement, Larek? Kathana, Hanar, Sero?"

"We would."

To Nicolas, Max asked, "And what does Khivar propose to do if I refuse this offer of his? Or ask to negotiate?"

"Negotiation may be possible," Nicolas said slowly, "but if you refuse outright… our offer would be withdrawn, as would all possibilities of future peace."

"That would be a rash decision on your part, Max," Larek cautioned.

"It would mean continued war for Khivar as well," Max reasoned, "and he cannot possibly want that."

"We have other ways of lessoning the bloodshed," Nicolas replied enigmatically, "other people who can call for peace. Your support would be… ideal… but it is not absolutely necessary."

"Who else?" Max demanded. "It would have to be another royal, and you certainly do not have the support of Michael or Isabel."

Around the table, Kathana and Hanar shifted in their seats, anticipation reflected in their eyes. Sero looked pleased, and Nicolas was wearing his usual triumphant smirk. Only Larek seemed less than thrilled about this part of the conversation, and he kept his eyes averted from Max and Tess, unwilling to meet either of their gazes.

And that was how Tess knew the rest of the trap was about to fall on them.

"Max, may I introduce the newest member of my faction?" Nicolas said smoothly, rising to his feet and gesturing towards the door of the conference room.

Max and Tess turned, and Tess felt her heart stop beating.

She was staring at herself. Short hair, pink and black streaks, piercings and heavy makeup… but there was no mistaking those facial features, or the sapphire blue eyes. Max stiffened as well, and Carla looked stunned. But it was Rath and Lonnie who seemed the most horrified by the other girl's presence.

"Hello, Rath. Lonnie," Ava said maliciously as she walked into the room. "Nice to see you both again. We have a lot of catching up to do."

* * *

Next Chapter: Ava

Due: Sun 5/10


	51. Ava

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Just a reminder that in my story Nicolas is a lot older than on the show. Instead of being a teenager, he is an adult, in his mid-thirties or so.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-One: Ava

"_So… who exactly are you?" Ava asked softly, hugging her arms tightly around herself as she stared at Nicolas from her perch on the edge of the hotel bed._

"_You don't remember a whole lot of your past, do you?" Nicolas asked with a friendly smile obviously meant to put her at ease._

"_Um… not much. Just… bits and pieces. Flashes." Ava chewed her lip worriedly, pushing at her cropped hair. The short strands fell through her fingers and flipped back into her eyes. She gave up with a huff of impatient, but did not take her eyes from Nicolas._

_He sighed. "Do you remember Khivar?"_

"_He took Zan's throne," Ava replied, shivering a little at the name of the man she had killed. The bruises on her throat and cheek had faded slightly, but still shone out starkly against her pale skin. But it was the bruises that no one could see, the ones that layered over her soul and her spirit, that bothered her more._

"_Right," Nicolas agreed. "Well, I'm his brother."_

_Ava was on her feet as soon as the words left his mouth, her eyes flashing with anger. "Then you're the enemy! You didn't tell me that." She spun away from him, feeling betrayed and hurt, but strangely not frightened. "But I suppose it explains how you so conveniently showed up right when I needed someone to turn to…"_

"_I'm not the enemy, Ava. I'm not _your_ enemy," Nicolas replied patiently._

"_Your brother killed us," Ava sneered, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Your brother stole Zan's throne and took over his planet…"_

_Nicolas walked quickly forward, but paused before he had reached Ava as though worried he might scare her. But she wasn't scared, and though she knew she shouldn't trust him, there was nothing about this situation that put her at ill ease._

"_Your enemy," Nicolas said softly, "is the person who gave you those bruises."_

_She flinched and lowered her gaze, looking down at the carpet. Around Zan, she'd always felt a discomfort, a sense of perpetual worry. She was always slanting sideways glances at him, always waiting for the next angry glare, the next harsh word, the next threat, the next slap that knocked her to the ground. She loved him enough to stay with him for ten years…_

…_and she hated him enough to throw him in front of an oncoming vehicle._

_Nicolas was standing directly behind her at that point, and he placed a hand tentatively on her shoulder. "What happened on Antar was… unfortunate. Believe me, this is not how we want everything to end. And I am _not_ your enemy. "_

"_I loved him," Ava whispered._

"_Did he love you?" Nicolas asked in reply, dropping his hand._

_She didn't answer. She couldn't answer, not at the moment. She didn't know the answer to that question anymore, and she was far too confused to sort through her thoughts to figure it out._

"_What do you want from me?" she murmured finally, wearily._

"_There's another one, you know," Nicolas said. "Another Zan. There is another set of all of you."_

_She turned to look at him, a question in her eyes. "How is that possible?"_

_Nicolas shrugged. "The how is less important, Ava. But there is another Zan, and he goes by the name of Max Evans." He turned away from her and walked over to the desk near the door to the hotel bathroom. Taking a seat in the chair, he rested and elbow on the desk and continued to regard Ava as he explained, "And this Max is currently getting together with Rath and Lonnie."_

_Ava felt a thrill of fear at the mention of the other two. "Why?" she asked tentatively, not sure she even wanted to know the answer._

"_They want to go home, Ava. Back to Antar. This Max Evans, he wants to reclaim his throne." He smiled at her, but the smile did not reach his eyes. They remained hard and sharp, filled with a calculating determination. "He wants to be king, Ava. And if he gets that, he'll have all the power on the planet. There will be _no one_ who can stop him from doing what he wants."_

_She swallowed anxiously. "Max Evans might not be Zan."_

"_Well," Nicolas agreed cautiously, "that is true. But… he did team up with Rath and Lonnie. And if he gets power… they will, too."_

_And that comment, the very idea of Rath and Lonnie with power… that terrified her more than anything else.

* * *

_

Max gaped. There was little else he could do besides stare blankly at the girl before him. She looked so much like Tess, and yet there was something just a little bit off about her, something hidden in the depths of her eyes that worried him.

Lonnie was on her feet in an instant, taking a step towards Ava. "You…" she started, her voice a low hiss.

Ava turned towards her, the same smirk fixed to her features. But Max saw a flicker of fear in the dupe Queen's eyes as she looked at Lonnie, and despite her attempts at bravery, it was obvious to him that she was apprehensive about this confrontation.

"Hello, Lonnie," she drawled, her voice laced with bravado.

"I thought she was dead," Tess whispered to Max, and he could only shrug, not understanding this either. But he looked quickly at Rath and Lonnie, and though they both looked surprised to see Ava standing there, neither looked all that amazed to see her alive.

He felt a sudden rush of anger at the realization. They had lied to him.

"What is she doing here?" Carla asked sharply, turning away from Ava and directing her question to the leaders of the other worlds.

"She is a Royal," Sero growled triumphantly.

"A royal reject," Carla shot back heatedly. "There was a reason the four of them were dumped in the sewers while the other got placed in Roswell and offered protection of the Granolith. You _know_ she's just a mistake. A failed experiment. Nothing more."

Rath leaned forward and snapped, "Yo, get this! We ain't the rejects, alright?"

Nicolas ignored the dupe General as he addressed Carla smoothly, "Failed experiment or not, she does have royal blood. Royal DNA. That is all that would be necessary for us." He raised an eyebrow at Carla, as though daring her to contradict him. She lapsed into silence, a tense and uneasy quiet.

Max looked in between them, then over at Ava. "I don't understand…"

"You are the king, Max," Nicolas said, facing him with a cool smile, "but you are not the only royal. Don't you understand that simple fact?" He leaned forward, smile growing into a broad smirk, "You should hear them talk about the four of you. You're legends, myths. They think of you as gods. It would be a pity if the great King did not return to them… but a god is a god, no matter what. Or, in this case, a goddess. They'll settle for less." He jerked his head at Ava. "They'll settle for her."

Tess spoke up, her tone soft but underlined with a sharp edge, "You'll take Ava back to Antar. Have her call on our followers to lay down their weapons, to join you."

Nicolas nodded. "There will be some resistance, of course. Some fighting. It would be better if Max was there as well. But if he isn't…" He shrugged. "Not such a significant loss, actually."

"She isn't the right Queen," Carla said again, her face flushed darkly as she glared at Nicolas. "You need Tess…"

"Not really," Kathana cut in before Nicolas could answer. "Like Nicolas said, she has royal blood. Tess would be better, but I am sure Ava will do just fine." She turned to Ava with a faint smile and said, "I hope you don't mind that we are discussing your future so candidly."

Ava did not take her gaze away from Rath and Lonnie as she answered, "Better than having others try to manipulate me in secret, I suppose."

Rath rose to his feet and stepped close to Ava, leaning forward so that he was only a hair's breath away from her face. "Perhaps we should talk about this privately?" he asked with a suggestive wink. "I'm sure, between the two of us, we could work out some sort of… arrangement."

Nicolas was on his feet and at Ava's side in a heartbeat, pulling her away from Rath and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Do you really think intimidation will work?" he asked fiercely. "She's not so alone anymore, is she? You can't push her around like you used to."

Ava lifted her chin and said, "I've got my own support now."

Max looked at Tess, who seemed just as confused by the entire situation as he was. But her gaze was fixed on Rath, and her eyes were filled with loathing, her lips pressed into a thin line. It was obvious that Tess had picked up on the same subtle hints that Max had… and he was not entirely sure he wanted to dwell on that. On the type of person Rath had apparently been.

But pieces of the puzzle _were_ falling into place… well, most of them, anyway.

"You told me Ava was dead," Max said, looking at Lonnie.

"That's what they wanted you to believe," Ava said, stepping away from Nicolas and past Rath so that she could face Max. "But I don't seem very dead, do I?"

"Why are you working with them?" Tess asked before Max had a chance to respond. "He's the enemy, don't you know that?"

Ava laughed bitterly. "The enemy? Hardly. I want to bring an end to this fighting. I want to bring about world peace. Trust me, that was never on Zan's agenda."

"As fascinating as this reunion is," Hanar cut in adroitly, "we do need an answer from you, Max. Do you take the proposal, or not?"

If he didn't take the proposal, Max knew exactly what would happen. Ava seemed to be completely under Khivar and Nicolas' control, and it was doubtful she would protect Antar. She would call for peace, bring about an end to the war… and leave the planet in Khivar's hands.

"I… need to think," Max said wearily.

Larek nodded, finally lifting his gaze to meet Max's stare. "I'd be surprised if you didn't. But be quick about it. Holding onto these bodies isn't easy. In fact, it's chewing up huge amounts of our resources. Twenty minutes, Max. Then we need an answer."

Max glowered at Larek as he answered, "You'll have it." Then he rose to his feet, and walked stiffly from the room, knowing that Tess was just a few steps behind him.

* * *

Ava watched the two leave the room, then turned her gaze back to Lonnie and Rath. "What's the matter?" she asked tauntingly. "Didn't you miss me?"

She had no idea where the strength was coming from or how she managed so much bravado. But she met Rath's gaze without flinching, even though it meant lifting her head to look up at him. She was no longer as afraid, and perhaps it had to do with having Nicolas at her side, offering her protection from them.

It helped, also, that she knew she was taking away what they wanted, pulling it out of their grasps just as they thought they had finally obtained a way home. She knew what it was like, remembered the number of times that she had thought she'd found a way out, only to have one of them mockingly pull her back in, dragging her away from her freedom.

The leaders of the other four worlds had all risen from their chairs and were wandering about the room, waiting for Max and Tess to return. Carla, too, had moved away from the reject hybrids, and Ava watched her briefly, wondering what the skin was thinking.

Then she looked back and Rath and Lonnie. Nicolas was still at her side, but other than that, they were alone.

No Zan.

His absence resonated all around them, his death a reminder of just how far she had been driven, just how desperate she had been for a way out.

There was no way out for them, not anymore. She'd made sure of that. It had not taken much for Nicolas to convince her that this was the right path, the only path. If Rath and Lonnie found a way back to Antar… she shuddered at the thought.

"Do you really think Nicolas can protect you?" Rath whispered, lowering his voice and leaning close to her. "Do you think the leaders of the other worlds would accept you if they knew what you had done? Murdering a king is treason, after all."

Ava raised one eyebrow, heart hammering in her chest as she answered, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Rath."

Lonnie rolled her eyes and asked, "We saw what happened, Ava."

"Do you have proof?" Ava retorted. When Lonnie and Rath could not answer, she smiled and said, "Hm… didn't think so."

"So, what's your plan?" Rath sneered. "Go back to Antar and pray that you get a better deal there than you did here?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, his grip tight. "You really think that will happen? Because life here doesn't have to be that bad for you…"

She shrugged off his hand. "You really think it won't?" She looked up into Rath's eyes and felt her insides go cold. She was not afraid of him, but she still could not quite stop the instinctive cringe that crushed her stomach and circled her heart when he stared at her in that way, with that lascivious gaze.

She felt Nicolas' hand on the small of her back and reminded herself that she was not alone.

"_I don't think I can do this," Ava whispered, pausing before the building._

_Nicolas turned to her, a reassuring look in his eyes. "Ava, listen to me. I know you are afraid. But you aren't alone anymore. You've got me, and that means you have my brother and all of his influence also. You don't need to be scared of them. You're stronger than they are."_

_She chewed her bottom lip and lowered her gaze with a slow nod. "I know," she murmured, "but I still… I'm torn. I am afraid, and I want to run. Run and never look back. But I also…"_

"_You want to make them hurt," Nicolas said when Ava drifted off and could not finish the sentence._

_She nodded. "Does that make me a bad person?" she asked, more to herself than to him. Revenge had never really been her style, and though she had certainly always entertained thoughts of leaving Zan and the others, she had never really dwelled on what it would be like to turn the tables on them._

_So why was she thinking about it now?_

"_It's a normal response," Nicolas answered. "And that desire will fade with time. But you know as well as I do that this isn't about getting revenge. This is about making sure that they never have a chance to hurt anyone else the way they hurt you."_

_She looked up at him. "You're right," she agreed finally, her voice growing firm. "I can do this." _

_She did not care about the power. She did not care if she was royalty or not, did not really want to spend her entire life being a Queen anyway. All that Nicolas could offer her, it was nice, but it wasn't why she was doing this. It wasn't even about getting home, although she could not deny that she was looking forward to that._

_It was about stopping Rath and Lonnie before they hurt others._

_Nicolas smiled proudly at her. "Good," he said with a nod. "Remember that. Remember that, no matter how scared you are, you _can_ do this."_

_Ava smiled in reply. "And I am stronger than them." _

"You won't get away with this," Lonnie whispered, keeping her voice low as she looked around the room, letting her gaze fall over the other leaders and Carla. "You won't win."

But Ava shook her head and smiled. "I already have."

* * *

"What do you think?"

Tess ran a hand through her hair and shrugged in response to Max's question. "I think everyone's got an agenda, and we don't know what they are."

Max shook his head and clarified, "I meant, what do you think about Ava?"

With an ironic chuckle, Tess answered, "She looks pretty good for a dead girl."

"No kidding," Max muttered.

They were both quiet for a moment, and Tess tried to wrap her head around what had just happened. But it had all happened so quickly, and she had not had any time to process it. How did they expect her and Max to make a decision now?

"Something's going on between Rath and Ava," Max said finally. "Did you see that? It was like…"

He didn't finish the sentence, but Tess nodded anyway. "Yeah. And Lonnie, too, but it was less obvious. They've got an unpleasant history." She considered this for a moment, then added, "And if they lied about Ava, do you think they were telling the truth about Zan?"

Max leaned against the wall in the hallway and scuffed his feet on the carpeted floor. "I don't know. And I don't like not knowing. Not with this much at stake."

Tess looked behind her, back the way they had come. "I want to talk to Ava," she said slowly, thoughtfully. "We're not going to get answers from Rath or Lonnie, and obviously Carla and Nicolas aren't going to go out of their way to be helpful either. But Ava… she might be able to tell us something."

"She's siding with Nicolas," Max protested pointedly. "She's hardly trustworthy either."

But Tess countered, "At the moment, she's the only one in the room who hasn't lied to my face." At Max's doubtful expression, she added, "I'm not saying I'm going to take everything she says at face value. But I want to hear what she's got say."

"What makes you think she'll talk to you?"

Tess smiled as she answered, "Because I _am_ her. Same DNA, both alien and human. I'm what she could have been, if we'd been switched. And she… she's what I could have been."

That thought was more disconcerting than she would have liked to admit, particularly given what she had seen of Ava's interactions with Rath. She had her suspicions for what her double's life might have been like, and she didn't want to think about them. She didn't want to contemplate the fact that that could have been _her_.

"We don't have much time," Max warned. "And how are you going to convince her to talk to you without Nicolas tagging along?"

"You're going to distract him for me," Tess answered, patting Max on the shoulder as she walked past him towards the council room.

"What…? Wait! Tess, hold on a second. How exactly…?" Max's protests followed her down the hall, but she just smiled to herself and kept walking.

"Any word from Max?" Liz asked, shifting the phone from one hand to the next.

"Liz, it's the middle of the night," came Isabel's protest from the other end of the line.

Liz sighed. "I know, I know. But they left this morning, and we haven't heard anything… I got a couple of missed calls on my cell phone from Max, but he didn't leave a message. Did he call you?"

"No." There was worry in Isabel's voice, but she continued, "If something was wrong, he would have left a message, Liz. And he would have called more than just you. I'm sure he's fine."

"Are you?" Liz whispered, her voice catching in her throat. "Are you, really?"

Isabel did not answer.

Liz glanced around room. She had to be quiet to keep from waking up her parents, because the last thing she wanted was to explain why she was on the phone to her boyfriend's sister this late at night.

She didn't feel all that upset about calling Isabel, because she knew perfectly well that Isabel wasn't actually asleep prior to the call. It was obvious that Isabel was just as worried, and her reassurances were just as much meant to convince herself as to convince Liz.

"He's with Tess," Isabel said finally.

"Which only means that they could both be in trouble," Liz retorted before she could stop herself.

Isabel sighed. "Last year, when Hank and Michael got into that fight… we knew. Max, Tess, and I. We could feel it. It's… a connection. I can't really explain it, but… Liz, if Max or Tess were in life-threatening danger… or, at least, more danger than to be expected, given where they are… I _would_ know. I _would_ feel it, and so would Michael."

Again, a silence.

Finally, Liz said, "Will you just…"

"Call if I hear anything?" Isabel finished the question. "Yeah, of course. Call me if he does get through to you, okay?"

"Okay."

They hung up, and Liz placed the phone on the table by her bed. Then she leaned back on her pillows and stared up at the ceiling, wishing the anxiety in her chest would ease just a little, wishing sleep would come to her. But she was still afraid for Max, and that would not leave her alone.

* * *

Next Chapter: In the Sewers

Due: Sun 5/17


	52. In the Sewers

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Two: In the Sewers

Max held his breath and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to control his frayed nerves. "I can't believe I am doing this," he muttered under his breath, sending a glare towards Tess. But she wasn't looking at him and hadn't heard his words, so she did not react.

The hybrid king squared his shoulders and walked back into the meeting room, moving towards Nicolas with more confidence than he felt. But he had agreed to distract the skin somehow so that Tess could have a private conversation with Ava, and this seemed like the only way to do it.

"Made a decision?" Nicolas asked as Max approached.

"My twenty minutes aren't over yet," Max answered. "And I had a couple questions for you. If you don't mind…?" He gestured towards the corner of the room, lowering her voice as he explained, "I'd rather not have our conversation overheard."

Nicolas shrugged and followed Max away from the table, from the other leaders. "What do you want to know?" he questioned, his tone curious.

"Will it work?" Max asked.

Nicolas raised an eyebrow. "Will what work?"

"Will people actually stop fighting?" Max asked. "If I were to agree to your plans, would it work? Would the civil war end?"

"With a reconciliation between governments…" Nicolas began, but Max cut him off.

"We've been gone for over fifty years. Is the war even about us anymore?" Nicolas frowned, and Max pressed, "Look, we both know that people don't stop fighting just because their government tells them to. Do you really think that my presence will be enough to convince them to turn to peace?"

"I think you have a lot more power over your followers than you realize," Nicolas answered cautiously. "I think…" He stopped, reconsidering his words. "I think it is the best chance you have at ending this war."

Max accepted this in silence. Nicolas' opinion meant little to him, particularly given that he knew the skin could not be trusted. But he was intrigued by the answer, and he carefully dissected the words, pulling them apart and looking for hidden meanings.

Finally, he asked, "And the other worlds?"

Nicolas gave a dark chuckle. "So you don't think highly of them either, do you?" he asked with sneer, his gaze flicking over to Larek and Kathana who were deep in conversation. "They'll force their agreements on us, make us smile and sign their contracts… but don't worry. Once Antar is united, we will have no problem pushing their influence back. They'll get what they deserve."

His words were harsh, cold, and brutal. His eyes were filled with triumph at the thought, and that sent chills down Max's spine. It made Nicolas appear so inhuman, so vicious… but more than that, it worried Max, because he could not deny he felt the same vindictive pleasure at the idea of turning the tables on the four planets that had so calmly sat back and let his world fall apart.

He did not like the idea that he and Nicolas might actually agree on this.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ava follow Tess from the room. He glanced down at his watch… thirteen minutes left before he had to make a decision.

And at this point, he had no idea what that decision would be.

* * *

"You wanted to talk. So talk," Ava instructed bluntly, facing Tess with her arms crossed over her chest. It was clear that she felt no fear of the other hybrid, but then, Tess did not feel fear either. It was hard to imagine that they would hurt each other, given that they were, biologically, the same person.

Of course, Rath and Michael were the same person also, and Tess was beginning to think there was very little Rath wouldn't do to get what he wanted.

"Why are you doing this?" Tess asked, trying to keep the accusation out of her voice. "Why are you on Nicolas' side?"

"Why are siding with Rath and Lonnie?" Ava asked in reply, her own blue eyes narrowed sharply. "Do you really think they care about you or Antar more than Nicolas does?"

"Why do you hate them so much?" Tess countered.

Ava bit back a laugh and turned away from Tess, walking further down the hallway. "You can't tell?" she asked. "It isn't blatantly obvious to you?" Glancing at Tess over her shoulder, she added, "What are your Rath and Lonnie like?"

Tess shrugged. "Michael is a monosyllabic, semi-abrasive, emotionally stunted teenage guy. Isabel is a scarily-organized, uptight, planning freak." She smiled, her lips quirking upwards as she silently imagined Michael and Isabel's outraged replies to her descriptions of them, but then pushed the thought away and continued, "I'm guessing you would use different adjectives to describe Rath and Lonnie?"

Ava grimaced and said, "Yeah. Yeah, I would." She turned back to face Tess completely. "You really have no problems joining forces with Rath or Lonnie?"

"Tell me about them," Tess retorted, "because I don't know enough about them to make my own decision. I've got suspicions, but not a whole lot else."

"And you want me to help you?" Ava scoffed. "In case you haven't noticed, we're not on the same side. Not right now. And maybe we never were."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tess demanded.

"It means you seem pretty close with your Zan," Ava answered coolly.

Tess blinked, surprised. "Max? I guess. I mean, he's okay when he isn't brooding over the weight of the world resting on his shoulders or making a fool of himself pining for Liz…"

That caught Ava's attention, and blue eyes opened wide. "Liz?" she asked, repeating the name.

Warning bells went off in Tess' mind, accompanied by flashing red lights, sirens, and large signs saying _Danger! Proceed with Caution._ "His girlfriend," she answered carefully, watching the several different emotions flickering in her counterpart's suddenly aching gaze.

"You're not…" Ava gestured wordlessly back towards the meeting room. "You two aren't a… a couple?"

"Max and I?" Tess asked, aghast. "No. _God_, no. Not even close." She shuddered, remembering the brief time that Max had been dominated entirely by his alien half, remembering all the problems that had caused. "Liz can have him, I'll stick with my boyfriend."

"You're dating someone else…" Ava murmured, looking shocked. "And Max… he's okay with that? He let you leave him?"

That was all it took. Just that simple, quiet question, just the look of fear and hope mingling in Ava's eyes, and the tiniest bit of envy to her tone. Nothing else was needed, and the pieces of the puzzle were coming together in Tess' mind, forming a picture that was sharp and bright and filled with things she did not want to contemplate. Her suspicions grew, becoming concrete, and in Ava's gaze, she found all the evidence she needed to know far more than she had ever wanted to about Zan.

"Ava… what was Zan like?" Tess asked softly, her low voice lined with steel.

She did not answer. Her pale skin had gone even whiter, and her eyes were so wide, so filled with innocent hope, that they contrasted sharply against the heavy makeup and gaudy jewelry.

Tess narrowed her eyes at Ava's neck, seeing there, at the base of the throat, almost entirely concealed with make-up, the faint outline of an old bruise.

"It doesn't matter," Ava said at last, her words forced out of her dry throat. "Maybe your Max is a saint. It doesn't matter. Rath and Lonnie…" She stopped, shook her head, looked away. "You are siding with them. And that makes you my enemy."

She moved around Tess, stepping past the other girl in an effort to return to the meeting room. Tess reached out and grabbed her arm, and the moment their skin touched, the Roswell hybrid was thrown crashing into a flash.

"_Where were you?" Zan demanded harshly, advancing on Ava._

_The meek blonde tried to back away, but Lonnie was directly behind her, preventing her from moving. She felt the other girl's fingers tightening around her arms, pushing her forward again, towards Zan._

"_Out," she whispered. "Just… out."_

"_Out?" Zan sneered, his face flushing with anger. "Out where? With who?"_

"_No one," Ava pleaded, begging for him to believe her. "I just wanted to walk."_

_Zan loomed over her, eyes flashing dangerously. She bit her lip, desperately wishing she could close her eyes and make this all go away. But nothing would ease Zan's anger, not now that he was so livid because of her disappearance._

_Lonnie's hands fell from Ava's arms, but were almost instantly replaced by Zan's painfully tight grip. She fought back the urge to pull away, knowing it would only make him angrier._

"_Just a walk?" she heard Lonnie said contemptuously. "Well, ain't that sweet."_

"_Did I tell you that you could leave?" Zan asked in a low tone. Ava said nothing, and he shook her, hard. "Did I?" he asked again, his voice rising in volume. "Answer me!"_

"_No," she murmured, barely able to push the word past her terrified lips. "No… Zan… I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"_

"_In fact, I told you to stay," Zan continued, speaking over her quiet words. "Ain't that right? Didn't I say that, Ava?"_

_She nodded, tears pooling in her eyes. "Yes… I'm sorry, Zan."_

_His expression was cold, unemotional, as he replied, "That's alright, Ava. If you ain't willin' to spend time with me, fine." Then, without warning, he shoved her forcefully backwards. She would have lost her footing on the slick ground under her feet, but two arms wrapped firmly around her, holding her upright._

_She froze._

"_But _someone_ has to keep you safe," Zan continued. "If you don't want it to be me…" he shrugged. "Fine."_

_Lonnie moved to stand by Zan, a smirk forming on her lips at the sight of the fear in Ava's eyes. Ava twisted to look up, meeting Rath's malicious gaze as the taller hybrid's arms tightened around her._

"_No…" she whispered, but Zan and Lonnie had already turned away from her. "No… I don't… Zan, please, I want to… I'll stay with you, please… don't… don't go…"_

_Zan did not even bother looking back._

"Tess? Tess!"

She opened her eyes as the flash faded, the memory disappearing. Relief flooded through her body, she had not wanted to see the end of that flash she knew exactly what was going to happen.

She was on the floor, slumped back against the wall, and Max was kneeling beside her, concern and worry reflected in his tawny eyes. Ava was no where in sight.

"Tess? Are you alright?" Max asked, his hands hovering next to her shoulders. "Are you hurt?"

She pushed his hands away and rose unsteadily to her feet. "I'm fine, Max," she said in a shaky voice. "No need for healing."

"What happened?" Max asked, moving closer to her as he stood up as well. "What did Ava say?"

Tess licked her dry lips. "Don't take the deal," she whispered.

He looked at her, surprised. "What? Why?"

She knew he had almost made up his mind to accept Nicolas' terms. He did not want to leave his planet in the hands of his enemy, nor did he want to allow the leaders of the other four worlds to do any more damage than they already had. Only by returning home could he prevent that from happening.

But she had seen the truth about Rath and Lonnie and she knew now, "You can't side with them, Max. Rath and Lonnie… they can't be trusted. You can't give them power."

"Nicolas can't be trusted either," Max countered. "If I don't take this deal…"

"No," Tess said. She ran a hand through her hair and glanced back the way Ava had gone. "Is Nicolas could do this without you, he never would have agreed to this meeting. Ava isn't enough. He wants you to think that she is, he's trying to trick you, to manipulate you into taking this deal. Make you think that if you don't, he can still take control of Antar."

"Are you sure?" Max asked.

She nodded slowly. "I don't know how I know this, Max, but I do. It's not… Nicolas needs you to go back. If you don't…" She trailed off and shrugged. "It won't be over. Ava _isn't_ enough."

* * *

"I've made my decision."

All eyes were on Max as he rose to his feet and addressed the others. Sero and Nicolas both looked grimly triumphant, and Sero simply looked mildly curious. Kathana was waiting with anticipation, and next to her, Larek shifted uncomfortably, his expression unreadable.

"And the answer," Max continued, "is no. I will no abdicate my throne, nor will I publically give power back to Khivar. And I most certainly will not return the Granolith to him. Not now, not ever. It was entrusted to me."

Nicolas flushed darkly, anger sparking in his eyes. "If you turn down this offer now, you will never get another chance," he snarled threateningly. "Khivar is trying to be reasonable, has offered the hand of peace, and you slap it away so carelessly?"

"What are you doing?" Lonnie demanded angrily, leaning towards Max. "What is wrong with you?" At her side, Rath, too, seemed incensed by the decision. Carla, as usual, was impassive, but Max detected a faint glimmer of frustration in her pale green eyes.

Max ignored her as he faced Nicolas. "Take Ava and go home, Nicolas."

"Did you ever wonder why your predecessor was killed, Max?" Nicolas asked bitterly. "He made a lot of bad decisions. Like you."

"You've made a lot of enemies today," Kathana added softly, giving Max a long look.

He met her gaze without flinching. "I already had a lot of enemies, Kathana. My decision changed nothing." He let his gaze wander over them for a moment, then turned to Nicolas and said, "But do not worry. You can assure Khivar that this war is far from over."

* * *

The return to the sewers had been filled with tense silence, Rath, Lonnie, and Carla clearly displeased by Max's decision. Tess had watched the other three with wary eyes, but Max had been far too busy mulling over the decision he had made to pay much attention to anything else.

It was not just Rath and Lonnie he had prevented from returning home. It was Michael and Isabel as well. And he had done it without asking them, without even telling them what had happened. He wondered what they would say if they knew.

Isabel would probably not be too upset about the lost opportunity. She had never really felt the same desire to return home, not the way Michael had. But Michael… he might not be too thrilled at all.

The silence was finally broken as Rath turned to face Max with a hoarse demand, "What the hell, duke? You just lost our chance to get off this planet!"

Lonnie chimed in with her own bitter accusation, "What about us? What if we wanted to go?" She gestured to herself and Rath.

"It was my decision," Max answered coolly. Tess still had not told him what Ava had said to her or what she had seen in that flash, but the fear in her expression had been enough to tell him that Rath and Lonnie were not only not trustworthy, but they were also loathsome.

"It affected all of us!"

"We can find another way home," Max answered, silently adding to himself that whatever this other way home was, it would not include either of the dupes. "Nicolas _cannot_ be trusted."

"How do you know that? What do you even know about him, huh?" Rath snapped, walking up to Max and glaring at him. "What ain't you been tellin' us?"

With a sneer, Max replied, "What have you been not telling me, Rath? Besides Ava obviously being alive…"

Tess took a few steps towards him, discreetly placing herself in a position to intervene if need be. Across from her, Lonnie stiffened and watched as Rath drew himself up to his full height, eyes burning with fury. Once again, Carla remained quiet, unemotional, standing back as the scene unfolded before her.

The floor beneath Max's feet was damp, the ceiling overhead covered in a pale green mold. The sewers were the last place he had expected to end up when he first started this trip, but he was beginning to think that perhaps it was a fitting abode for Rath and Lonnie after all.

"I thought Ava was dead," Rath spat, jerking his chin upwards. "You wanna know the truth, duke? That little Queen of ours, she'd be better off dead. Ditching us for the enemy. If she didn't have that Nicolas' protection, I'd have gone and offed her at the meeting m'self."

"Is that so?" Tess asked bitingly, her words hard. "And here I thought you would have wanted to keep her around… for _fun_."

Rath and Lonnie both gave her surprised looks, and Lonnie's stare held a fair amount of suspicion as well. Max frowned, wishing he could interpret the hidden meanings in gazes. It was obvious that Tess' comment had meant something to Rath and Lonnie, and they were not happy with what she knew.

Rath turned forcefully away from her and looked back at Max. "So what now, duke? You want me and Lonnie to spend the rest of our lives in the sewer waiting for you to finally grow a backbone and do what you gotta do?"

"Hey, if you want to leave the sewers, you are more than welcome to do so," Max replied with a shrug. "You can live wherever you want. But we are not going home until _I_ say we are."

"God, you are so much like Zan," Lonnie spat, blotches of color appearing on her cheeks. "Throwin' your weight around, pretendin' to be all high and mighty… You ain't nothin', Max. You're just another teenager. Like me and Rath. You ain't special."

"Trust me," Tess said in a low tone, her blue eyes flashing with a mixture of anger and disgust, "Max is _nothing_ like your Zan." She stepped in between Rath and Max, placing her hands on Rath's chest and shoving him backwards. "And I'm not like your Ava. So back off."

"Or you'll what, Queenie?" Rath asked harshly, mockingly. "You gonna take me and Lonnie on all by your pretty little self?"

Max quickly placed his hand on Tess' arm to stop her from answering that question. They could not afford to start a fight right now, not when they would be at such a disadvantage. They did not know the sewers as well as Rath and Lonnie did, and they did not know if Carla was on their side. If this turned violent, one of them could get hurt.

"Leave her out of this," Max ordered. "Your problem is with the decision _I_ made."

But it seemed both Rath and Lonnie had also realized that they had the advantage here, and neither was willing to back down.

"You know," Rath said with a leer, "things happen in the sewers. People just disappear… never to be seen again…"

"Is that a threat?" Max asked. "Don't be an idiot. You will never get anywhere without me."

"You're right," Lonnie agreed softly, "we won't." Her eyes flicked quickly to Tess and she added, "Your precious Tess, on the other hand… she is superfluous."

Anger rushed through Max's body, filling his veins and wrapping around his chest. Any threat to his family would have been enough to send him over the edge, but now, with the stress of the meeting already chewing away at his rapidly growing temper, he found himself absolutely livid.

"I told you to leave her out of this," Max snarled.

"Enough," a new voice cut in, and Carla stepped between them. Rath made an attempt to move around her, and, quick as she could, she spun around and caught him by the collar of his shirt, yanking him from the floor and sending him flying into the nearby sewer wall.

He sprawled out on the ground, stunned by her actions.

"I said, _enough_," she repeated, her tone clearly indicating that there would be no arguing with her. "You both need to take a few minutes to cool off, and then you can talk about this like rational adults."

"I think you're asking too much of them," Lonnie snapped. "They're not rational, and they sure as hell aren't adults."

Max took a threatening step towards her, but Carla caught him by the arm and hissed in warning, "Don't make me throw you into a wall as well."

"Who are you to tell us anything?" Rath demanded fiercely, pulling himself to his feet and looking at the rebel skin. "You ain't a royal, that's for sure. You don't get to call the shots."

"Neither do you," Max cut in firmly. "This is _my_ decision, my call."

A dangerous fury flashed through Rath's expression, and he moved forward, lifting his hand and pointing it at the ceiling above Max. The stone cracked, a sharp noise snapping through the air, and debris came raining down. Max jumped to the side, landing heavily and rolling across the slick ground as the stone shattered in the place he had been standing only moments before.

Gasping for breath, Max retaliated quickly, unleashing a burst of energy towards Rath. The air around him crackled with the force of his power, and Rath was only just able to move out of the way in time. He conjured an attack of his own, prepared to throw it at Max, when something hit him from behind, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Max looked past Rath's still body to find Carla standing there, her hand glowing with eerie white dots, her green eyes looking remarkably inhuman.

Then Max continued to let his gaze sweep through the sewers, and, for a moment, panic gripped him and his heart nearly stopped beating.

Tess and Lonnie were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Next Chapter: By Your Side, At Your Back

Due: Sun 5/24


	53. By Your Side, At Your Back

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Three: By Your Side, At Your Back

"Leave him," Carla ordered tersely, barely sparing Rath's still body a second glance. He was alive, that much was obvious from the steady rise and fall of his chest. Beyond that, she did not care about him, did not care what happened to him. Not with so much at stake.

Max nodded, his mouth too dry to speak. His eyes scanned over the dimly lit sewers, searching for any signs that he might be wrong about what he was seeing, that Lonnie had not disappeared with Tess. But there was no sign of either hybrid, and he knew they were in trouble.

"Come on," Carla said, grabbing Max's arm. "Snap out of it. We don't have time for panic, we need to find Lonnie. Now, before something happens to Tess."

It was the pure fear in her tone that caught Max's attention, and he gave a slow nod. He still did not trust the rebel skin, not in the slightest, but she was not lying about her worry. She did not want Lonnie to harm Tess, though what her reasons behind that were, Max had no idea.

In that moment, he also did not care.

"This way," he indicated, nodding to the tunnel in front of them. He could still feel Tess' presence somewhere, and although that ability had never been enough to pinpoint actual locations, it told him that she was still alive.

For now.

They ran, their feet slapping on the concrete floor of the tunnel, the noise echoing all around them. Carla followed Max without question, knowing he had a far better chance of locating the missing Queen in this labyrinth of tunnels than she did. But that did not stop the anxiety from twisting sharply in her chest because she knew the consequences of this. She knew what would happen if they failed.

All their plans would be lost.

They had come this far, come all the way to the Summit. Of course, Max had still refused the deal and destroyed any chance they had at succeeding with Plan A, but they had other options. Plans B and C, and both of those required having all four royal hybrids.

Ava's presence had thrown a wrench into everything as well, and she still did not know how that would end up affecting them. The mayor would be interested in these developments, but hopefully whatever problems arose would be something easy enough to thwart.

There was far too much at stake to fail now.

In front of her, Max came to a sudden stop, his eyes going wide. There was a branch before him, a fork in the tunnels, corridors going both right and left. He caught his breath, sending a frantic look over his shoulder at Carla as though somehow she could offer help.

"Pick one," she said firmly.

He gaped at her. Did she think he was psychic? How was he supposed to know where Tess was, which path they had taken? "I… I…" He faltered, knowing that if he chose the wrong one, they would never find Tess in time. Knowing that the results of the wrong decisions would be disastrous.

"Just pick. Close your eyes, concentrate, and choose!" Carla hissed. "She was your wife in a past life and she's still your family now! You can find her, you just need to concentrate." She paused, her gaze moving back and forth between the two corridors. "Where is she, Max?" she asked softly, quietly. "Which one?"

He closed his eyes, blocking out everything else but the frenzied beating of his own heart and the thought of Tess. Drawing a slow breath, he focused everything he could on her, praying silently for the answer.

"Right," he said finally, his eyes snapping open.

"Are you sure?" Carla pressed.

"No," Max admitted. "But that's the way I'm going."

They took the right fork, pushing deeper into the sewers. The air grew moist, heavy with humidity and the scent of mold. It was enough to make Max gag, but he thought of Lonnie and Tess and kept running.

He had no idea what he would do when he found Lonnie. He knew she was not to be trusted, knew she was probably the enemy. But she looked like his sister, shared the same DNA as Isabel, and he wasn't sure he could actually fight her.

Carla watched Max as he ran. She knew he would never have the strength to do what was necessary. He was not a murderer, though she'd heard rumors that he had ended the life of an FBI agent and a couple of Nicolas' skins. But he would not do it willingly, and certainly not to someone who reminded him so much of his sister.

Fortunately, he did not need to do anything. She could do it for him.

The corridor eventually opened into a circular platform not unlike Rath and Lonnie's home. Tess was there, kneeling on the floor, both hands pressing into the sides of her forehead. Her eyes were closed and her face was lined with concentration, beads of sweat forming at her hairline. Lonnie stood above her, one hand twisted tightly around Tess' wrist, the other on the hybrid Queen's shoulder. She, too, had her eyes closed, and was biting her lip with the effort of whatever she was doing.

It was clear that the two were locked in a silent battle of wills, and it was unclear who was winning. Lonnie seemed to have an advantage, but Tess was still holding her own, fighting against the other's power.

Max did not hesitate.

He flung out one hand, sending Lonnie slamming backwards, away from Tess. She hit the ground, but was on her feet a moment later. Her glance went from Tess to Max and Carla, and then, outnumbered and worried, she did the only thing she could.

She turned and ran.

"Make sure Tess is alright!" Carla instructed, already chasing after Lonnie.

Max knelt at Tess' side as Carla disappeared back into the tunnels. "Tess?" he asked, gingerly helping her to stand. "Are you alright? What did Lonnie do?"

"I… I don't know…" Tess breathed, her voice shaking. She wobbled unsteadily on her feet, then said, "She was trying to get into my head. Looking for information. And… I don't know, I think she wanted to… to hurt me. Or worse. I tried to fight her off…"

"How did she do all that?" Max asked with a frown. "Does she have different gifts from Isabel?"

"I don't know," Tess replied with a shrug. "Our powers are growing. Maybe Isabel will be able to do that soon…" Again, she trailed off, then asked, "Rath? What happened to him?"

Max glanced over his shoulder. "He's unconscious." He wasn't sure if he should go back to Rath, or chase after Carla and Lonnie. But Carla, he decided was more than a match for Lonnie, and he wanted to find Rath before the dupe General woke up and ran off.

"I'm really ready to go home," Tess muttered under her breath. "I don't think I ever thought I would say this, but Roswell is so much better than New York City."

* * *

By the time Carla finally caught up with Lonnie, she had grown tired and irritable by the chase. That alone had been enough to tempt her vindictive side, and she threw Lonnie headlong into the wall without even the slightest bit of hesitation.

Lonnie sprawled onto her back, but regained her composure quickly enough and scrambled to her feet, giving Carla a cold stare. They were only yards away from a small metal door that would lead Lonnie out of the sewers and onto a subway station platform, where she could easily disappear into the crowd.

But as Lonnie's eyes darted towards the door, Carla pointed her fingers at the far wall and send a burst of heat flooding through the air. It sealed the door shut, melding metal to metal, and effectively cutting off any chance Lonnie had at escape.

"So you want a fight, huh?" Lonnie asked, lips twisting into a sneer. "You think I ain't gonna kill you?"

"I think you _can't_," Carla replied calmly, her expression betraying no fear. "You aren't strong enough."

"That so?" Lonnie challenged. "You think you're so great, so high-an'-mighty? You come and you tell us about this sit-down, this get-together we should be goin' to, you take us all over the country to pick up a couple of pathetic desert-dwellers like we're just followers you can string along… Well, guess what? I ain't followin' your instructions any more."

"I don't need you to," Carla answered. "You screwed up, you lost. You're no good to me anymore. And I was perfectly content to leave you here, let you go about the rest of your pathetic life down in the sewers, but you've proven that you can't be trusted. And I don't leave loose ends."

She raised a hand, prepared to attack.

Lonnie reacted before Carla could do anything, however, and sent a blast of energy towards the skin. Carla waved her hand the heat dissipated midair. Her cool green eyes never wavered, never faltered even for a moment as she extended both hands and let electricity dance at the tips of her fingers.

"Good. But not good enough," she said, and the electricity jumped into the air, crackling as it raced towards Lonnie. The dupe Princess dodged quickly to one side, and then electricity hit the metal door behind her, sending sparks cascading into the air.

"Neither are you," Lonnie replied in a hiss, her eyes smoldering with fury. "I got more power than you know. More than my pathetic Roswell lookalike."

Carla rolled her eyes in an almost bored manner. "You have more power than Isabel does not, but that is only because she has not tapped into her full potential. All their powers are growing, and I wouldn't be surprised if they far surpass you."

"Yeah? Tess wasn't lookin' so hot against me, was she?" Lonnie countered, stepping closer to Carla.

"That was a neat trick," Carla agreed with a slow nod, "but you didn't get into her head, did you? You might have been winning, but you hadn't won yet. And you won't, Lonnie. Not now, not ever."

"Yeah? You gonna' kill me? That the plan? And what you gonna do when you need me again, huh?"

"Like I said, you're not use to me anymore," Carla answered. "You failed. I won't need you again."

"We did what you said we should," Lonnie spat angrily. "It ain't my fault Max was too chicken to go through with the deal."

"No… but everything with Ava is your fault," Carla answered, and for the first time, some emotion showed in her eyes. Her voice shook, just slightly, just enough to show that she was disturbed by Ava's appearance, by everything that she had learned about the dupe Queen. "You turned her against us. You ruined this, Lonnie. You and Rath… you ruined everything."

"Ah… ain't that sweet," Lonnie smirked, lips turning up at the corners. "You care about the little doormat. God, Ava was pathetic."

"Didn't turn out to be so pathetic in the end, did she?" Carla asked quietly, eyes boring into Lonnie's gaze. The hybrid went pale, and Carla tilted her head to the side, regarding Lonnie frankly. "You didn't think I knew about that, did you?" she pressed, sensing that she had the advantage. For all their talk, neither Rath nor Lonnie ever quite realized just how much she knew about them, and just how much power she truly had.

Lonnie remained silent, for once unable to think of the appropriate words for her answer.

"No, Ava wasn't so pathetic when she threw Zan in front of a moving vehicle," Carla continued. "You'd be surprised, the things I've managed to pull out of your head, Lonnie. And trust me, you were _never_ fit to rule."

"If I ain't fit to rule, why'd you come to me?" Lonnie demanded, her tone irate.

Carla narrowed her eyes. "Because you and Rath wanted to come here, and the other four didn't. I doubted I could get Max to the Summit without you two to encourage him. But you going home… that was _not_ the plan."

Lonnie hesitated, then something seemed to click, and her eyes went wide. Splotches of colors appeared on her cheeks, and she inhaled sharply with the realization that she had been used. "You were gonna leave me and Rath on this God-forsaken planet," she muttered furiously. "Switch us with Michael and Isabel. You only cared so long as we got you to the Summit, and then…" She trailed off, now almost shaking with rage. "How _dare_ you?"

"Don't be naïve," Carla snapped irritably, "and stop acting innocent. This is a war, and I will do what is necessary to win. You were a means to an end, nothing more, and you've served your purpose."

The end, of course, had never been as simple as returning home. Carla knew perfectly well that Antar had been long since ruined by the war, and it would take more than pretty words and bargains to fix it. Zan had not been able to stop Khviar or the other four planets from destroying his world, and it was unlikely that Max would be able to undo what his predecessor had done.

No, it was Michel whom they were relying on now.

Carla's musings were interrupted by Lonnie, who flung out both hands in an attack, a surge of warmth filling the air around her. But she was no match for the rebel skin, and it was only a matter of time before Carla easily gained the upper hand and forced Lonnie back against the sewer tunnel wall.

For a moment, Carla did nothing.

Then she reached out and placed her hand on Lonnie's chest, and a pulse of blue light left her palm. Lonnie's eyes were momentarily filled with pain, and then they glazed over, clouded by death. She slumped forward, falling sprawled at Carla's feet, lifeless.

Carla frowned distastefully, studying Lonnie. She felt no remorse for what she had done, for taking this life. It was necessary, it was the only way to tie up the loose ends. It was disappointing that the New York set had not turned out more useful, but no matter. What was done, was done, and there was no point worrying about it now.

Still…

"We could have retuned to Antar," she said, spitting out the words angrily as she stared at Lonnie's body. "We could have convinced Michael to return home…" She shook her head and looked away. That was the first step, getting Michael back to Antar. After that, they still would need to take the throne from Max, and ensure that Tess and Isabel did not interfere either. It would not have been easy, but it would have been possible – if only they could have gotten Michael home first.

That would not happen now.

At least, she reasoned, it would not happen this way. Plan A had failed. It was time to salvage what she could and move on to Plan B.

She turned and walked away from the dead Lonnie, back towards Max and Tess.

* * *

"He's gone," Max said numbly.

He and Tess were standing in the place where Rath's body had been, but it was empty now. There was only one logical explanation for it, only one possibility. And he did not like it.

But Rath must have already woken up and left.

Tess shivered. "He's still out there, somewhere."

"Yeah…" Max sighed, ran a hand through his hair. There was nothing they could do about it now, though, and so he said finally, "I guess we should find Carla and get out of here."

"Do you trust her now?" Tess asked curiously, thinking over what Max had told her, that Carla had joined him in the fight, saved him from Rath and helped him find her.

Max considered this for a moment, then shook his head grimly. "No. Not at all." There was something about her, something cold and inhuman, something he did not like. Did not trust. She was a mercenary in every since of the word, and he had the feeling that there was little she would not do to get her way.

"Good," Tess murmured. "Because I don't either."

Liz slammed her locker door shut, worry and apprehension eating at her. She knew it was ridiculous to be this worried, it had only been twenty-four hours since Max and Tess had left. But she wanted them back, wanted to know that they were safe. She was even worried about _Tess_, which made it official that she was losing her mind.

"Liz? Are you alright?"

She glanced at Trudy, who had seemed to materialize out of thin air. It was off, Liz reflected, but the other girl always had the strangest ability to show up when she was frustrated or scared about something.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Liz said wearily, wishing she could explain what was wrong and knowing that she couldn't. She wasn't even friends with Trudy, but she just had to talk to someone…

Instinctively, she scanned the hallway for Maria or Alex. Isabel would have been alright as well… At this point, she reflected ironically, she would have gladly spilled her guts to _Michael_ if she thought he'd be willing to listen.

"Ugh… I really am going insane."

Trudy smiled sympathetically, not understanding exactly what the problem was, but recognizing that this was the appropriate time to say a few comforting words. "I doubt you're going insane," she countered. "But whatever the problem is… can I help?"

"Not really," Liz answered, forcing a smile. No one could help at the moment. No one except Max, who had conveniently not answered any of her phone calls. She'd missed one from him, but she'd tried calling him back… and she'd gotten nothing. No answer. It was like his phone didn't have reception.

Where was he? It was New York City, how could he possibly not have reception?

"Is it about Max?" Trudy questioned softly.

Liz groaned inwardly, but gave a small nod. "Yeah, I just… he hasn't answered my calls. He's not in school today, he's… sick. Sort of."

Trudy grinned and asked, "He's playing hooky?"

"Yeah, something like that. But he won't call me back." She knew she sounded like a jealous girlfriend, but she could not stop the words from leaving her mouth. She just wanted to talk to him, desperately wanted to know that he was alright…

"Maybe he didn't get your call?" Trudy suggested.

Liz shook her head. "How could he not get my call? I mean, he'd have to practically be in the sewers to not get reception!" She huffed impatiently and folded her arms over her chest, annoyed. Catching sight of the fairly amused expression on Trudy's face, her frown grew and she asked with an edge to her voice, "You think I'm overreacting?"

"I think it's only 7:45 in the morning," Trudy replied. "There's still plenty of time for Max to call you. And it isn't as though he's actually sick, is it? So he's fine, and you don't have anything to worry about. It's not the end of the world. Just wait and see… it will be fine."

Liz nodded, feeling a little foolish. Isabel had assured her that if anything happened to Max, she and Michael would know. And since Isabel had not called her, she could assume that whatever had happened to Max, whatever was happening right now, he was fine.

Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't in danger. That didn't mean he would be hurt or worse in the next few minutes. That didn't mean…

Her cell phone rang, the jangling noise cutting through her thoughts. Quickly, she yanked her cell phone from her pocket and glanced at the caller ID, relief flooding through her as she saw Max's name.

Trudy patted her on the shoulder. "Told you it would be fine," she said, giving Liz a faint smile and walking away.

Liz watched her go for a moment, then flipped open the phone. "Max?"

"_Liz."_

She lowered her voice as she glanced around the hallway, making sure her conversation would not be overheard. "Are you alright? Tess? What happened? Max?"

"_We're fine. I'm getting on the plane now, I'll be home this afternoon. Look, Liz… Did… did Rath do anything to you?"_

"Do anything?" she repeated, confused. There was something in his voice, something that she could not identify, something that she did not like. Her thoughts turned quickly to Rath, and she drew slow breath and fought back the urge to shiver. "Just… I mean, he freaked me out. Said some stuff." But all he had done was talk, and she couldn't explain really why it had scared her so much. "But other than that… no, not really. Why?"

"_Are you sure?"_

"Yeah, of course I'm sure. Max? What's going on?"

"_I just needed to make sure you were okay,"_ was Max's answer. _"I have to go, the plane is starting. Can you tell everyone that I'll be home shortly, and we will fill them in tonight?"_

"Sure, no problem… Are you really okay?"

"_Yeah. I miss you."_

She let out a slow breath. "I miss you, too."

* * *

"So… you didn't take the deal? Why?"

It was Isabel who asked the inevitable question. They'd gathered at Michael's apartment later that afternoon to discuss the ramifications of the trip to New York. Michael had accepted everything in surly silence, displeasure written across his features. Liz had been mostly just relieved that they made it out of the entire situation safely, and she'd voiced that sentiment, which Alex had echoed. Maria, as usual, had no hesitation in voicing her thoughts, and muttered angrily about Rath and Lonnie.

But it was Isabel who asked the inevitable question.

"I didn't trust Rath and Lonnie," Max answered firmly, and without pause. "And certainly not Nicolas. Any deal that gave them power and even the semblance of my support… No, I couldn't do that. Besides, returning the Granolith? Too risky. We don't know what it can do, and I won't let it fall into Khivar's hands."

"What did you see in that flash from Ava?" Isabel pressed, her eyes turning towards Tess.

The petite hybrid shook her head and said, "Trust me, you don't want to know the details." And the look in her eyes was enough to make Isabel lapse into an uneasy silence.

"But Ava and Nicolas are still out there," Alex said softly, cutting into the conversation. "And so is Rath. Not to mention Carla. We still don't know anything about her…"

"She helped Max," Liz protested. "That's got to mean something. Doesn't it?"

"At this point, I have no idea," Max answered honestly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, biting her lip, worry clear in her eyes.

Isabel looked away from her brother, staring blankly at the floor. She knew that she should not really care about Lonnie's plight, knew that she should not have felt any connection with the other hybrid. Just because they shared the same DNA did not mean that they were in any way similar, and Lonnie had obviously been corrupted, twisted. Evil. But Lonnie was dead now, killed by Carla, and Isabel could not help but feel just the tiniest bit of guilt over that.

Or perhaps she felt guilty about everything Lonnie had done. After all, if they both shared the same DNA, how was it possible that Lonnie had turned out so badly? What had happened to her, what had caused her to become that person? Was it some tie to their past-lives? After all, Vilandra had betrayed her brother and her planet for Khivar. Lonnie had turned against every moral and ethical ideal she had to save herself.

Was she, Isabel, doomed to betray her family as well?

It was complicated and confusing to think about, and it was giving Isabel a migraine. But the guilt persisted despite her best efforts to push it back.

"Who do you think is more of the threat?" Maria asked, not really paying attention to Isabel's downcast expression. "Carla? Rath? Nicolas? Ava?"

"Don't forget the leaders of the other worlds," Michael muttered grimly. "They didn't really seem to be on our side, either. They could attempt something against us again."

"But what do we do?" Alex countered pointedly. "How can we fight them?"

"Rath isn't stupid," Max said after a moment of thinking, "he won't come back right away. Not without a plan, not without strength of some sort. He's outnumbered, and he knows that."

"Fine, so that rules out Rath. At least for now, because he could always come back later. But what about Nicolas and Ava?"

Michael did not listen to Max's answer. His mind had turned instead to Rath, and he wondered silently about his dupe. Rath's life had obviously not been pleasant, growing up in the sewers. But Michael certainly had not been blessed with a good childhood either, and yet he had not turned into Rath.

So what had happened? Where were the differences?

And, more importantly, if Rath came back, would Michael have the ability to fight him? It had been Carla who had killed Lonnie, and although Max had not said anything about his own feelings on Lonnie's death, Michael knew that the hybrid King would never have been able to hurt anyone who shared the same DNA with his sister.

Max might be able to fight and kill Rath. But Lonnie?

Never.

So, Michael mused, it was probably better that she was the one who had been killed now. Rath would be less of a problem for them later.

Then his expression grew grim once more. It disconcerted him, how easily it was to think about death. He could stand there, without much prompting, and consider all the different scenarios, all the possible ways that this could have worked out better. Or worse. It was as though the death of another alien meant little to him as long as it served the purpose of protecting his family.

They were at war, and survival mattered above all else. He knew that, and he knew that war changed people, changed the way they thought, changed how they reacted to different circumstances.

But he still didn't like it.

"At least this part is over," Liz said, her voice breaking into Michael's thoughts. He turned his attention back to the conversation as Liz continued, "The immediate problems have been solved. Everything else, we can deal with when it happens. In the future."

"She's right," Alex agreed. "There is nothing we can do right now besides prepare ourselves and wait. If Nicolas comes back, he comes back."

"Not if," Max cautioned. "With Nicolas, with Khivar, it is not a question of _if_. It is a matter of _when_."

"And what happens then, Max?" Isabel asked sharply, her voice tense. "What happens when we have to fight? What is to stop us from becoming…?"

She trailed off abruptly, but Tess supplied the rest of the question, "What is to stop us from becoming like them? Rath, Lonnie, Zan, Ava?"

There was a silence in response to her words, and she knew it was a fair question. What she had seen in Ava's memory was enough to tell her that Zan had not been any better than Rath or Lonnie. And while Ava might not have started out quite as corrupted as her three family members, time and oppression had changed her, brought out her vindictive side.

It was Maria who answered in her usual brash fashion. "That's ridiculous. You won't become like them. You're nothing like that. I mean, sure, Rath and Space Boy here are both annoying to have real conversations with, and I bet neither is great at talking about feelings, but beyond that…"

"Not really helping," Michael interrupted with a glare.

"Well, look," Maria reasoned, "do you think Max and Isabel are going to turn into these horrible people?" Michael did not answer, and she pressed on, "And does anyone here think that Michael is going to turn into Rath?" When no one in the group replied to her question, she said, "So there you go. We all trust each other. We all trust that we won't become traitors to the group, that we won't turn on each other. We're in this together. That's the difference between the four of you and the ones from New York. They weren't a family, they weren't working as a team. You are. And as long as you trust each other, and Alex, Liz, and I, everything will be fine."

Isabel chewed her bottom lip, Michael gave a half-shrug, Tess looked thoughtfully at Maria, and Max slowly nodded.

It wasn't much, but it was all they had at the moment, and it would have to be enough.

* * *

Next Chapter: Regular Teenage Problems

Due: Sun 5/31


	54. Regular Teenage Problems

Title: Time After Time

Author's note: Sorry for the delay, folks. I'm out of town a lot this week, so my next update is going to be a week from Sunday... a little later than I usually shoot for, but hopefully not too late...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Four: Regular Teenage Problems

"What's wrong?" Isabel asked, turning back towards Alex as he hesitated to follow her. They were standing in the middle of the quad, the bright sun just slightly warming the cool winter air, and all around them students were eagerly sitting down at the picnic tables, glad for the lunch break.

"I just…" Alex gave a shrug, "thought maybe we could sit with Liz and Max instead," he suggested, his eyes resting momentarily on Isabel's intended table. He was not thrilled about her choice and did not really want to spend that much time with her friends.

Isabel frowned. "I told Trudy and Tess I would eat with them," she replied, shrugging.

Alex wrinkled his nose. Trudy would have been alright, she was usually nice enough. And Tess he had long since learned to accept, having seen the caring side of her enough to know she wasn't quite as malicious as she often pretended to be. But Trudy had been joined by Kyle, and that had brought over Cliff and Sara, and Alex was having second thoughts.

But there was little he could say at the moment. He couldn't refuse to eat with Isabel just because he didn't like her friends, not now that they were dating. It sounded petty, even in his own mind. But he really did not want to sit with them.

"I guess… you could sit with Max and Liz," Isabel said after a moment. "That's fine, I don't mind. We can hang out after school. But I really can't bail on Tess and Trudy now."

Alex heaved a sigh and shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'll sit with you," he agreed reluctantly. While the idea of spending time with Isabel only after school, only when she wasn't with her other group of friends, was certainly tempting, he had a feeling it would not help matters in the long run. He couldn't avoid the popular clique forever. Not if he wanted to continue dating Isabel.

He took a seat next to Isabel and across from Trudy, and offered the others a smile. Trudy returned it with a warm greeting, but the others seemed to pay him little attention, too caught up in their own discussion.

"Come on," Sara protested, rolling her eyes at Cliff and Kyle, "why won't you see the movie with us?"

"Because it's a chick flick," Kyle grumbled in reply, giving Sara a pointed look. "I don't want to waste my time or money on watching a few women stand around and talk about what shade of lipstick they're going to wear on their date or whatever. It's boring."

"I really don't think _Charlie's Angels_ is going to be that kind of chick flick," Tess interrupted with a smirk. "Besides, haven't you seen the trailers, Kyle? It is basically Drew Barrymore running around in very little clothing for the entire two hours. I thought you would be _dying_ to see that."

Kyle scowled and flicked a piece of carrot at her. She caught it, still grinning, and tossed it back at him.

"Oh, are you guys going to see _Charlie's Angels_?" Isabel asked, eyes lighting up with anticipation. "I wanted to see that."

"Friday night," Trudy answered. "You should come. We're trying to convince the guys to come, too."

"Oh, I doubt Whitman would be interested," Cliff cut in before Isabel could reply, and Alex inwardly cringed, waiting for the barb he knew was coming his way. Sure enough, Cliff continued smoothly, "After all, it doesn't have physics or math or computers in it. It's probably not geeky enough for him."

That comment earned a chuckle from Kyle, but at Trudy's reprimanding glare, the football jock quickly turned it into a cough. Still, the sarcastic grin did not leave his face, and Sara and Cliff both snickered softly. Alex felt his face heat up just a little bit, and annoyance flashed through Isabel's eyes.

"Do you want to see _Charlie's Angels_ with us?" she asked, glancing quickly at her boyfriend.

Alex shook his head. "Thanks, but I'll pass." Though the idea of going to a movie with Isabel was appealing, he had no desire to set himself up for another unpleasant evening. He'd tried the triple date that Trudy had wanted, and though he thought Isabel might have had a good time on it, he still would not willingly repeat that scenario.

"Of course," Kyle drawled. "Going to curl up at home with a good _Star Trek_?"

Alex did not even bother to answer the comment.

Trudy, on the other hand, elbowed her boyfriend sharply in the ribs, watching as Kyle winced and rubbed his side. "Enough," she whispered, her voice low, but still loud enough for Alex to hear. "Stop acting like a jerk."

Kyle frowned at her words, but lapsed into silence. Alex glanced back and forth between the two, a little surprised. Though Trudy had certainly stood up for him on a few occasions in the past, he had never heard her speak that harshly to any of her friends, least of all her boyfriend. But Kyle did not looked at al surprised by her words, and that made Alex a bit suspicious. Perhaps they were in the middle of an argument of some kind?

Whatever had passed between Kyle an Trudy had gone unnoticed by Isabel, Sara, and Cliff, all of whom seemed content to turn the conversation to even more inane topics. But Tess was staring at Kyle with a calculating look in her eyes, and Alex realized he was not the only one who was curious about the exchange.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of two others, and he looked up as a shadow fell over him and Chris came to stand at his side. The jock smiled at Tess, lips quirking into a faint smirk of greeting for his girlfriend. He was accompanied by Jessica, who nodded to the others as she took a seat next to Cliff.

"I just got held back after class _again_," Jessica said dramatically, rolling her eyes as she interrupted the conversation. "I'm telling you, the teacher is out to get me."

"To be fair," Chris countered as he squeezed in between Tess and Trudy, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders as she leaned against him, "you did talk through pretty much all of her class."

Jessica shrugged. "It was boring," she argued. "Like I care about history. So Russia almost killed us all. Obviously, they didn't, so who cares? The Cold War is over."

Alex listened to the conversation in silence, letting the words wash over him. His gaze moved to a table across the quad where Max and Liz were sitting with Michael and Maria. Liz was laughing at something Maria had said, and Michael was looking cross, while Max just shook his head in exasperation.

Alex bit his lip and wished, more than ever, that he could go and sit with them, and that everything in his complicated relationship with Isabel could be simple and easy.

* * *

The rest of the school day passed uneventfully, and when the final bell rang, Michael found himself trudging through the hall towards the auditorium where rehearsals were being held. By the time he reached the door to the room, Liz and Alex were already there, standing near the stage as they engaged enthusiastically in conversation with Mr. Turner. But as he scanned the room, he noted that Maria had not arrived yet.

"Joining the play?" an amused voice asked, and he spun sharply to face the girl who had spoken.

"What do you want, Courtney?"

"World peace," the skin answered without hesitation, one blonde eyebrow raised just enough to convey her displeasure at his sharp tone. "What do _you_ want?"

"Just looking for Maria," Michael answered.

"Ah, yes… because heaven forbid you let her do anything by herself," Courtney drawled, rolling her eyes at him. "Overprotective, much? Or just paranoid? I really doubt she's cheating on you."

Michael balled his hands into fists. "Don't talk about her like that," he snapped, eyes narrowed. "And stay away from her. I don't trust you."

Courtney gave an impatient huff. "That's a little hard to do, given that we're both in the same play," she answered, exasperated. "And, anyway, I did save her life. Remember that?"

"Yes, from the rebel skin that attacked," Michael replied sarcastically, shaking his head. "One of your faction tried to kill my girlfriend. You'll forgive me if that doesn't make me trust you."

"I had no idea that was going to happen," Courtney retorted defensively. "I told you that."

And Michael knew she had been telling the truth. His dislike of Courtney could not be rooted in suspicion – at least not over this particular issue. She _had_ saved Maria's life. He absently ran a hand through his hair, his eyes moving past Courtney as he caught a glimpse of Maria coming around the corner of the hallway.

She me this gaze, eyes widening as she realized he was talking to Courtney.

"What's going on?" Maria asked as she quickened her step to reach Michael and Courtney. Glancing between the two, she asked suspiciously, "What are you two talking about?"

"The end of the world, evil aliens, you sleeping with Nate," Courtney supplied in an off-hand manner. "You know, the usual." And without waiting for a response, she stepped around Michael and walked briskly into the auditorium, leaving the hybrid to face a furious Maria.

"You're checking up on me?" she demanded. "You really trust me so little that…"

"I'm not checking up on you," Michael interrupted, lowering his voice and glancing around quickly to make sure they would not be overheard. "Why does everything think I am jealous?"

"You threatened Nate!" Maria hissed in response, frustration smoldering in her eyes. "And I'm not even the one he's interested in."

That caught Michael by surprise, and his mouth fell open. He hadn't really thought that there was anything going on between Nate and Maria. In fact, he hadn't really thought there was anything going on between Nate and anyone else in the play. His jealousy was irrational, and he knew that, but it didn't quite make it go away.

But now to hear that Nate was obviously interested in someone… and by the sudden worried look in Maria's eyes, he had a pretty good idea of who.

"What? Wait, who is he interested in?"

"No one," Maria muttered under her breath. "Forget I said that."

Michael gave a sudden bark of laughter, shaking his head in amusement. "He's interested in Liz."

Maria looked up, her expression tense. "Yeah," she said, tone hard and unfriendly, "he's interested in Liz. But you don't see Max stalking the hallways, do you? He _trusts_ Liz."

With a smirk, Michael countered, "Does he even know that some other guy has his eyes on Liz?" Maria did not reply, but her silence was answer enough. "Hmm…" Michael continued thoughtfully, "and I wonder what he would say if he _did_ know."

"You wouldn't…" Maria started, but stopped at the mischievous look in Michael's eyes. "Oh, God… you really would tell him."

"Enjoy rehearsal," Michael said with a broad grin, turning away from her.

"Michael! Hey, Guerin! Space Boy, get back here!" Maria called after him, but her words echoed pointlessly in the hallway as he disappeared from view, and she was left to stare after him in slowly dawning horror. "Oh… Liz is going to _kill_ me," she murmured, shaking her head in irritation as she turned and walked into the auditorium.

* * *

"What is this?" Jim asked, walking into Tess' bedroom and handing her a folded piece of paper.

Tess looked up at him, confusion reflected in her eyes, and took the paper from his outstretched hand. She unfolded it, smoothing out the crease and glancing at the words before her.

"It looks like my midterm report card," she offered, scanning through the classes. "Does it not look like that to you?"

Jim frowned at her and said sharply, "It looks like you're getting a C in math."

She wrinkled her nose. "C+. And it would be a B , but I lost points for being absent a whole bunch." She handed it back to him, looking a little bored by the conversation. "Actually, I'm surprised I only dropped that much. I thought I would be doing worse."

"Tess, this isn't acceptable. You can't just skip class…"

"I didn't just skip," Tess countered angrily. "I was trying to prevent the deaths of my family. Copper Summit, New York… it wasn't like those were road trips just for the hell of it."

"And if those were the only times you'd missed school or failed to turn in an assignment, I would not have a problem with it. But you've been distracted lately, and you're letting your schoolwork suffer for it." The Sheriff folded his arms over his chest. "Tess, I get that you have a lot of other things on your mind," he said pointedly, "but school is important also."

"More important than my safety? Your safety? Kyle's safety?" Tess pressed.

With a weary sigh, Jim replied, "You have a future that is more than just alien issues. You've always been a straight-A student, with the very rare B+. You're losing that, and I don't want to watch you sacrifice your incredibly bright future."

"It isn't a big deal," Tess answered casually, shrugging. "I'll do some extra credit, get my grades up. Really, you don't have to worry about it."

"Good," Jim said firmly. "See that you do."

As he left her room, Tess flopped back onto her bed with an exaggerated sigh. She knew he wasn't being entirely irrational with his concerns, after all, she did have a future to worry about. But it was hard to think about the future, hard to take school all that seriously, when there were other more imminent concerns. Particularly when those concerns involved life and death.

But the alien mess was temporarily on hold as they waited for Nicolas to make his next move. Making a mental note to work harder on her school work during their brief break from alien problems, she turned her mind away from Jim's concern.

* * *

"How was rehearsal?" Amy asked as Maria dropped her backpack onto the floor by the front door and walked into the living room.

"Good," she answered with a shrug. "Long. But the show is soon, so Mr. Turner keeps wanting to do more and more during rehearsal."

"Good. Can you sit down for a moment?"

That innocuous comment was enough to set off several warning bells in Maria's mind, and she warily acquiesced to her mother's request. "Is everything alright?" she asked with the tiniest bit of trepidation.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Amy answered, glancing down at her hands where she held an open envelope. She pulled out the paper from within the envelope and said, "Your midterm report card came in the mail today. Care to explain it to me?"

Biting her lip, Maria took the report card from her mother and glanced at it, her eyes widening as she noted that she had received far lower grades than normal. She chanced a quick glance at her mother, noting that Amy did not look pleased by any of this, and inwardly cringed. How was she supposed to explain that she'd been distracted by an alien war?

"I guess I'm not doing that well," she said worriedly.

"No," Amy answered flatly, "you're not. You've skipped classes, too, and I don't like it. What have you been doing, Maria? Spending all your time with Michael?"

Maria flushed a dark red at the implication in those words. Amy still believed that Maria and Michael had slept together, and she had not forgiven the taciturn hybrid for what she perceived as corrupting her daughter. The displeasure in her tone was obvious, as was the concern in her eyes.

"No! Mom, it's not like… I just… there has been a lot going on, and I… I'm sorry."

"_What_ has been going on?" Maria didn't answer, and Amy rose to her feet, frustration evident. "Maria, I'm your mother. Talk to me, tell me what's distracting you. Tell me why you can't do your schoolwork."

"I… can't."

"Why not?"

Maria frowned and retorted, "I just _can't_, Mom."

"That's not good enough, Maria," Amy countered.

"What do you want me to say? It's not a big deal, I'll fix everything. You're overreacting. Trust me, it's not as bad as it looks."

"Overreacting?" Amy demanded incredulously. "Is that what you think this is? You're cutting classes, not turning in homework… Maria, I don't know _where_ you are half the time, or who you are with. How can you ask me to trust you when you won't tell me anything? I don't know what's going on in that brain of yours, and that scares me. You cut class and take off on trips out of the state. You sneak around with your boyfriend! You don't tell me anything. I'm your _mother_."

Maria felt the guilt growing in the pit of her stomach and wished there was something she could say, anything she could do to ease her mother's worry. She'd already complicated her mother's life enough, screwing up Amy's relationship with Jim, lying to her about Michael…

But what _could_ she say?

So she stared silently at her mother and waited.

Amy gave a final, impatient huff, and said, "Fine. You don't want to tell me, I guess I can't force you. But I don't want you seeing Michael anymore."

"_What_?"

"When you get your grades up, Maria, then we can talk about this again. Until then, you are to have nothing to do with him. Do you understand?"

"Mom! That's not fair, Michael isn't…"

"Do you understand?" Amy cut in, her tone making it clear that this was not in any way open for negotiation. She did not like doing this sort of thing, she had always firmly believed that if she simply offered her daughter advice, but did not force her to take it, Maria would still make the right decisions. Now, she was not so sure. It seemed as though something had been off in their relationship for a while now. And Maria _was_ her daughter, she was responsible for her wellbeing.

Maria nodded glumly, the anger still smoldering in her eyes, then turned and stalked from the room. Amy watched her go, then heaved a sigh and sank back onto the sofa, exhausted.

* * *

Diane Evans glanced at her son's midterm report, then sighed and tossed it onto the coffee table between herself and her husband. She glanced towards the stairs, knowing that Max and Isabel were in their rooms and therefore less likely to overhear this conversation. She wondered if she should call Max down and confront him, but opted against the idea when she realized she wasn't even sure what to say.

"That bad?" Philip Evans asked as he reached for the report card. "Isabel's was fine."

"Max's isn't," Mrs. Evans answered. "His absences alone… Philip, I don't get what is going on with him. It's like… he's not the son I remember."

Mr. Evans scanned the card with a growing frown. Isabel's report had been a little bit less glowing than usual, but other than that, everything had seemed fine. Her grades were good, she only had a few absences… nothing to worry about. But Max… that was a different story entirely.

"What do you want to do?" Mrs. Evans pressed.

"He's been spending a lot of time with Liz Parker, hasn't he?" Mr. Evans said thoughtfully. "Do you think he's letting his relationship with her get in the way of schoolwork?"

It seemed rather unlikely, given what he knew about the studious Liz Parker. She was the last person in the class who would distract Max from his work. In fact, if anything, a relationship with her should have improved his grades. But what other explanation was there?

All the trouble they had gotten into last year… It was supposed to be over. All the secrets, all the lies… Mrs. Evans had truly believed that whatever had plagued her children had passed, and that Max was somehow slowly getting over it.

But now…

"We should talk to Max," Mr. Evans said finally, resolutely, "but I want answers. And if he won't give them to us, I'll find them elsewhere."

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Courtney muttered to herself as she threw her midterm report card onto the counter. "Pathetic report card. Pathetic planet. Stupid humans."

"Problems?"

She did not bother turning to acknowledge the presence of the other skin in her house. She'd sensed the moment she'd opened her front door that she wasn't alone, but that had not troubled her greatly. She'd been expecting this for a while now, and was only surprised that it had taken so long for Carla to contact her.

"Nothing to worry yourself about, Carla."

Carla reached over and snatched the report card from the counter. Giving it a quick glance, she said, "You're failing history."

"A C- isn't failing. Technically," Courtney answered with a half-hearted shrug. "And it isn't as though the history of this planet is all that relevant to anything I care about. Who cares if I don't show up, don't turn in my homework?"

"The mayor wants you to blend in to the crowd. Pretend to be a normal teenager," Carla reminded her.

Courtney spun around, pale eyes flashing. "And I am doing that, Carla. The normal teenager skips class all the time. That's half the point of _being_ a teenager." She took a moment to quell her annoyance, then asked in a calmer tone, "Did you want something? Or have you just come to waste my time?"

"I assume you have heard about the disastrous trip to New York?"

"I have. What of it?"

"The mayor wants you to contact Nicolas," Carla said simply, bluntly.

"Nicolas no longer trusts me. He hasn't trusted me since the Harvest. You _know_ that," Courtney protested.

"Convince him that you are trustworthy," Carla answered dryly, shrugging. "You've done it before. With Ava now in the picture, everything has changed, and we cannot afford to lose our only link to him now. You _must_ convince him that he can trust you. We need to know what his next move will be."

"Easier said than done," Courtney snapped irritably. "What you ask of me is nearly impossible. Nicolas is not a fool."

"Perhaps not. But he was foolish enough to trust you once." Carla turned away from Courtney, letting her gaze wander over the kitchen. "Courtney, you are not any more powerful than anyone else in this faction. Your only value to our cause is in your ties to Nicolas. If you cannot do this, you will have outlived your usefulness."

"Why isn't the mayor here to tell me this himself?" Courtney asked coolly, not rising to Carla's blatant attempt to anger her.

"He's busy," Carla answered simply. "Contact Nicolas, Courtney. And I suggest you do it before the mayor decides you are more trouble than you are worth."

* * *

Next Chapter: Relative Normalcy

Due: Sun 6/14


	55. Relative Normalcy

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: The next several chapters move the story along quite a bit in terms of timeline. Pay attention to all the gaps in time. Don't worry, though, things will slow down again once we get to more actual plot, but I need to keep the timeline moving or we will be stuck in autumn forever.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Five: Relative Normalcy

Max watched as Liz pushed the mop back and forth across the floor of the Crashdown, his eyes never leaving her thin frame even as she seemed to concentrate solely on her task. Once or twice she glanced up at him, a shy smiling tugging at the corners of her lips, but then she'd look away again.

"You're pathetic, you know that?"

Max did not bother looking away from Liz as he answered the comment with his own dry response, "Do you have anything better to do than interfere in my love-life, Isabel?"

She sat down across from him, sliding easily into the booth and glancing at the clock on the wall. "The diner closes in five minutes. Are you and Liz going to stay to…uh… _talk_… afterwards?"

This time he did look at his sister, a question in his gaze. The implication of the statement didn't really bother him, since, after all, it was not as though Isabel didn't know that he and Liz did things other than talking in their alone time. But the usual teasing tone was gone from Isabel's voice, replaced by something else.

"What's wrong?" he asked sharply.

"What's wrong?" Isabel demanded hotly. "Max, you've been back from New York for almost a week now, and you've barely been home. Mom and Dad are starting to ask me about where you are all the time."

"Tell them the truth," Max answered with a shrug. "This time, I don't have anything to hide from them."

Isabel chewed her lip, worry evident in her eyes. "It's not that simple. I can't just… I have told them that you are with Liz most of the time, but it isn't enough. They're suspicious, Max. Can't you just spend some time at home? Talk to them. Convince them that you're fine."

He frowned and nodded. "Is it really that big of a deal? They haven't acted suspicious around me."

Isabel narrowed her eyes, looking taken aback. "Really?" she asked incredulously. "Not at all?" Max wordlessly shook his head, and Isabel continued a little unsure, "They ask me about you almost every day. Where you are, who you are with… that sort of thing."

Max accepted this silently as he let his gaze wander back to Liz. He had acted differently around his parents over the past several months than he had at any other point in his life. It was true that he had not been himself for significant periods of time, and they had every reason to be concerned. But if they were asking Isabel about it, but not confronting him…

That was not a good sign.

He would need to talk to them, to do his best to stop this before it turned into something worse. But how could he approach them without indicating that Isabel had told him anything? His parents wouldn't trust him if they thought he was only talking to them because he knew they didn't trust him.

Liz leaned the mop against the wall and looked over at him. The smile in her eyes faded as she caught sight of Isabel sitting next to him, of the anxious expression in the statuesque hybrid's gaze. The brunette waitress hesitated, glancing at the other patrons in the diner. There were only four or five left, and they were all getting ready to leave. In a few minutes, the three of them would be able to talk openly.

Max sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The last thing he wanted to do was burden Liz with his problems. But he would have to tell her what was going on so that she would understand why he couldn't spend as much time with her for the next several days.

"Max?" Isabel asked.

He stood up, pushing away from her. "I'll take care of it," he promised, still not entirely sure how he was going to manage that.

Isabel rose to her feet as well, and reached across the table to catch his arm. He paused, looking back at her, and she asked softly, "How?" He didn't answer, and she pressed wearily, "Max, I know things have finally settled down and you are enjoying spending some time with Liz. But… this is serious, and we need to both be on the same page. I need to know what you're doing so that I don't end up making things worse."

The door chimed as the last of the diner's patrons stepped out into the night, and Liz quickly cast aside her mop and walked over to the two siblings. Isabel dropped Max's arm as Liz approached and forced a smile for the other girl, but it was obvious that Liz still felt the tension in the air.

"Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Just great," Isabel muttered.

Max drew a slow breath and said, "Apparently my parents are getting suspicious. I'm sure we I can figure it out, though. I'll convince them that I'm fine and everything will go back to normal."

Isabel gave an ironic chuckle. "Do you even remember what normal feels like, Max?"

"Maybe you should go home," Liz suggested uneasily, her gaze moving between Max and Isabel. To her boyfriend, she continued, "If your parents are really that concerned, they'd probably like it better if you didn't spend so much time out of the house."

Max nodded glumly, all plans for spending the rest of the night with Liz ruined by this latest development. "You're right," he agreed. Looking over at Isabel, he added, "We can figure something out on the way back. Some story… something so that we are on the same page."

"I don't like this," Isabel said, her tone thick with regret. "I don't like lying to them."

"We don't have a choice," Max muttered. "I don't like it either, but…" He trailed off and looked at Liz again. "I think I am going to have to take a temporary rain check on all plans. Just until I figure this out."

She smiled understandingly, though her eyes reflected some frustration at the entire situation. "Don't worry about it," she said with a suddenly mischievous grin, "I am sure you can make it up to me later."

Max smiled, and Isabel averted her gaze in mild disgust. She did not want to think about the implications of Liz's statement, did not want to know what her brother was going to be doing with his girlfriend in his spare time.

That being said, she could not blame him for taking advantage of the relative peace they had been having for the past few days. The world hadn't ended, they hadn't been attacked by aliens, reporters, or the FBI… things seemed almost… _normal_. No, she could not blame him for spending every free minute enjoying his uninterrupted time with Liz.

Because she knew just how quickly all that could change.

* * *

"What is going on?" Michael demanded as Maria attempted to close the window in his face. He caught it with one hand and held it open, frowning at his sort-of girlfriend as she glared angrily at him. "Maria…"

"You need to go," Maria said sharply, casting a quick look behind her towards the door of her room. "You need to go right now, before someone sees you."

He frowned, both annoyed and intrigued by her strange behavior. "What's wrong?" he asked, pressing for details. "You haven't returned my calls, you ignore me at school…" Which was why he had been forced to show up outside the window to her room to demand answers.

She bit her lip, looking upset. "I can't, alright?" she snapped irritably. "My mother doesn't want me to."

Michael blinked. "Since when do you listen to your mother?" he asked, half-kidding, half-serious. "You guys disagree about things all the time. You're going to completely shut me out just because…"

"Because she threatened to take away from cell phone and ground me if I don't?" Maria cut across his argument. "She's not backing down on this one, Michael. And I prefer not to be grounded until I am thirty."

"Well, I doubt she can do _that_…"

"Michael, I'm serious," Maria hissed angrily, splotches of color appearing on her cheeks at his slightly mocking tone. "She thinks you're basically ruining my life."

"Woah. Wait, what? How does she think that? _Why_ does she think that?"

"Because she thinks I bail on school to hang out with you. Because she thinks I spend time with you instead of doing my homework. Because she thinks we've had sex. Because I can't tell her the truth about any of this, and she's decided that that means I am clearly planning on running off with you." She threw her hands up in exasperation and turned away from the window. "Because she's my mother. Does it matter why she thinks any of it? I still can't…"

"Can't what?" Michael demanded. "Can't talk to me anymore? So this is it, you're just going to give up?"

"No. I just… look, I don't want my mother to feel like she can't trust me," Maria said, floundering desperately for words as Michael's expression darkened. She felt guilty about lying to her mother, but she also felt guilty about ignoring Michael now that things had settled down long enough for them to actually be able to spend time together, and… and she had no idea how to balance the two.

"Fine," Michael said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So you won't talk to me at school, even? Is that how it goes?"

"Just for a little while," Maria murmured reluctantly. "Just long enough for me to figure this out. To convince my mother that…" She trialed off with a helpless shrug, not sure what else to say. "Just… another week. Is that so hard for you, Space Boy? For God's sake, it's not like we're even dating."

"You want to convince your mother that you're trustworthy?" Michael asked, his voice hard, his eyes narrowed. Maria nodded, and he said in a brutally honest tone, "But you're _not_, Maria. You aren't ever going to be able to tell her the truth. Not about what is really happening. You have to lie to her, and that _isn't_ going to change."

Maria stiffened. "Do you have to be such a jerk?" she snapped.

"Why not?" Michael retorted fiercely. "It's not like we're even dating." And without another word, he slammed the window shut and walked away from her room, not bothering to look back.

* * *

"Problems in paradise?" Isabel asked in a teasing tone as Michael slammed his locker door shut and glared down the hallway towards Maria. The pixie blonde was standing several yards away from them, talking with Liz. But while Liz looked relaxed and cheerful, Maria was tense, determinedly averting her gaze from the two hybrids. Her posture was stiff, her expression uneasy.

Michael glanced in annoyance at Isabel and asked sharply, "Don't you have somewhere else to be? You know, somewhere that isn't here…"

"Not really," Isabel answered with a broad grin. "At least, nowhere quite as interesting as here. It's like watching a soap opera." She paused, considering this for a moment, then added, "Of course, if it turns out that Maria has a long-lost twin who comes to town and you fall madly in love with _her_… that would be even better. Especially if she's evil. "

"Isabel. Shut up." Michael turned away Isabel, forcing himself not to look back over his shoulder at Maria as he started to walk away.

"Oh. Touchy. Must have been bad."

"What was bad?" Max asked as he joined the other two in time to hear Isabel's sarcastic comment. He glanced quickly at Michael, noting the dark grimace in his friend's eyes.

"Your sister," was the sour response, "who can't keep her mouth shut or her nose out of other people's business."

Max and Isabel exchanged a quick look, then Max asked sympathetically, "An argument with Maria?"

Michael threw his hands into the air in frustration and glowered at the two siblings. "Don't either of you have anything better to do than annoy me?" he demanded viciously, words filled with irritation.

"Alright, alright… geez…" Max murmured under his breath. "Didn't realize it was that big of a deal. I mean… don't you and Maria fight all the time?"

"Hey, at least I don't have other guys trying to make a move on my girlfriend," Michael retorted before he could really think through the words. He hadn't actually intended to tell Max about Nate, regardless of what he had implied to Maria. He wasn't _that_ cruel, and it was not as though Max had anything to worry about if the lovesick look in Liz's eyes was any indication of her feelings.

But now he had said the words, and Isabel's eyebrows had shot upwards as Max's expression closed off… and… well, Michael couldn't deny that he did get some pleasure from tormenting Max.

"What?" Max asked quietly. "What are you talking about?"

Michael folded his arms over his chest and said somewhat mischievously, "Oh… you mean she hasn't told you about Nathan Swift?"

"Swift?" Max asked, blinking. The name sounded very familiar, but he could not place it. Instinctively, he glanced towards Liz, but the brunette did not notice his gaze. She was still chatting animatedly with Maria, unaware of what was happening behind her back.

Isabel, of course, had the answer. "He's the one playing Othello, right? The one you were so worried had an interest in Maria?"

"Yeah. But it turns out she wasn't the one he liked." With a smirk, Michael added, "And you know… he _is_ a senior."

"This Swift guy likes Liz?" Max asked, repeating the words as though he wasn't quite sure he could believe them. It was not that he was worried about this, he trusted Liz. He and Liz were perfect together, and had fought so hard to get past all the different hurtles that life threw in their way. And Liz was smart and kind and beautiful, so there were probably a million guys who liked her. It didn't matter, though.

Did it?

Because he had Liz.

Right?

"Yes, he does," Michael confirmed, smirk growing gleefully as he twisted the metaphorical knife just a little bit deeper. "Haven't you seen him at the Crashdown a few times? Or talking to Liz after rehearsal?"

"Well… he obviously has good taste in women," Max answered in a voice of forced calm. "It doesn't matter, though. I'm not jealous." But his eyes were narrowed and his hands clenched into fists, fingers curling inwards towards his palm.

"Of course not," Michael agreed in a mock-serious tone. "Which is good, I suppose. Given that you won't be seeing Liz much this week."

Max's frown deepened and he sent Michael a curious look. At the other end of the hallway, Maria and Liz's conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Alex, who said something to the two that caused a burst of laughter to fill the air. Even Maria seemed to relax a little, and Michael stared at her, his own expression unreadable.

Then the hybrid General turned back to Max and said, "I heard that you were having trouble with your parents. That you were going to devote your time this week to convincng them you are the model son… And that doesn't really leave time for Liz, does it?" He shrugged carelessly and said, "Oh well. She's probably plenty busy with the play. It's almost show-time, isn't it? So she'll have a lot of rehearsals…" He trailed off with a pointed stare.

"Which will just be rehearsals," Max interrupted coolly. "She's spending quality time with Alex and Maria. That's why they did this in the first place, right?" He glanced at Liz, noticed that she had excused herself from the conversation with Alex and Maria and was walking in the opposite direction. He watched her go until she disapeared around a corner in the hallway.

"Right. Quality time. Bonding," Michael agreed. "I doubt anything will happen. They'll just… talk. I'm sure Liz and Nate are just on friendly terms. That's all. Like you said, Liz is nice to everyone."

"If he tries anything…" Max muttered under his breath. He glowered for a moment - altough it was unclear whether he was angry with Michael or Nate - and then stomped away angrily.

"That was mean," Isabel commented dryly, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Amusing… but mean."

Michael gave another careless shrug. "I wouldn't worry about it, Izzy. After all… it's not like Max is _jealous_."

* * *

Another week passed, and Max's sullen mood did not improve.

"Every time I call Liz, she's in rehearsal," he complained, flopping down on the sofa. "It's all she does in the afternoons. When am I supposed to see her?"

"You do realize that all this complaining is making you sound like a melodramatic girl," Isabel said with a tinge of exasperation in her voice. "Yeah, it sucks that you can't spend every single second with your girlfriend. But you're supposed to be playing the dutiful son, remember? And right now, all this mooning over Liz… not helping."

They were alone in the house, which was the only reason Isabel felt comfortable talking so openly about their alien problems. Usualy these types of conversation would be had in whispers in their rooms, or at the Crashdown or Michael's apartment. But their mother had gone out to buy groceries and their father was still at work, so they were left alone.

"Although," she continued, when it became clear that Max was not going to respond to her comment, "You are doing a good job of driving us all insane."

"As long as I am around for dinner and in the evening, what else matters? It's not like Mom and Dad can accuse me of sneaking around and lying to them when I am here all the time." He leaned back on the sofa and flung an arm over his eyes, yawning. "It's been an entire week."

"If you can't live without Liz for a week, Max, then you've got a whole lot of other issues you might want to worry about," Isabel retorted, rolling her eyes. "Like how pathetic you are."

"I don't like the fact that I'm not with her and that… that… Nathan is," Max grumbled. "What if he's… I don't know… doing something. Trying to make a move…what if he's… what if he's an alien?"

Isabel lifted one eyebrow skeptically and retorted, "Seriously? What is it with you assuming that every guy who shows any interest in any of us must be alien?"

Max lapsed into silence and did not answer.

The sun was sinking towards the horizon, casting long shadows through the open window. A cool breeze rustled against the curtains, catching Isabel's attention, and she turned towards the window. The air had a chill to it, the only sign that winter was coming quickly.

Max sat up and glanced over at his sister. "Everything seems normal," he said abruptly, sharply. "We're not being attacked… we're not plotting or planning or… or _anything_."

"It's kind of nice," Isabel murmured contentedly.

But Max shook his head. "It's weird, is what it is. They're still out there. Nicolas, Khivar… Rath. Trevor. Courtney and Carla and the mayor." He leaned back again and sighed heavily. "It just seems weird, knowing that they are out there, and yet having everything be so… peaceful."

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Isabel offered. "Because you know as well as I just how easily it can all change."

"Yeah," Max agreed with a glum nod. "Yeah, I do."

* * *

"Here, let me help you with that," a voice called, and Liz turned in surprise, the heavy box almost tumbling from her arms. Before she could drop it, however, Nate was at her side, steadying her arms. He took the box from her, holding it easily against his side, and offered a smile.

"Uh… thanks," Liz murmured, wrapping her arms around her chest.

"Where does this need to go?" Nate asked, glancing around the auditorium.

"Oh, Mr. Turner wanted it taken to his office," Liz answered, holding up a set of keys that the director had given her. "It's all the props we don't need. I guess he just wanted to get them out of the way."

"Lead on, then," Nate said, gesturing towards the door. Liz started to protest, but he said hurriedly, "I've got a break for about twenty minutes while they work on a few of the scenes I'm not in. Let me help you with this."

"Well… okay. Thanks," Liz agreed with a tentative smile. She beckoned for him to follow her and lead the way out of the auditorium. "Can you believe the play opens in three days?"

"Don't," he laughed, "you'll just make me more nervous than I already am." Shaking his head, he followed Liz through the hallway and added, "We've had a lot of rehearsals, though. I do think we're ready. I _hope_ we're ready."

"What could possibly go wrong?" Liz argreed amiably.

Nate wrinkled his nose at her answer and quipped, "Do you really want a list? Because I could think of a lot of things that could go wrong. I could forget my lines, the curtain could malfunction, the set could fall over, I could forget my lines, the lights could not work, my costume could suddnely fall apart on stage… did I mention I could forget my lines?"

"Uh, yeah. I think you've got that one covered."

Liz paused in front of the door to Mr. Turner's classroom and pushed it open. She flicked the lights on and crossed in front of the desks to the small room off the side where the director stored all the items for the show. She sorted through the key ring for a moment, looking for the one she wanted, then slid it into the lock and twisted, opening the door.

Nate came to stand behind her. "Do you like stage managing?"

"Much better than being on stage," Liz answered. "I think I'd get stage fright way too easily. But the show was really just about wanting to spend some time with Alex and Maria." She pointed to an empty spot on one of the desks shoved into the room and said, "There. I guess the box can just be left on that desk."

Nate nodded and put the box time. "But your… um… boyfriend didn't want to do the play with you?"

Liz didn't pick up on the hesitation in his voice or the way he glanced anxiously at her as he asked the question, frank curiosity in his eyes. Instead, she answered truthfully, a little obliviously, "No, it wasn't that. I just wanted to do something that wasn't with him, you know? To have an activity that was just mine. But I still see him in the evening. Well… usually. He's been busy this past week, you know. I haven't see him in a while…"

Nate gestured for her to proceed him out of the small office and closed the door behind him. "Well, he'll come to the show, right?"

Liz blinked. "Yeah. I think so. I haven't really talked to him about it. I haven't really talked to him about much…" She trailed off with a slight sigh. It was true, in the past several weeks she and Max had seemed only able to focus on all the different aliens things going on in their lives. And now that everything had calmed down enough to give them some time for each other, Max was too busy trying to convince his parents that he wasn't hiding life-altering secrets from them to have time for her.

It was frustrating.

The frustration must have shown on her face, because Nate said quickly, apologetically, "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up an unpleasant topic."

"It's fine," she said softly, waving away his words. After all, she reminded herself as she and Nate walked back to the auditorium, it wasn't as though they would never see each other again. And Max had done some really sweet things for her recently, getting her flowers and reminding her that he loved her even when she wasn't helping him with alien-related problems…

She rubbed her eyes with one hand and sighed. She really did miss Max. And it had only been a week.

* * *

Nancy Parker was rather surprised to find Diane Evans standing on the opposite side of the door. It was not that she and Diane were on friendly terms – they were, and they had made a point of being even more welcoming to each other ever since Liz and Max started dating – but they were not yet close enough friends for it to seem natural to visit the other unannounced in the middle of the day.

Still, Nancy smiled and opened the door further. "Come in, Diane. It's nice to see you."

"Good to see you as well, Nancy. How have you been?" Diane asked politely as she entered the house. Nancy closed the door behind them, and Diane glanced around quickly, noting that Jeff Parker was not there at the moment. It was probably for the best – this type of conversation was easier to have with only one person.

"Pretty good. Lizzie is very excited about the play. _Othello_. It opens in only a few days."

"Yes, Max has mentioned that. He's a little dismayed by how much time Liz is spending in rehearsals, of course…" She gave a light laugh, and shook her head. "How is Liz doing? Besides the show, of course."

Nancy's gaze narrowed on Diane. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

Diane sighed, knowing that it was useless trying to beat around the bush on this issue. Nancy had obviously picked up on the fact that this was not a social visit. "I'm worried about Max," she confided. "He's been distant… he's acting so out of character…" She chewed her lip for a moment and followed Nancy into the living room. Taking a seat on the sofa, she continued, "He's not focused on school, he's keeping secrets, he's sneaking around behind our backs."

"He's a teenager," Nancy pointed out logically. "That's what they do."

Diane smiled in agreement. "I know. And if it was just little things… but it isn't, Nancy. It's much bigger than that and… look, I had a federal agent visit me last year. Max had gotten mixed up in something… by accident, of course, and he didn't even know he was in the middle of anything. The agent said that Max was oblivious to it all, but… I'm worried about him."

Nancy considered this for a moment, then answered, "Is he doing drugs? Drinking? Breaking the law?"

"That's the problem," Diane said in frustration, "I don't know. I don't have any idea what he is doing because he won't talk to me." She hesitated, then said, "But he talks to Liz."

Nancy nodded silently, and Diane ran a hand through her hair. She looked down at the carpet underneath her feet, wishing she had some other way of saying this, of explaining her fears so that she sounded like more than just an overprotective, over-involved mother.

"And then I look at his friends… there was that whole thing with Maria and Copper Summit… and they say she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I can't help but think it is just a little bit too much of a coincidence that she got caught in the middle of an FBI problem… And I thought… well, Maria _is_ best friends with Liz, right…?"

Nancy pursed her lips for a moment. "Liz _has_ been more secretive than usual. And at one point she was really… well, distant, I guess. And upset. I know it had something to do with Max, but I thought it was just an argument. I can't really think of anything that would be helpful."

"So you aren't worried about Liz?"

Nancy shook her head, although now she was starting to wonder if perhaps she should be. It was true that Liz had gone through a few personality changes during the past months, and though she was often content to assume that it was just normal teenage problems, she wasn't entirely sure if that was true.

"I'll talk to Liz," Nancy said suddenly, coming to a decision. "Discreetly, of course, to make sure everything is okay with her. And I'll keep my eyes open. Just… just to be on the safe side. I'll let you know if anything… seems… problematic."

"Thank you," Diane replied emphatically. Silently, and to herself, she added that she could only hope it would be enough. She had no idea what was wrong with Max, and she wasn't sure Nancy would be able to figure it out either, but if anyone knew, she had the suspicion that it would be Liz.

* * *

Next Chapter: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Due: Sun 6/21


	56. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Six: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

"Lizzie? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Liz looked up as her mother entered her room, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. "I… sure, Mom. Is everything alright?" she asked, worry etched into the lines of her face. It was an ominous beginning to the conversation, she noted, watching the way her mother's eyes seemed to darken with anxiety as she stepped further into the room.

"How is everything going?" Nancy Parker asked as she took a seat on her daughter's bed. Liz shoved the journal she had been writing in underneath some stacks of paper in the upper drawer of her desk and looked at her mother with a confused expression.

"Fine," she said, the space between them – both literal and figurative – increasing as she folded her arms over her chest and leaned back in her seat, pushing it slightly across the floor.

"How is Max?"

Liz blinked, momentarily thrown by the question. She blinked and lowered her gaze, sorting through the various answers she could give. But she had no idea where the question was coming from, and the lack of insight left her both concerned and nervous.

"He's fine, I guess. Why?"

Nancy sighed and folded her hands in her lap, staring down at them with a contemplative expression, almost as though she could not quite comprehend what she was doing here. The silence was short, however, and she said soon enough, "Diane Evans is worried about him."

Liz swallowed back her annoyed retort and forced herself to remain calm. It was not as though her mother was spying on her – she had easily admitted to why she was here. But the question still felt like an invasion of privacy, and left her feeling upset and betrayed.

"If she is worried about him, she should talk to him," Liz answered simply. Except she knew it wasn't that easy, because Max would never tell his mother the truth. She felt a twinge of regret in her chest, and a knot of guilt in her stomach for all the lies she and the others had told and would continue to tell in the future. She did not want Mrs. Evans to worry, and had no doubt that Max and Isabel did not want that either.

But what other choice did they have?

Her mother's next words surprised her, however.

Nancy leaned forward and said softly, "Liz… it isn't Max that I am worried about. It's you."

Liz frowned and lifted her eyes to meet her mother's piercing gaze. Conversations like these were rare in the Parker household, and had become even rarer during the past year-and-a-half.

"Why?" she asked, almost not even daring to breathe as she waited for her mother's answer.

Nancy sighed, then said, "Diane says that Max has been… moody. Different. Changes to his personality and…" She paused for a moment, struggling for the right words to express her fears. Finally, she said, "I've noticed it a bit, too, Liz. The few times I've seen him… or the rumors that have gone through the town… This is Roswell. It's small, and people talk."

"About what?" Liz pressed, not quite understanding where the conversation was leading. What was her mother so afraid of? What rumors had she heard? It couldn't be anything alien-related… could it?

"Skipping classes… getting in trouble…" Nancy shrugged a little apologetically for the gossip she was repeating. "Lizzie… I heard he broke up with you… was distant, cold, mean… and he started a fight with Kyle Valenti… because of something having to do with that Harding girl. And then you take him back… but Liz, I saw how distressed you were. And how much energy and emotion you put into your relationship… I saw how it was tearing you apart."

Liz flinched at the reminder of what had happened when Zan's personality had taken control of Max, but replied firmly, resolutely, "It wasn't like that, Mom. It's… complicated." There wasn't anything else she could say, because everything her mother said was true. The split with Max had been difficult, but even harder had been the first few weeks after they got back together and she had been constantly supporting him, putting his needs and his wellbeing above her own. It wasn't until Maria had finally talked some sense into Max that things had started to change, that Max had looked past his own grief and guilt to see that she needed his help just as much as he needed hers… but how could she explain any of that to her mother?

"You don't have to make excuses for him," Nancy argued. "You deserve better, Liz. You deserve someone who isn't going to drop you when it suits him. And Max… I liked him when I first met him. But he's changed. He's not the Max I remember."

It was ironic, Liz mused to herself, that she was hearing this from her mother. After all, hadn't Trudy said exactly the same thing to her earlier in the year? And even Isabel had mentioned once to her that she didn't need the relationship with Max, that is it was making her miserable it wasn't the best idea to stay in it…

She rubbed her eyes. "I really like him, Mom. And he really likes me."

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked. "Because you are my daughter and I love you and trust you… but I was a teenager once, too. And I know how hormones can sometimes blind you to everything else."

"I'm sure, Mom," Liz said. "Please… you just have to believe me on this. I _know_ Max. And I know that he loves me. Trust me. Please."

"I want to," Nancy murmured, "I really do."

* * *

"This is _so_ frustrating," Maria snapped, sinking into the booth next to Max with a huff. "Michael is ignoring me. It's not like I want to have to not talk to him, but I can't just ignore what my mother said…"

Liz and the rest of the cast of _Othello_ had been given a break for the day, and, although Liz had to work, Max was still looking forward to being able to spend some time with his girlfriend. Which was why he found himself now sitting in a booth at the Crashdown, happily enjoying the few hours he had before he had to be home for yet another family dinner. He could see Liz as she moved back and forth among the customers, taking orders and bringing out food and drinks. Occasionally, she would catch his eye and smile.

She was even more beautiful when she smiled.

No doubt Isabel would be mocking him if she were here to witness the scene.

But even the thought of Isabel's sardonic comments could not dampen his contentment.

Being forced to listen to Maria complain, though… that could make everything less than enjoyable.

"Why does it matter if Michael is speaking to you?" he asked, running a hand absently through his hair. "You aren't supposed to be speaking to him, right? So it works out for the best this way."

"But I don't want him to not be speaking to me," Maria protested, shaking her head sharply, blonde strands falling in front of her eyes. She pushed them aside impatiently and frowned at Max.

"But you don't want to talk to him," Max countered, confused.

"Exactly!" Maria agreed emphatically, nodding.

Max blinked. "I don't get it."

She adjusted the antenna's on her headband and glared at him, obviously not thrilled at his inability to understand her point of view. He glanced past her, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Liz as she disappeared into the back room.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" he asked finally, turning back to Maria.

"I know!" Maria agreed fiercely, rolling her eyes. "Working. And you'd think that he would manage to be civil for the sake of our customers. But no, he can't even do that."

"That's not what I meant…" Max started to protest, but Maria continued breathlessly, not letting him finish his sentence.

"I give him an order from one of the customers and he barely even acknowledges that I'm speaking. I mean, I know he's a lousy boyfriend. I know it, you know it, the entire world knows it."

Max leaned forward, his eyes moving towards Liz who had re-entered the main room of the diner. "I thought you and Michael weren't even dating," he commented distractedly. Liz turned towards him, her expression questioning, and he wondered if he could somehow send her a telepathic message to save him from this conversation.

But Liz was drawn away by several customers wanting to place orders, and Max reluctantly gave his attention back to Maria.

"We're not!" Maria muttered sourly. "But he doesn't have to act like such a… a…" She trailed off helplessly, apparently deciding that whatever insult she had for Michael, it was not the best idea to repeat it in public. Instead, she twisted in her seat and glowered towards the door that lead to the kitchen where Michael was no doubt working at the grill.

"Excuse me? Miss? Do you work here?"

Maria and Max both glanced at the source of the voice, a tall, well-dressed man in his mid-thirties. He was looking at Maria expectantly, his gaze taking in her hideous yellow uniform with the matching antenna headband.

"Uh… what?" Maria asked, startled by the question.

"I was wondering if it would be possible to look at a menu?" he asked, staring at her expectantly.

"Do you mind?" she retorted abrasively, gesturing towards herself and Max. "We're kind of in the middle of something here."

The would-be customer, rather than looking angry or upset like Max had feared, seemed just completely bewildered by Maria's response. "Oh… right, sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean to…"

The rest of his words were stopped by the appearance of Liz. She came to his side with a smile plastered to her face and a menu in one hand. Shooting Maria a pointed stare, Liz said, "Would you like a menu?" and extended her the item in question towards the other man. He accepted it with a nod of thanks and she gestured him towards one of the empty tables.

"Shouldn't you be helping Liz?" Max pressed, hoping to prompt the talkative blonde to leave the booth.

Maria rose to her feet. "Ugh… all this work is giving me a headache, and Michael is _not_ helping. I need a break." She pulled off her apron and tossed it onto the table in front of Max, before walking briskly towards the front door of the diner and slipping outside into the late afternoon sun.

Liz came over to Max, her eyes following Maria's retreating form. "Everything alright?"

"She needed a break," Max answered sarcastically. "All the work she was doing has worn her down."

"What work?" Liz wondered idly, tearing her gaze away from her friend and looking down at Max. "She's been sitting here and talking to you."

"This fight between her and Michael seems pretty serious."

Liz chewed the inside of her lip thoughtfully. "Yeah. I don't know why, though, they've argued over worse. But Maria's trying really hard to do what her mother wants… at least until she can figure out a way to explain everything that has happened over the past few months…"

The bell on the front door of the diner chimed, signaling the arrival of more patrons. Both Max and Liz glanced in that direction, and Liz's features lit up as she caught sight of Nate. She waved to him, and he detached himself from his group of friends and walked over towards them, smiling.

"Hey, Liz."

"Hi, Nate," Liz said. "Taking advantage of your day off?"

He nodded, dark eyes crinkling at the edges as his smile grew into a grin. "Yeah. It's nice not to be inside forever… although we open tomorrow so even without an official rehearsal, I can't keep the lines from running back and forth through my mind."

"You'll be fine," Liz promised. "Great, even." As an afterthought, she gestured to Max and said, "Sorry, I haven't done introductions, have I? Max, this is Nate. Nate, Max."

She did not seem to notice the tension in Max's voice as he said, "Nice to meet you, Nate," nor did she see the momentary flicker of a realization in Nate's eyes, the sudden understanding that Max _knew_ he liked the brunette waitress. Instead, she continued to smile at them, unaware of the problems that lingered just under the surface.

"Are you coming to the show?" Nate asked, taking a step closer to Liz though his gaze was still fixed on Max.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Max replied, his eyes flicking from Nate to Liz. He smiled, and Liz returned his smile with her own beaming nod. Then Max looked back at Nate, trying to keep the territorial triumph out of his voice as he added, "After all, my girlfriend is the assistant stage manager."

"It should be good," Nate agreed. "Maria is wonderful, you know. And, actually, so is Courtney. She's a friend of yours, right? I've seen her hanging out with you on a few occasions."

Liz jumped in before Max could answer, "We know her a little bit. She works at the Crashdown, also waitressing." She was still smiling as Nate accepted this with a slight jerk of his head and said goodbye to them, still smiling as she watched him walk back to his friends and slide into a booth in her section.

Still smiling, still completely oblivious to the smoldering anger that had lingered underneath the surface of the conversation between Max and Nate.

* * *

Alex found Maria seething as she sat on the curb outside the Crashdown, staring up at the afternoon sun. He took a seat next to her, resting his hands on the warm pavement, and contemplated the fact that it never seemed to get cold in Roswell. Even with winter upon them.

"Michael's a jerk," Maria said suddenly.

"Okay," Alex agreed. It wasn't too hard to guess why she was so upset, he had heard from Liz and Isabel both that she and Michael had fought over Maria's decision to follow her mother's rules. What he didn't quite understand was why Maria was so adamant that she could not see Michael. It wasn't like she had paid much attention to her mother's demands in the past.

Maria licked her lips and muttered, "I mean, can you believe him? Just because I don't want my mother to hate me…"

"You think your mother is going to hate you?" Alex cut in, his tone incredulous. "Somehow, I doubt that will ever happen. She is your mother, after all."

Maria nodded glumly. A cool breeze swept by, rustling the leaves in the trees overheard. She glanced up started at them before saying, "Fine, so she won't hate me. But is it so wrong of me to want to do what she asks?"

"It's not wrong," Alex said with a teasing smile, "just completely out of character." Maria didn't answer right away, so he pressed with a little but of curiosity in his tone, "Why are you so determined to do this? Are you actually worried your mother is going to find out if you talk to him at school? It's not like she'd hiding in closets and around corners just waiting to catch you disobeying her."

A ghost of a smile passed over Maria's features, but it faded just as quickly as it had come. She ran a hand through her hair and said hoarsely, "You and Michael… you both seem to think this is about me being afraid that my mother will find out and ground me forever." She gave a bitter chuckle and added, "And there is that. I don't want her to ground me until I am thirty-five and take away my cell phone like she threatened. But… that's not the main reason. It's not even close to why I am really… trying to do this. Do what she wanted."

"Then what is the reason?"

"Last year, she almost died in that car accident. Then that whole thing with Sean… Nasedo… and then when Michael and I went to Copper Summit and basically ruined her relationship with Jim Valenti…" She trailed off with a helpless shrug, unable to finish the explanation.

But Alex, having been her friend long enough to accurately read between the lines of what she had said, understood the meaning of her words. He nodded quietly and followed her gaze up to the brilliantly blue sky. "You feel guilty," he murmured, "because you've lied to her so much. And it was always about important things… like Sean, or the Sheriff…"

"I don't want her to think she can't trust me," Maria agreed, looking down at the pavement below her feet. She stretched her legs out further into the street, feeling the scrape of the curb against the fabric of her pants as she shifted positions. "It's not that I don't want to see Michael. I do, _really_. But I just… there was a time I could tell my mother anything, and I always knew that she would listen and be fair because… because she's my mother. Now it seems like all I do is lie. Constantly. And if she doesn't think she can trust me…"

Alex lapsed into a thoughtful silence, picking apart his own instinctual reactions to what Maria had said. After a few moments, he turned back to her and saw that she was still staring at the pavement, now focused on a line of ants that wove around them.

"How is avoiding Michael going to change anything?" Alex questioned. Maria gave him a blank stare, and he elaborated, "You will still be lying to your mother about all the big things. You still won't be able to tell her the truth. The only difference is that now you will be miserable also."

Maria's eyes flashed for a moment, but whatever angry thoughts were passing through her mind, she did not say them. Instead, she muttered sourly, "So I'm doomed to be forever untrustworthy?"

"I trust you."

She gave a faint smile of appreciation at his words, but argued, "It isn't the same."

"I know," Alex agreed. "Listen… Maria, I'm not going to tell you that you should completely disregard what your mother said. I get where you are coming from, really I do. But… if you are going to go through with this… did you at least explain it to Michael? I mean, really explain it?"

Maria didn't answer verbally, but her silence was answer enough.

"You might want to do that," Alex suggested, rising to his feet. "At least that way he will know why you aren't talking to him. He might not get it, might not be any less angry about it… but you'll have explained it to him as best you can."

* * *

Michael glanced at his phone, noting the missed message from Maria. He was almost tempted to call her back – at her mother's house – just to make sure Amy knew that she was apparently talking to him, just to be spiteful.

He didn't, though.

Because all thoughts of Maria were unceremoniously shoved from his mind as he opened the door of his apartment and found Nasedo standing in the living room, waiting for him.

This time, the shape-shifter looked like Michael, himself.

Standing in the doorway of his apartment, Michael was momentarily speechless at the sight of someone who looked exactly like him staring back. His first instinct had been that it was Rath, and he had to forcefully keep himself from attacking. But a closer examination revealed a tint of yellow in the eyes and something just a little bit off about the aura of the alien, and Michael's gut twisted the way it did whenever Nasedo was around.

"Stop looking like that," he snapped, shutting the door behind him and dropped his keys and cell phone onto the side table by the door.

Nasedo shrugged. "I thought it was the safest shape in case someone else stopped by . Your landlord, perhaps, or one of your neighbors."

"Well, now if they come by, they're going to be very, very confused," Michael pointed out logically. "So change."

"As you wish," Nasedo replied, but there was a mocking sneer underneath the calm acquiescence of his voice. A moment later, he had taken on the appearance of a teenager, a boy probably about Michael's age, with black hair and blue eyes. "Being a teenager always feels a little strange. Although not as strange as being a woman."

"Good to know," Michael quipped, rolling his eyes. "Haven't seen you in a while. What have you been doing?"

"Tying up all the last loose ends of your disastrous trip to Copper Summit. Got Maria out of the spotlight, didn't I?"

"Yes. By blowing up a… a shopping mall, wasn't it? And how many innocent people did you kill then?"

Nasedo narrowed his gaze and said coolly, "Fine. Next time I'll let Maria get torn apart by the reporters and the federal government. I wonder how long she would have lasted before the FBI came after her? And then all of you…"

Michael did not take the bait. Instead, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, originally I was going to talk to Max. I've been following him around most of the day, but he's never alone. He was either staring morosely at his human girlfriend or playing the dutiful son at his family dinner." He snorted and sat down on one of the sofas, shaking his head. "Pathetic. And you wonder why I have so little regard for humans? They've turned your fearless leader into a love struck, hormonal, clueless child."

It was, Michael knew, a fairly decent description of Max most of the time. And, had that insult come from anyone else, Michael probably would have just laughed and agreed with it, despite Max's protests. But his wary distrust of Nasedo would not let the shape-shifter get away with saying anything that disparaging, and he retorted firmly, "Max did fine getting us out of trouble with Rath and Lonnie. And Ava and Nicolas. Because you weren't around to help us figure out how to respond that that meeting."

"Ah, yes… the Summit. I heard. Interesting, that Ava would choose to side with Nicolas. Although, I suppose, not entirely unexpected if everything I've so recently heard about your doubles is true."

Michael flushed, the blood racing to his face as he thought about Rath and all that the dupe had done in the past, all he had wanted to do in the future. He looked away from Nasedo, crossing to the kitchen to grab a Coke from the refrigerator.

"How do you know all this?"

Nasedo laughed quietly. "You'd be surprised the rumors that float around. People talk."

Inexplicably, Michael felt chills run down his spine. He wasn't sure what it was that bothered him so much about that statement, except for the obvious fact that he had no idea who these people were or what they were talking about. Or how Nasedo managed to overhear the conversation.

Instead of pursuing that line of thought, however, he said simply, "You still haven't explained why you are here."

"Ah, yes." Nasedo paused, as though considering his answer carefully, before saying, "As I said, Max was my first choice. But he proved too hard to get in touch with, so I'm here instead."

"Oh. Great. Always nice to know I come in as second-best," Michael replied sarcastically as he walked back into the living room.

Nasedo ignored the comment as he continued, "Things have been quiet since Max and Tess returned from New York, haven't they?"

Michael shrugged. "Yeah. So?"

"I don't like quiet. Nicolas is planning something. He must be." Nasedo frowned and glanced towards the window, thinking. Michael watched him for a moment, wondering what was going through the shape-shifter's mind, and then Nasedo said abruptly, "You met Carla."

"Yes. Do you know her?" Michael asked suspiciously.

Nicolas shook his head and explained, "I know of her. She's a mercenary, and a very dangerous one. I don't trust her."

Michael had a sudden flashback to the time that he and Tess had gone to talk to Courtney, to demand answers after the attack on Maria. What was it Courtney had said? Not that she didn't trust the mayor, but that she didn't trust some of his advisors. Was Carla one of those that could not be trusted?

Instead of voicing that thought, however, he said, "Maxwell thinks we should take advantage of the quiet. Let sleeping dogs lie, and all that."

Nasedo blinked uncomprehendingly. "What? What do dogs have to do with anything?"

"It's an expression," Michael answered, a little exasperated. "A… what's it called…? An idiom. Don't wake up a sleeping dog. Don't make the situation worse."

Nasedo raised his eyebrows and said, "Waking up a dog will make things worse? How? Why?"

"Uh… I don't know. Maybe it's a vicious dog?"

Nasedo gave a disbelieving huff and said, "We've sent the Royal Four – our only real hope for ending a brutal, vicious civil war – to a planet filled with people who are afraid of sleeping dogs. _Great_."

There wasn't really much of a point arguing with Nasedo on this, particularly because Michael did think it was a particularly odd idiom. So instead the hybrid General pressed, "You came all the way over here to tell me you don't like quiet? And not to trust Carla?"

Nasedo rose to his feet, his expression suddenly very serious. "I cannot stress to you enough just how dangerous Nicolas is. Don't think, even for a minute, that you've won. You beat him at the Summit, but that only means his next attack will be stronger, faster, and more vicious."

Michael nodded, his heart suddenly beating faster, his throat suddenly dry.

* * *

Next Chapter: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

Due: Sun 6/28


	57. Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: In This Brilliant Dance, Max takes a map from the UFO center, and the markings on the map are what eventually leads Michael into the woods in search of Polhman Ranch. This map shows up again in this chapter, so I thought I'd remind everyone where it comes from.

Also, this is a very short chapter. The next one will be much longer, and kind of a major turning point for the story.

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

Maria stared at her reflection in the mirror, her hand shaking slightly as she carefully applied the thin band of eyeliner across the inner surface of her upper lid. The door to the green room was slightly open, and she could hear the noise of people gathered in the hall outside, waiting for the show to start.

She swallowed back her nerves and took a breath, forcing herself to relax. It was opening night, and the spectators were slowly drifting into the auditorium, taking their seats and turning curious eyes towards the stage. As a general rule, she did not get stage fright. But despite that, despite the fact that she knew she had nothing to worry about, she could not help the shiver that ran up her spine.

Michael hadn't called her back yet.

She'd left another message for him. He'd been avoiding her at school, and she wasn't entirely sure why. It was obvious that something was wrong, but she could not tell if it was more than just their argument. And when she had asked Liz and Max, they had both shrugged, unsure.

"Almost done with your stage makeup?" Alex asked, coming to her side. He leaned against the table, smiling encouragingly at her, but Maria just shrugged discontentedly.

On a whim, she grabbed her phone and dialed Michael's number again, wondering what would happen. Had he even come to see the show? Did he have any plans to talk to her ever again? She chewed her lip, not really knowing what she would say if he answered, not knowing what she would do if her mother saw her talking to him tonight.

He didn't answer.

She blinked a couple times and dropped the phone onto the table, turning back to the mirror, the eyeliner still held tightly in one hand.

Alex sighed, knowing that there was nothing he could say to help ease her frustration at the situation. She was trying to talk to Michael, and Michael just didn't really seem willing to listen.

* * *

The ringing of the phone cut through the conversation, echoing in the empty hallway. Michael turned it off without even glancing at the caller ID, knowing that nothing anyone had to say could be more important than the conversation he was having with Max.

Max glanced at the phone in Michael's hand, then looked away with a frown.

"You're sure?"

Michael rolled his eyes at the tentative question. "I am one hundred percent sure I remembered the conversation with Nasedo accurately," he snapped irritably.

"And Nasedo said…"

"Yes!" Michael interrupted harshly. "Nasedo said Nicolas is coming for us. Nasedo said Carla can't be trusted. Nasedo said we can't get complacent. These are all things I've been telling you all along!"

Max ran a hand through his hair and said pointedly, "And what do you want me to do about it?"

"Anything. Anything is better than just sitting around, doing nothing. Waiting."

Max shrugged off Michael's impatience and countered, "What can we do? Michael, we don't know _where_ Nicolas is. Or Rath. Or even Carla. What specifically do you really think we can do?"

But Michael shook his head and retorted, "We could demand a meeting with the mayor. We could talk to Courtney again. There are things we can do."

Max raised one eyebrow incredulously. "You want to meet with the mayor? You want to willingly confront an enemy alien we know nothing about?" Michael opened his mouth to say something, but Max cut him off. "And yes, I know what you are going to say. That the mayor is working with Courtney and they aren't really are enemies since they worship you and all that. It isn't good enough, Michael. I don't trust Courtney, and I certainly am not going to risk all of our lives based on her assurances. Besides, you're the one who told us that even Courtney wasn't entirely sure the mayor could be trusted anymore."

"So you want to sit around and wait?" Michael asked contemptuously. His tone sarcastic, he continued,"Because that's worked _so_ well for us in the past."

Max's eyes narrowed. "We're just going to lay low, Michael," he said firmly, resolutely. "We're not doing anything. End of discussion." And he turned and stalked away, leaving a fuming Michael standing alone in the empty school hallway.

* * *

"Othello. A play filled with passion, intrigue, and murder. Quite the show."

She recognized the voice before the words had even fully registered, and reacted instinctively, slamming a mask down over her features and lifting cool blue eyes towards the man who had spoken.

"Trevor."

"Courtney," he mimicked, his tone mocking.

They were standing in the back of the green room, concealed behind several stacks of props and set pieces. The place was packed, filled with students milling about, laughing and talking just a little too loudly as though it would somehow calm their anxiety. The adrenaline in the room was increasing with every tick of the clock, every minute that they came closer to the rise of the curtain.

Courtney had chosen this particular spot to change into the flowing dress and subtle makeup her character would wear because she knew it would be out of the way, concealed from everyone else. She was even more grateful now for the cover it offered, for the extra bit of security that kept her concealed from prying eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, keeping her voice calm. No emotion showed in her eyes as she gazed steadily at him.

"Nicolas sent me," Trevor answered. He ran a hand through his hair with an absent gesture, the faint outline of a grin showing on his features. "You've been trying to get in touch with him, haven't you?"

"And he sent you? Great," Courtney retorted, rolling her eyes. "How lucky for me." There was a slight sneer in her words, something vaguely sardonic.

"He doesn't trust you," Trevor said simply, ignoring her sarcasm. "Hasn't since the Harvest. You did almost destroy us all."

Courtney frowned and questioned bitingly, "And he trusts you? Somehow, I doubt that. After all, you managed to survive the Harvest by convincing our darling Zan that you were on his side so he would spare your husk. Nicolas already had his doubts about you, as did everyone else. You loyalty is far too… _questionable_."

"You can ask him his reasons when you see him," Trevor answered, refusing to take the bait.

She raised an eyebrow at the implications of that statement. "He's coming to Roswell?"

To which Trevor answered with his own mocking smile, "Of course. This is where our esteemed Royal Four are, isn't it? He can't very well kill them if he isn't here."

* * *

Philip Evans had always wanted to be the type of father who trusted his children. He shook his head in distaste when his colleagues would tell him stories of searching through their son's belongings or listening to their daughter's phone calls. He told himself, over and over, that he would never be like that. He would never betray his children's trust so completely.

Until this past year. For the last several months, he had seen a change in his son, and, to a lesser extent, his daughter. A change that made him sick with worry, that twisted knots in his stomach and kept him up at night.

Which was how he found himself standing in Max's room, staring at everything. Max and Isabel were both at the school, having made plans to see the production of _Othello_. They would not be back for at least a few hours, and that gave him plenty of time.

He still wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for and what he hoped to find.

He moved first to Max's desk and pulled open the top drawer. It was filled with pencils and pens, a ruler, a few rolls of tape and some loose staples, and scattered sticky notes. He pushed through the mess for a moment, but found nothing of particular interest. With a heavy sigh, he pushed the drawer closed. This process was repeated for the three drawers on the side of the desk, both of which yielded nothing.

He turned his attention to the book shelf. Most of the books where for school, a few for pleasure. They were crammed haphazardly into the case, pushed up against each other at odd angles. He scanned the titles, pushing the books gently aside as he flipped through them. There was nothing strange, nothing out of order…

Except for a single map. It was slipped in between two books, tucked away so that it was compltely hidden from view. The corner, just the slightest edge, was revealed as he pulled another book to the side, and he frowned slightly. Sliding the map from its hiding place, he unfolded it and glanced at the title.

It was a map of the outskirts of Roswell, including Fraiser Wood, Pohlman Ranch, and the Reservation. Several places on the map were marked in letters, either red or black. And in the middle of the land titled Pohlman Ranch was a strange symbol. Four circles with spirals inside of them, connected by an x.

He had no idea what it meant, but he was sure it meant _something_.

He straightened the rest of the books and walked from the room, the map still held tightly in his hands.

* * *

It did not take much for Max to decide he did not like _Othello_. He had paid little attention to the plot before, although he was sure that he had written an essay on it at some point in the last few years. But now, sitting in the darkened theater next to the still smoldering Michael and a quiet Isabel, focusing on the story that unraveled on the stage before him, he came to the conclusion that he did not like it.

There was just something about the story that hit a nerve with him, made his stomach twist sharply as he listened to the lines.

Othello was a brave man, though perhaps also a fool, and his desperate love for his wife had lead to his undoing. An entire society had seemed to fall apart all around him as Iago continued to dig the figurative knife a little deeper with every word he uttered. Max knew enough about the play to know they would all be dead or in prison before it ended.

Still, he could not deny that the leads were all quite good. Nate portrayed the title character with enough passion and jealousy to make Max feel both sympathetic and frustrated by Othello and his rash actions. Maria lit up the stage as she played the luckless Desdemona, doomed by Iago's cunning and her own husband's rage.

And Iago…

Max did not recognize the student who played the villain, though he thought it might have been a senior. But whoever he was, his malicious and bitter manipulations were so well-done that it sent shivers down Max's spine just to watch.

Who knew Roswell High School had such a good drama department?

Isabel leaned across Max and rested her hand for a moment on Michael's arm. He turned to look at her, a question in his eyes, and she whispered, almost disbelievingly, "Maria's really good."

Michael nodded, a little distracted, and his eyes turned back to the stage, instinctively moving towards his sort-of girlfriend.

Max, too, looked back at the stage, watching as Courtney entered. She was alone now, everyone else having left, and she crossed quickly to where Maria had dropped a handkerchief. She lifted it in one hand, a thin smile of satisfaction gleaming in her eyes as she did so.

He watched her, watched as she delivered her lines and passed the handkerchief into Iago's waiting hands, watched and felt his unease grow for reasons he could not put into words.

* * *

"The handkerchief plot. Remarkable that as great a man as Othello could be so utterly ruined by something as innocuous as a handkerchief."

Intermission found Liz in the storage room near the auditorium, frantically searching for some duct tape with which to fix a set that had ripped half-way through the first Act. Every high school production would always have minor problems, and she was mostly just surprised that it had gone so well so far.

She turned towards the voice and frowned. "What do you want, Tess?" she asked wearily. Though she loved being assistant stage manager, it had been a rather stressful few hours, and the last thing she wanted to do was verbally spar with the icy hybrid.

Then a though occurred to her, and her eyes went wide with fear.

"Is Max okay? Did something happen?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Chill. He's fine. And you're pathetic." She folded her arms over her chest and continued, "What, no snappy comeback? You give in _way _too easy."

"What do you want, Tess?" Liz repeated. "Somehow I doubt you are just here to talk about plot devices."

"Well, it _is_ interesting," was the pointed response. "Desdemona accidently drops a handkerchief and Emilia steals it for Iago. Iago plants it on Cassio, using it as proof that the lovely Desdemona is cheating on her husband. And because of all of that, Othello goes mad with rage and kills her."

"The handkerchief was the first gift Othello ever gave Desdemona," Liz answered, her gaze moving away from the blonde and landing on a roll of duct tape lying half-hidden behind an empty cardboard box on one of the shelves. She reached across to grab it with one hand and added, "It represents both his love for her and her own innocence. When he thinks she's given it away, he thinks she's given away his love and her loyalty. The irony, of course, being that when Desdemona accidently drops it, it is Othello himself who tells her to leave it on the ground."

Holding the duct tape in her hands, she paused, suddenly realizing how odd it was that she was having this conversation with Tess. She liked _Othello_, she truly did, and she would have happily discussed it with Max, Alex, or Maria.

But Tess?

That was just weird.

The petite alien took a step closer. "He strangles her, you know," she said softly, her tone twisting with disgust. "Othello. Strangles Desdemona. He _tells_ her that he is going to strangle her, and she doesn't even fight back. She pleads… but words get her nowhere. And in the end, she protects him. She lies to Emilia, refuses to say who it is that has done this to her. She knows ahead of time that he is going to kill her and… she _forgives_ him for it."

Liz nodded, the ghost of an idea passing across her mind. "She's in love with him."

"She's afraid of him."

Liz exhaled slowly, staring at the blue eyes that gazed back at her unblinkingly. Somehow, she'd missed it before. But now it was obvious, so obvious. The hair was long enough, the curls tumbling down over her shoulders, and the tone of voice was almost perfect, layered with sarcasm and contempt.

Almost perfect, but not quite.

"You're not Tess, are you?" she said quietly.

"No," Ava agreed. "No, I'm not."

* * *

Next Chapter: End Game

Due: Sun 7/12


	58. End Game

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Eight: End Game

Liz backed away, pressed up against the wall of the small storage room, her eyes fixed on Ava's face. She'd seen Rath and Lonnie, seen how much they resembled Michael and Isabel. So it should not have surprised her that Ava would look so much like Tess. And yet…

It was eerie. She could not tear her eyes away from the other girl's pale features.

"What do you want?" Liz asked breathlessly.

Ava shrugged and looked down at her hands as though studying her fingernails. "You and Max Evans… interesting pair." Her voice was smooth and cold. "Would you like to hear about _my_ Zan?"

"I've heard about him. About all of you," Liz answered. "And trust me, Max is _nothing_ like that."

"That so?" Ava asked softly, her voice holding something Liz could not identify. "Desdemona forgave Othello in the end as well." She took a step closer to Liz, her blue eyes narrowing as they focused on the brunette. "Didn't save her, though, did it? She still died in the end. Of course, so did Othello. I guess no one ever really gets that happily-ever-after."

Liz swallowed uneasily and let her gaze wander to the door behind Ava. She wasn't reckless enough to try to overpower the hybrid, not without knowing Ava's strengths and weaknesses. But she needed to get out of the room, and quickly. Every second seemed to be bringing her closer and closer to the inevitable end, because why else would Ava be here?

Although, at the moment, it seemed as though all the hybrid wanted to do was talk.

"You still haven't told me what you want," Liz said, sounding far braver than she felt. "Or are you just here to waste my time?"

A flicker of a smile passed over Ava's features. "You know," she said thoughtfully, with a slight drawl, "once upon a time, a strong tone like that might have scared me. At the very least, it would have made me pause before continuing to talk to you. Might have made me want to walk away now." She laughed, as though she found the entire thing rather funny, and the smile grew as she added, "But now? I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of anyone anymore."

"Lonnie and Zan might be dead," Liz answered quietly, "but Rath isn't. Are you telling me there is no reason to fear him?"

It was fast, just the faintest of shivers that ran through Ava's body before she could force it aside. But Liz caught it, quick though it was, and knew what it meant. Whatever bravery Ava might claim to have, she was still terrified of Rath.

She bit her lip, frowned, unsure how to proceed.

She did not always like the aliens. There had been a few times in the past when her relationship with Max had left her in tears, and Michael's brusque manner and frequent arguments with Maria continually grated on Liz's nerves. Isabel could be frustrating, particularly when she tried to excuse her so-called friends as mocked or taunted Alex, and Tess was downright insufferable most of the time. But it had been a very, very long time since she had felt that they were any kind of threat to her or to the people that she loved.

And yet Ava and Rath, who had the exact same DNA as Tess and Michael, were so entirely different, and so entirely dangerous.

When Ava spoke again, her tone was different. Still cold, but also casual, determined. As though she did not want to talk about Rath, about any of the subjects Liz had brought up in the conversation.

"You want to know why I am here, Liz? It's because I don't want you to end up like I did. You say that Max is different, that he would never hurt you… well, I loved Zan once, too. But people aren't always what you think they are, and that certainly goes for aliens as much as humans. Do you really want to end up like Desdemona? Undying love did not save her, it did not save me, and it won't save you."

"You think just because your Zan turned out to be a creep, that Max will…" Liz started indignantly, jumping immediately, automatically, to Max's defense.

But Ava cut her off sharply, "They had the same DNA. Human and alien. And they had the same past, the same history. For all intents and purposes, they were the same person."

"Nurture plays a role," Liz retorted heatedly. 'Something changed your Zan, made him become who he was."

"Perhaps," Ava conceded with a nod of her head. "And what will it take for your Zan to change? What will make Max Evans snap?"

Before Liz could answer, Ava turned abruptly towards the door, her eyes widening. Liz opened her mouth to ask what was happening, what had worried the blonde hybrid, but before she could even begin to form the words, the door flew open and Carla stepped into the room.

There was a pause, and Liz saw the surprise in Carla's gaze, realized that the skin had not expected company. Or, at least, not Ava.

"You…" Carla hissed, and it was clear from the fierce undertone of that one word that she knew immediately who the person before her really was – not Tess, as she appeared, but Ava in her partial disguise.

Ava reacted instantly, shoving Carla back against the wall and rushed from the room, and Carla whipped around as though to follow her, then stopped and looked back at Liz.

Liz saw the ice in Carla's pale green eyes and knew instinctively that Carla was not here to help her. Even with the dire situation before her, the brunette waitress could not help but reflect on the irony of the situation. One moment she was trapped with an dupe Royal, the next it was a rebel skin threatening her. Had she somehow crossed into an alternate dimension where all the different aspects of this war came together and attacked her?

Carla advanced slowly, her fingertips glowing, and Liz whispered, "What are you…?"

"I _am_ sorry for this," Carla said, extending her hand so that she was almost touching Liz's heart. "But you've started to be a problem for us."

And as Carla's fingertips brushed against Liz's body, everything erupted into pain.

* * *

It started as just a tug, something pulling at his chest, a warning.

Max tore his gaze away from the stage and turned towards Michael. "Something's wrong," he whispered.

It was intermission, and Isabel had disappeared, presumably to buy herself a cookie or something else from the refreshment table. That left Michael and Max sitting in tense silence in the light auditorium, staring at the curtained stage and waiting for the other half of the show to start.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right," he snapped. "There is something wrong. It's you being an idiot."

Max opened his mouth to disagree, to continue the argument, but then seemed to think better of it. He shook his head and rose quickly to his feet as the sensation grew.

The look on his face was enough to give Michael pause, and the hybrid General asked, "Isabel? Tess?" Although it was against his nature to admit to any kind of link with the other hybrids – far too girly of a concept for him – he could not deny to himself that it existed.

And it had come in handy before, alerting them through some sixth sense when one of the others was in trouble.

But Max shook his head. "No. Not them." He looked around, eyes scanning the room. "I just… I can't explain it." He started pushing his way past the other students in the row, ignoring their protests as he quickened his pace.

"Oh, for the love of…" Michael muttered under his breath as he, too, jumped to his feet and raced after Max.

They exited the auditorium, and Max paused, looking around worriedly.

"The show is going to start up any minute," Michael hissed. "Intermission's almost over."

But the feeling was growing, condensing, becoming stronger, and Max barely heard a word Michael said. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath, focusing on the feeling, praying it would give him so clue, tell him what he was supposed to do.

Opening his eyes, he walked quickly through the hallway. It took all his willpower not to start running, but he knew he couldn't afford to do anything to drastically out of character. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to what he was doing, to the fact that something alien was happening.

Michael was right behind him, having lapsed into an uneasy silence.

They turned the corner in the hallway and were alone. Max continued walking, Michael at his heels, both hybrids tense and ready for a fight.

And then a door to their right burst open, and Liz came stumbling into the hallway, her lips partially open as she gasped for breath, as her wide eyes swept the space around her, glowing with relief at the sight of Max and Michael.

She practically tumbled into Max's open embrace.

"Liz? Liz, what is it?" Max demanded, hugging her tightly even as he pulled her behind him, placed himself in between her and whatever was in that room.

Liz was shaking, but she took a deep breath and tried to focus on Max's question. "I… I…"

Before she could finish whatever she was trying to stay, Courtney stepped out of the room, her expression grim, her eyes dangerously narrowed.

Michael was at her side in a heartbeat, his hands wrapped tightly around her arms, fingers pressing into her skin so hard they turned white. "What did you do to her?" he snarled angrily. "What did you do?"

"She saved my life," Liz whispered.

Both Max and Michael froze, and Courtney tore herself out of Michael's grip. She looked distracted, distraught, as though she couldn't quite comprehend what had happened. She turned away from them and looked back into the storage room, and Max and Michael followed her gaze.

The floor was littered with shredded skin.

It was Max who asked the inevitable question. "Who…?" He did not need to elaborate any more than that, it was obvious exactly what he was asking.

Courtney swallowed uneasily as she answered softly, "Carla."

It was Carla who had tried to kill Liz, Carla who was not nothing more than shredded skin scattered across the floor of a storage room, skin that was before their very eyes dissolving into dust.

Courtney shook her head as though to force away the memory of what had happened. Then she looked back at Liz and Max and answered the question they had not yet asked, "Mr. Turner wanted to know what was taking you so long. He sent me to find you." She blinked, drew a shaky breath, looked away.

"You seem to conveniently be in the right place at the right time," Michael commented, his tone suspicious. "Lucky for you. And for Maria and Liz."

Courtney gave him an incredulous look. "Is that what you think?" she asked, her voice hoarse. "That I've been _lucky_?" She nearly laughed at his words, but the laugh turned into a choked chuckle, and she ended up lapsing into a bitter silence. Finally, she said, "I would hardly call it luck. Or maybe it is luck, just bad luck."

"How do you figure that one?" Liz asked quietly.

Courtney sighed. "You really don't get it, do you?" she muttered impatiently. In a louder voice, she said, "You act like you are the only ones stuck in the middle of this war. Like somehow it is all about you. In case you've forgotten, there are thousands of other people dying for this battle as well." She turned away from them, waved her hand at the pile of skin and dust on the floor, and it dissolved before their eyes, fading until it blended in with the ground.

Michael caught her arm, pulled her around, eyes blazing. "Don't give me that act…" he started, but Courtney tore her arm from his grasp and cut him off with a fierce snarl.

"Carla _attacked_ Liz. In a school. When she knew that the three of you would be present. When she knew that _I _would be present. That's just plain stupid, and the only reason she would have for doing it is if she was desperate. Something's happened, something to make her do this, and I don't have a clue what it is. More importantly, she pretended to work with us and at least some people believed her. The mayor trusted her, and we have no way of knowing how much damage she has done." She gestured with one hand to the room behind her and snapped, "Do you really think this makes me lucky? If I hadn't gotten here in time to save Liz, you two probably would have. But I got here first, which means I am the one who killed Carla. I am the one who is going to have to go back and tell the mayor that, and I still don't know if I can trust him completely either. This doesn't make things better for me. It makes it worse, more dangerous. Because now I have yet another added level of complication to deal with and know idea what the hell is happening. Just like I still don't know why Maria was attacked my one of our own earlier."

"Michael," Liz said, her voice shaking slightly, "she _did_ save me. Carla… she was doing something to me. It… it hurt. I thought I was going to…" She blinked, shook her head, looked away. "She came running into the room, distracted Carla. They fought… and Courtney won." After a pause, she asked, "Did you see Ava? She was here too… dressed like Tess."

Courtney's jaw dropped. "Ava was here?" she demanded sharply.

"What do you know about Ava?" Max asked cautiously.

"Very little," Courtney admitted, sounding reluctant to even say that much. "Only what Carla told me, and obviously that information can't be trusted anymore. The mayor filled me in a little as well, though…" She trailed off with a shrug. "We lost track of the dupes after they were sent to New York. Is it true that Zan and Lonnie are dead?"

"Yes," Michael said shortly.

"And Ava is with Nicolas?" At Michael's nod, Courtney frowned and said, "I've made contact with Nicolas, trying to get back into his good graces. It isn't easy, but… he sent Trevor to talk to me." Michael perked up at that, but Courtney ignored the obvious question in his gaze and continued, "If I play my cards right, maybe I can fid out why Ava was sent here."

"Maybe she came on her own," Max suggested. To Liz, he asked, "What did she want with you?"

Liz hesitated, then said, "She wanted me not to trust you anymore. She said you were like Zan." Max's expression darkened, and Liz said with a soft smile, "I told her that nothing she could say would convince me not to trust you. That I loved you."

Max was grinning like an idiot at Liz's words, although there were still currents of concern and anger in his expression, and Liz gazed at her boyfriend with adoration while Michael rolled his eyes at the two of them.

"You two are sickening," he muttered, and Courtney gave a slight chuckle.

Then she sobered and said, "I doubt Ava came without Nicolas' permission. She certainly didn't come without his knowledge. He's planning something, and he's using her to get it started." Then she gaze a helpless shrug and said regretfully, "But I have no idea what it is."

Michael and Max exchanged a look, and then Max said softly, "The second half of the show is about to start. You and Liz both need to get back."

Courtney sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Right," she muttered.

"After this, we need to talk," Max added. "Meet at Michael's apartment later tonight? We need to get a few things straightened out."

"Right," Courtney said again, this time with a sigh.

The other three began to walk away, Michael in the lead, and Max with one arm wrapped around Liz's shoulders, and so they all missed the contemplative look that crossed her features as she stared at the remains of what had once been Carla. The beginning of an idea was forming in her mind, the start of suspicions that –if confirmed – could change everything.

* * *

"Well?"

Ava shook her head as she took a seat across from Nicolas. "She loves him. More than I would have thought possible."

Nicolas considered this for a moment, then shrugged. "So you were not able to plant any seeds of doubt in her mind? Pity. If we cannot turn Liz Parker against her darling Max, where does that leave us?"

Ava chewed her lip as she considered this. Then she said, "And the others? Maria DeLuca and Alex Whitman?"

Nicolas frowned and shook his head. "No. The relationship between Michael and his human girl is too… volatile… to be used. I don't want to risk any unanticipated side-effects. And I am not sure that our dear Vilandra and her human Alex are close enough that a break between them would cause the necessary… disruption. Same with Tess and her boyfriend. What was his name? Chris something?"

It was a question Ava couldn't answer as she had never had a reason to ask Tess a question like that, and she had never interacted with Chris or the majority of Roswell students. So she remained silent, letting Nicolas talk out loud, muse to himself.

"And we have already seen that they won't turn on each other – at least not for long. I need something else."

Ava looked over at Nicolas and asked abruptly, "What about Tess' brother? What did you say his name was? Kyle Valenti?"

Nicolas smiled faintly. He had spent a lot of time drilling as much information as possible about the Roswell group into her mind. He was not sure how it would be helpful, but he had no doubt that it would serve them in the future.

As it did now.

Kyle Valenti… that _was_ an interesting thought.

* * *

Brody Davis punched a few numbers on his keyboard and watched as a series of lights lit up the screen. He frowned, manipulating them, allowing the machines connected to his computer to record the lines of numbers, data streams, that were steadily scrolling up and down before his eyes.

He'd woken up with two days missing and a plane ticket stub to New York City in his pocket. Once, these abductions had not bothered him that much. He'd thought of them as clues, interesting anomalies that promised some kind of answer, that pointed to a truth he just needed to uncover. And, in the past, he had been more than able to overlook the inconvenience of losing time because of how much he knew he could gain.

Things were different now.

He had disappeared for two days. He'd disappeared, abducted by aliens, taken away from everything he knew, everything that mattered in his life…

Taken away from his daughter.

His young, sick daughter. The nanny had watched her, as usual, and she had not been frightened by his absence. After all, he was often caught up in the excitement of what he was doing, and sometimes he'd be in his office and laboratory for so long that when he got back she'd have already gone to bed, and they wouldn't really see each other for a day or two.

He always made it up to her by spending an entire day with her after that sort of thing happened, just doing whatever she wanted…

So, no, she had not been worried.

But he was worried. Because she was sick, and anything could happen in two days. He couldn't afford to lose time, to take the chance of losing her and not even knowing until it was too late. If anything happened to her while he was gone, he would never forgive himself.

And he would never forgive the aliens.

The numbers kept going, rolling down into rows and columns, blurring before his tired vision. He didn't really understand half of what he was seeing, but he didn't need to – the machines would interpret it for him. Once they put it in equations and formulas, things he understood, then he could interpret it.

He was beyond tired.

It had been a few days since he had gotten a good night's sleep, but more than that, the abduction weighed heavily on his mind. Granted, it had been several days since the abduction, and he had no reason to feel quite so haunted by what had transpired, and yet he still could not shake the feeling that he had been somewhere important, with someone he should have recognized.

But he had no memory of it, of any of it. Just vague sensations that faded even more as he struggled to remember them.

The numbers were blurring all around him. The iridescent light of the screen increased as the numbers grew in size, and then slowly equations began to appear at the bottom, rolling out before him. Variables came and went, physical properties of light and energy and magnetism being described by the almost indecipherable display.

He rubbed his eyes and frowned at the screen, squinting.

There, before his tired eyes, was an equation he had never seen before. A description of energy that did not match anything he knew of, anything that could be part of the normal cycle of the Earth or the pull of the distant planets and stars. But it was also unlike the anomalies he had seen before. Whatever this thing was, it was new.

He frowned, thinking. But he was too exhausted to understand what he was seeing, so he saved the equation with a few deft keystrokes and shut down the program.

He could look at it tomorrow. Things might be clearer then.

* * *

The man leaned back in his seat and stared at the dirt road that twisted in front of them, curving along until it bent out of sight in the distance. His companion had her fingers resting lightly on the steering wheel, though she made no move to drive forward.

Above them, the desert sky was filled with a thousand white dots of light, stars that cast a faint glow, illuminating the land below them.

The man shook his head in barely-disguised disgust. "Are you sure this is the right place?" he asked in a low mutter.

The woman rolled her eyes and idly tucked a few strands of red hair behind one ear. "It might not be heaven, but you don't have to sound quite so disappointed," she retorted. "No one ever claimed Roswell was that… exciting… of a place."

He shrugged. "Fine. As long as you are convinced. I don't want to have wasted my time."

She pressed down on the gas and gave him a slanted look as the car jumped forward. "It won't be a waste. The Royal Four is here."

The man nodded glumly, but said nothing. Instead, he stared out the window at the landscape that rushed by. Finally, he said, "They aren't the only ones." At the woman's questioning stare, he elaborated, "They aren't the only ones in this God-forsaken town. Isn't that what you contacts told you?"

"Are you afraid of Nicolas?" she asked with a taunting laugh. "He may be powerful, but he is not unstoppable. Remember that, Jared. _No one_ is unstoppable."

The man – Jared – sighed. "And Nasedo? And the rebel skins? The rumors indicate their presence as well. Every side of this war is coming to Roswell. I am not afraid of them… but it does make it… problematic. Unpredictable."

The woman smiled faintly. "Perhaps. But the Royal Four is in Roswell, so what other choice do we have? We will fight this war wherever it needs to be fought." She turned back to the road before her, staring straight ahead as she drove. 'Even if that means fighting in Roswell."

Jared inclined his head. "True," he agreed, and lapsed into a moody silence.

* * *

Courtney did not bother knocking on the door of the office. Instead, she walked into the room, her mind focusing on the mayor even as she swept her gaze over the room and determined that they were alone. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her eyes narrowed with anger, and she did not wait for him to speak.

"Carla's dead."

The mayor rose to his feet. He had been seated at his desk, pouring over some paperwork, but Courtney's abrupt entrance had been more than enough to pull his attention away from the mundane tasks at hand. He studied her cautiously as he walked around the desk, a frown appearing on his features.

"Should I assume you had something to do with that?" he asked softly.

Courtney laughed, a choked sound that just barely escaped her dry throat. "I killed her," she answered. "She attacked Liz Parker."

The mayor tilted his head to the side and accepted this with mild concern. "And how is Ms. Parker?"

"Alive and well, though a little scared," Courtney snapped. When the mayor simply nodded, she felt her anger rise. "How can you just stand there and accept this all as though it doesn't matter?" she hissed, face flushed. "Carla is _dead_. Your ally, your mercenary… don't you care?"

He turned away from her, his demeanor suddenly cold. "This is a war, Courtney. People die. You know that, so stop acting like the melodramatic teenage human you pretend to be. Her death was… regretful. But necessary."

Courtney licked her lips slowly, watching the mayor. Then she stepped forward, resting her hands on the back of the chair, leaning forward. In his lack of concern, his blatant disregard for Carla's life, for her actions, for her betrayal, Courtney found all the answers to all the questions she had been asking herself over the past month.

"You did this," she said softly.

The mayor looked at her, one eyebrow raised, daring her to elaborate.

She did not quail from his hard stare, however, and said in a steady tone, "You ordered the attack of Maria DeLuca. You ordered Carla to attack Liz Parker. All this time I thought Carla was not trustworthy, that she was somehow acting outside of your knowledge… But she wasn't. You did this. You ordered your followers to attempt to kill two human girls."

"And if I did?" the mayor murmured with a half-hearted shrug. "Why do you care so much? I was not under the impression you were friends with either of them."

Carla shoved the chair away, watching as it skidded across the floor. Then she strode forward, pausing before the mayor, drawing herself up to her full height so that she glare at him with fury and distaste, "You've already played me for the fool once. But I know better now. So don't you dare do it again, don't do it now. Don't look me in the eyes and lie to my face."

The mayor seemed rather impressed by Courtney's anger. He inclined his head towards her, an amused smile gracing his lips. "As you wish," he agreed. "Would you like me to give a full recounting of my sins? And then perhaps impale myself upon my own sword?"

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Now who's being melodramatic?" She ran a hand through her hair, then stepped away from him. Turning her back on the mayor, she continued quietly, "Carla was really on our side, wasn't she?"

The mayor shrugged. "More or less. She sides with the winner, and at the moment, she thought we had the upper hand. She would not have been trustworthy in the long-run, however. Would not have been trustworthy if the tide started to turn against us. But at the moment? Yes, she was really on our side."

"And you… you're the one who convinced her to act as though she had some hidden agenda," Courtney said tiredly, walking over to the window and staring through the glass at the sky above them. "You knew that would make me not trust her. You knew that would convince the Royal Four not to trust her. She didn't know what you were doing, didn't see how you were setting her up, leading her along just to be able to watch her fall."

The mayor clicked his tongue impatiently. "Don't act naïve or idealistic, _Lady Courtney_, for we both know that you are neither of those. Yes, I lead Carla to her death. And how many have you killed?" Courtney did not answer, and he pressed forward, "How did you think this would end? You knew what you were getting into when you joined us. Don't tell me you are having second thoughts now."

"I didn't realize you were so cold, so callous," Courtney snapped, whirling sharply to face him.

He did not flinch from her accusation. Instead, he met her gaze with his own steady stare and said, "I'm fighting a war. I cannot afford to be anything else."

"And to hell with anything – anyone – that stands in your way?" Courtney sneered. "You ordered the attack on Maria, and then manipulated it so that I would be there to save her. You made me not trust Carla, then had her attack Liz during the performance, knowing that I would be in the school, able to sense Carla's presence and stop her before she hurt Liz. Your intention was never for the two of them to get hurt. It was the skins – your own followers – who were to be sacrificed."

The mayor gazed at her impassively, and said nothing.

"Did they know? Did you ever tell them that they would be sent to their deaths?" Courtney pressed viciously. "Or were you too much of a coward to do that?"

The mayor seemed to have to struggle to keep his temper in check. He answered her in a voice of forced calm, "Well, they would hardly have been convincing if they had known the truth. And neither would you. You might be a superb actress, Courtney, but you aren't _that_ good. Our only hope for this plan requires both you and Nasedo to get as close to the Royal Four – to General Rath – as possible. I was not going to take the risk that something might give away the truth before you had gained their trust." He paused, then added softly, "And all of us know the risks of fighting in a war. Death is not uncommon, nor is it as surprising as you would like to pretend."

Courtney shook her head, still angry. "You set me up," she snarled, her words dripping with acidic fury.

"Do they trust you now?" the mayor countered.

Courtney lowered her gaze and did not answer the question, but she knew the mayor would read her silence to mean an affirmative answer. And he would be right, because they did trust her.

His plan had worked.

The mayor walked to her side and placed his hand under her face, tilting her chin up so that she was forced to look at him. His fingers were rough, calloused, and cold to the touch. She shivered slightly as she met his icy gaze.

"Now listen to me," the mayor said in a firm tone, one that would allow nothing but immediately and complete obedience. "You've chosen your side in this war, Courtney, and you can not go back on it now. People are dead, or dying by the moment, their lives slowly ebbing away from them. Families killed, lives cast asunder. But you swore to me that you were on this side, that you believed in our goals, that you wanted an end to everything. To end all the pain and suffering. I've sacrificed a few of my followers, and I will continue to do so whenever necessary. Because stopping this destruction is far more important than a handful of lives. And I thought you understood that. But if I was wrong, if you want out, you had better tell me now. Because this is your last chance. Once you walk out of this room, you will not get a second chance. Once you leave… then you will be in this entirely. And when you are in it all the way, the only way out is through death. Do you understand?"

Courtney lowered her gaze, the words stuck in her throat. She could not pretend that she was innocent, that she had never killed before. She was a spy, her job was to manipulate others, and then to dispose of them when they became a problem. It was distasteful, but necessary, and she had done it with only mild regrets for the lies she was telling and the lives she was taking. It was all about survival, about winning this war.

But she did not like the cold emotions she saw glimmering in the mayor's eyes, did not like how ruthlessly he had manipulated others. Manipulated her.

And yet…

Rath – _Michael_ – was their best hope for winning. So what other choice did she have? The mayor was the leader of the rebel skins, going against him was pointless and remarkably stupid.

Then she nodded and forced herself to answer.

"Yes. I understand. I'm in, all the way."

* * *

Next Chapter: Wipe Out

Due: Sun 7/19


	59. Wipe Out

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Wipe Out

They gathered in Michael's apartment, settling themselves on the sofa and the chairs, or standing, leaning against the wall. Maria and Alex remained close to Liz, both of them having been scared and disturbed when they discovered that she had been attacked at the school. Max, too, was worried, but because Liz was safe now, he was able to turn his mind to the more pressing matter of Courtney. Courtney sat in one of the chairs, lounging casually, as though she had no reason at all to be afraid. And perhaps she didn't, although both Michael and Isabel looked on edge, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

Only Tess was absent. Max had left a message for her on her cell phone, but they saw no reason to wait for her, particularly since they had no idea if she would show up any time soon.

"I don't like this," Alex said softly, looking anxiously at Liz. "None of it makes sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Michael countered. "Carla wasn't trustworthy, she wanted to cause harm. Liz is human, she can't protect herself." He gave Liz a long look, then said, "Probably the same reason Maria was attacked."

"Do you think Carla was behind that also?" Liz questioned, looking first at Michael and then to Courtney.

Courtney nodded slowly. "Yes, it seems likely that she was. It would make sense, too. She was well-placed in our faction to cause that sort of harm."

"Can anyone in your group be trusted?" Isabel asked.

Courtney shrugged. "I don't know. But right now, I doubt it. I don't know how deep Carla's infiltration went, or who else might have been on her side. My bet is that she was working for Nicolas, and that means…" She trailed off with a frown before finishing, "That means Nicolas was able to get his spies into our group. I don't like it."

"I still don't think it makes sense," Alex said, repeating his earlier comment. Michael opened his mouth to argue, but Alex hurried on, "If Carla was working for Nicolas, wouldn't Nicolas know that Courtney is a spy?" He looked at her with a half-apologetic shrug, as though he couldn't quite bring himself to be alright with accusing her of lying to them.

Courtney seemed to consider this, then she replied, "Maybe he does know that. He certainly didn't trust me after the Harvest. I've been trying to convince him that I was always on his side, but… it hasn't been easy. He's been resistant to that idea. Carla might have something to do with his reluctance."

"But what do we do?" Isabel asked, looking now at Max. "How do we proceed?"

Max felt Michael's gaze on him, but he did not meet the hybrid General's stare. He knew what Michael was thinking, knew that the taciturn alien was silently demanding to know if Max would give a different answer to Isabel than he did when Michael asked that question earlier.

He turned his attention to Courtney. "I'd like to talk to the mayor. We've spent too much time guessing at his game plan, too much time trying to figure out what is going on with bits and pieces of the truth. I'd like to have a little get-together with him. Face to face."

"Are you sure?" Liz murmured, not at all happy with that idea. She wasn't sure if the mayor could be trusted, and she did know that she didn't want her boyfriend to walk into a dangerous situation without any idea of what might happen.

"Someone should go with him," Courtney agreed. "Besides me, of course." She paused, a light smile touching the corners of her lips, before adding, "And I think the mayor would be the most receptive to a meeting if Michael were to go."

"Why does it not surprise me that you would vote for him?" Maria snipped.

"It's a good idea," Max argued, jumping in quickly before Courtney could respond to Maria's words. He didn't want to start an argument between the two of them, not when it would detract from everything else they needed to focus on. To Michael, he added, "You in?"

Michael was staring hard at Courtney, but he nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm in."

Liz bit her lip and Maria grumbled something under her breath, but Isabel quickly spoke up to keep the conversation moving forward, "Alright. So Courtney will set up that meet. In the meantime, what do we think about Ava's appearance?"

"It seems weird," Courtney answered. Nodding her head to Alex, she elaborated, "I agree with techno-geek here, at least on this. It didn't make sense for her to come. It seemed like all she wanted was to talk to Liz, and when she couldn't turn Liz against Max, she just left."

"What's weird about that?" Max demanded sharply.

"Down boy," Courtney muttered. "I'm not saying Liz was wrong to defend you." Max rolled his eyes, but looked slightly appeased by her words, and she continued, "Nicolas doesn't send people in just to talk. Particularly Ava, who is one of his best weapons at the moment. No one knows anything about her – her strengths or weaknesses – or what to expect from her. Plus, she has royal blood. So why would Nicolas use her as a messenger?"

"He must be planning something," Max said wearily.

"Yes, but what?"

"Whatever it is, we need to be careful," Courtney cautioned. "Do not _ever_ underestimate Nicolas."

Michael nodded warily, noting to himself that Courtney had echoed exactly what Nasedo had told him. While he would not have considered either alien to be completely trustworthy, he could not deny the true fear in their voices, in their expressions, as they spoke about Nicolas. It made Michael shiver with anticipation, wondering exactly what Nicolas was capable of doing.

"And how does Trevor fit into all of this?" Alex asked. He changed a quick look at Michael, watching the emotions flickering in the hybrid General's face, before looking over at Courtney once more.

"Honestly?" Courtney shrugged. "I have no idea. I don't think Nicolas really trust him, and I am not sure he ever did. Trevor was always an issue… a point of contention. I know Khivar liked the fact that he had Trevor on his side. He could boast that even General Rath's own brother thought the Royal Four were lousy rulers." She paused, then added, "But there's a difference between boasting about someone's allegiances and actually believing in them. I don't know what Khivar believed, but Nicolas is no fool. He's skeptical of Trevor, of his motivations."

"So he could be on our side?" Michael asked, and although it was clear he was trying to sound casual, trying to make it sound as though he didn't really care about the answer, as though it was just mild curiosity, there was no denying the faint longing in his tone.

"Maybe," Courtney agreed cautiously, "Although I've never known him to show any loyalty to Zan. And he's not one of my group, so…" She frowned at Michael for a moment, then said, "My bet is he's caught in the middle. Supports Khivar, would prefer to have him on the throne, but doesn't want to be responsible for harming his brother." She rolled her eyes with some distaste and said, "Guess he hasn't quite figured out yet that this is a war, and everyone picks a side."

"And which side are you on?" Maria interjected.

Courtney huffed impatiently and said, "Will you stop worrying that I might jump your boyfriend? Trust me, that is _not_ in the cards."

"Alright," Isabel interrupted before Maria could respond, "so Courtney will set up a talk between the mayor and Michael and Max. What else? What's next?"

"Until we get a better handle on the situation," Max said thoughtfully, "I think it would be best if we didn't go anywhere by ourselves. At least, not if we can help it."

Isabel smirked and teased lightly, "Looking for a reason to spend the night with Liz?" Liz flushed darkly at Isabel's words, and the statuesque Princess' grin widened. "I mean… you wouldn't want her to be _alone_, would you?"

Max glared at his sister, but her words had eased some of the tension in the room. Michael was smirking, and even Alex and Maria looked a little amused. The hybrid King finally just rolled his eyes and muttered, "That wasn't what I meant."

"Sure it wasn't," Isabel answered sweetly. Then she sobered and said, "But I suppose it couldn't hurt to be careful."

Max nodded. "Isabel, you track down Tess, get her updated on everything, and then you two stick close. Alex should join you, it will be less suspicious then Tess suddenly hanging out with one of us."

"Oh, fun," Alex muttered under his breath.

"Plus, she's less likely to complain about it," Max added, ignoring Alex's snort of disbelief at that comment. "Liz and I will stick together," here he ignored Michael's snicker, "and Michael and Maria will, too."

"Great," Maria drawled. "That's really what I wanted."

"You're the one who called me multiple times wanting to talk, and now you don't want to hang out?" Michael demanded.

Maria glowered at him in response, "Oh, I'm sorry. Was I supposed to be waiting for you to finally deign to talk to me?" She folded her arms over her chest and exhaled in an angry huff. "I guess I missed that memo."

"I don't know if you picked up on this yet," Michael retorted, "but we had a bit of an emergency to deal with. You know, what with Carla trying to kill Liz, and all that."

Again, Isabel interrupted to stop the argument, "What about the play? We still have several more nights of performances. Alex, Liz, and Maria will be all together… a perfect time for Nicolas to attack."

"I'll be there," Courtney pointed out logically.

Isabel hesitated. "I know," she agreed, before adding delicately, "But… I would feel… better… if there was someone else as well." Courtney raised an eyebrow, a silent dare for her to just come out and say what she meant – that she didn't trust the rebel skin – but Isabel did not reply to the challenge. Instead, she pointed out logically, "You're the one who said not to underestimate Nicolas."

"I'll go," Michael offered. "I like _Othello_."

Max's eyebrows slanted together in confusion. "No, you don't," he argued.

"Oh." Michael rubbed the back of his head absently. "Well, whatever, it can't be too bad." He glanced quickly at Maria, then added, "Isabel's right, we should have at least one more alien there. Better safe than sorry, right?"

* * *

Philip Evans swatted the bugs away as he climbed out of his car and glanced around. The trees were grouped closely together, a ring forming around the small gravel parking lot. A path wound away from him in one direction, sloping downwards until it broadened into a fully hiking trail. In the opposite direction, the cement road – unkempt, covered it potholes and broken stone – ran back along the edge of the forest to the Welcome Center. People came here to camp, sometimes, or to backpack, and the Center served as a ranger station of sorts.

To his right, the desert stretched out beyond the trees. To his left, the forest grew thicker until it petered out around the outskirts of the sprawling Pohlman Ranch.

He pulled a backpack out of the back seat of the car and unrolled the map he had taken from Max's room. He stared at it for a moment, then quickly shoved it in the pack.

A moment later, another car pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop next to him. A man jumped out. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and had a mop of rust-colored hair that fell over tan skin and an easy smile. He wore the telltale green of a Park Ranger, complete with a whistle around his neck, a hat on his head, and a compass slung into one of the loops of his belt.

"Thanks for helping me with this, Dave," Philip said, nodding to the ranger.

"Hey, no problem. Always happy to help out a friend," Dave answered good-naturedly. "Besides, I don't get that many people interested in surveying land. Your firm working a case?"

"Yeah," Philip lied smoothly. "Land rights, and that sort of thing."

"Well, it's a bit of a hike in to the area you're interested in," Dave said, looking off towards his left. "But it shouldn't be so bad. You'll have to tell me how the Ranch got dragged into this, though. Far as I know, place hasn't been used in years."

"Yeah, well… " Philip clapped his friend on the back and said, "You know how people are. Doesn't matter if its in use or not, they still want the chance to argue over it."

Dave laughed. "True. Well, might as well get started. Follow me."

And he walked off into the trees with Philip at his heels.

* * *

"Okay, don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?" Liz questioned as she followed Max down the steps into the UFO Center. She blinked several times as an onslaught of light and color startled her, and it took a moment to realize it was coming from a series of bulbs suspended from the ceiling above them. She peered up at them with interest, wondering what they were for.

"No, I don't," Max answered, keeping his voice low as he glanced around. "Carla tried to _kill_ you, Liz."

"I know," Liz said with a weary sigh, and she couldn't deny that she'd been terrified at the time. But now that the danger had passed, she was both exasperated and amused by Max's insistence that she not be left alone.

Which was why she had ended up accompanying him to the UFO Center. He was supposed to be doing some work for Brody, and Liz was going to keep him company for the rest of the afternoon. It wasn't ideal, but she didn't have a shift at the Crashdown, at Mr. Turner didn't hold rehearsals after the show had already started, so she was free to spend her time with her overly protective boyfriend.

Brody stepped out of the back room at the sound of Max's approach and let his gaze fall questioningly onto Liz. Max, correctly interpreting his boss' confusion, said, "Do you mind if Liz stays while I work? To keep me company? She's interested in the UFO Center."

Brody gave a knowing smile and answered, "I doubt that is all she's interested in." Then he gestured for her to come in and said, "Take a look around, see if anything strikes your fancy. You can look at anything except the back room. I have a lot of sensitive equipment back there, you know, so it's off limits."

"It's so pretty," Liz commented, gesturing towards the bulbs hanging above them."

"We're doing a new exhibit on star patterns. The lights are supposed to resemble different types of stars – that's why they are different colors, you see – and they are arranged in such a way that they reflect various configurations…"

Liz nodded and allowed the eccentric owner to take her by the arm and guide her through the exhibit. As Brody chatted easily with her, she could feel Max's gaze following her around, and she fought back the urge to turn and look at him, to ask him why he was so tense. Something else was going on, something she didn't understand, something that was more than just the problems with Nicolas, Ava, and Carla.

Max watched Brody as he charmed Liz, and could not stop the rush of dislike that flooded through him. It had nothing to do with Brody's interactions with Liz, Max wasn't that jealous, and certainly not of someone who was quite a bit older than Liz and had a daughter. In fact, it had nothing to do with Brody, who Max genuinely liked.

But it did have everything to do with Larek.

He looked at Brody, and he no longer saw the dedicated father and unconventional businessman. He looked at Brody, and he wasn't thinking about how he smiled so gently at his daughter and always had a ready grin for Max. He looked at Brody…

And he thought of Larek. Of a man who was supposed to be his friend, but who had turned on him, letting Khivar destroy Max's planet, letting a civil war tear apart Max's people.

His eyes narrowed as he watched Brody, as he thought of Larek, as he brooded on the pain of betrayal.

But Brody was unaware of all of this. He left Max and Liz alone after a few minutes, giving Max a wink and instructions to at least _try_ to get something done. In his back room, with the door closed firmly behind him, blocking out the sounds of Max and Liz talking quietly, he turned his attention back to the machines around him.

Despite the fact that he had forced himself to get eight hours of sleep the night before, despite the fact that he was now facing the problem with a fresh, well-rested mind, he could not make head or tail of what he was seeing. A new type of energy, patterns he didn't understand, couldn't even begin to comprehend, equations that represented something he had never seen before…

All he knew was that something big was happening, something alien, and it was happening all around them. It was happening right in front of their eyes, and yet somehow they were completely missing it.

* * *

Courtney wasn't all that surprised when Max showed up at her door later that day. She noticed that Liz wasn't there, and thought about asking after the brunette. But it didn't really matter to her, and she knew that Max would have made sure someone was there to protect Liz when he was too busy with other things.

She opened the door and gestured for him to come into the house. He stepped past her, looking around silently, and she shut the door.

"Are we alone?" Max asked.

Courtney frowned at him and replied, "I live by myself. Who else do you think would be here?"

Max nodded thoughtfully, then commented, "I forgot. About… the alien who was pretending to be your mother. She was killed, wasn't she? During the Harvest?"

Courtney nodded, a bitter taste in her mouth. "She was one of Khivar's," she explained distastefully. She could have added that she felt nothing when her supposed mother had died, that she had not liked the skin, had been happy to get rid of her. But she saw no reason to delve into her personal feelings, and instead she waited patiently for Max to speak.

"Does anyone know? Anyone outside the group, I mean? Anyone is Roswell who isn't one of us."

Courtney smiled faintly at the way Max had included her in that phrase, lumped her in with the others. _One of us_, he had said. Aloud, she replied, "I doubt it. People see what they want to see. We've only been here a few months, and she didn't have many friends. No one to ask questions now that she is gone, anyway."

Max sighed. "Yeah." He hesitated, then asked carefully, "Did you know Larek?"

Courtney blinked, momentarily thrown by the sudden change in topic of conversation. She paused, mouth open, before finding her voice and replying, "Yes. Not well, but we interacted several times. Particularly during and right after your predecessor's death." She took a seat on the sofa and watched Max pace, waiting for him to explain his sudden curiosity, to elaborate on why this seemed to upset him so much.

"What was he like?" Max asked. He didn't particularly like the fact that he was coming to Courtney for answers, but what other choice did he have? She was his best bet, the only source of information that he could consider even partially reliable. His opinion of her was similar to his opinion of Nasedo – they could both be trusted, but only to a point.

"Larek?" Courtney chewed her lower lip as she contemplated the answer to that. "He was a good leader. Strong, determined, unwilling to compromise his planet's safety. He was a just ruler."

Max found himself retorting in a harsh snap, "He was a lousy friend."

Courtney tilted her chin up and stared hard at Max. "What do you remember?"

"A summit. I was asking for help, the other planets refused." Max watched Courtney carefully, trying to gauge her reaction. She grimaced and looked away, her gaze drifting towards the entry way to the kitchen. "And again, at this most recent summit, he was on their side. The other planets… they wanted to trick me into taking a deal that would have been bad for me and for Antar. And Larek was on their side."

Courtney ran a hand through her hair, remembering. "After you all died, I went to Larek for help. I needed him to delay Khivar, to give me time to gain Nicolas' trust so that I could infiltrate their group. He didn't trust me, and he made that very clear. He talked about how I had let you all die, how I had been partially responsible for the sowing the discord that had ruined everything." With a darkly ironic chuckle, she added, "He apparently forgot that he was partially responsible as well."

"He's a hypocrite," Max summed up, his voice thick with anger and disgust.

But Courtney shrugged and said tiredly, "He's the leader of an entire planet. He was your friend, Zan's friend, but… he had other loyalties as well. Stronger ones. He's a lot of things, Max, but he's not evil. He's not Khivar."

"You're justifying what he did?" Max asked incredulously.

Courtney gave him a curious look, before answering softly, "Antar was powerful. It was rising quickly, too quickly. The reason the five worlds flourished for so long was because they kept each other in check. No one planet got too powerful for its own good. But then Antar started springing forward, and no one could keep up. Larek was afraid. You were his friend and he trusted you, but he was also concerned about his own planet, about what would happen to his people when Antar obtained complete dominance."

"If he was my friend, he would have trusted…" Max started, but Courtney cut him off.

"Any loyalty he felt to you could not compare to the loyalty he had to his people. Yes, he was a coward, he took the easy way out. He used Khivar as a short-term solution without thinking of the long-term, of all the damage it would cause. But he wasn't doing this for his own power. He wasn't doing this for greed. He was trying to help his people, his planet. He was doing everything for the right reasons, even though he kept making the wrong decision. No matter what else you want to think about him, you cannot doubt that he loves his planet and his people."

"And he was trying to help them," Max murmured. He could see Courtney's point-of-view, although he did not like it. Larek's planet was filled with people who had placed their trust in him, who believed that he would always do what was best for them, would put the good of the planet over his own personal whims. And so Larek had forfeited his friendship with Zan in order to do what was best for his people.

But, of course, he had gone about it the wrong way. He had chosen the easy path, instead of the right one, and that had only lead to more destruction and death. He had turned away from the difficult path, one that might have stopped Khivar and saved them all, because it was too hard to accomplish. Because the other planets had bullied him into agreeing with their plan. Because he was a coward.

"Obviously, I don't agree with his choices," Courtney said, "but I can see why he made them."

Max nodded glumly. "I suppose," he agreed. "But that does not absolve him of his guilt." He groaned, and muttered, "I wish things were more straightforward."

With a faint smile, Courtney reminded him, "It's a war, Max. _Nothing_ is ever black and white."

* * *

Jim poked his head into Tess' room and looked around, confused. They were supposed to be having a family dinner that evening, but he couldn't find either Kyle or Tess. That was unusual, because Tess usually refused to let either of them doing any of the cooking, claiming that she did not want to end their family dinner by having everyone die of food poisoning. Neither Jim nor Kyle ever bothered responding to that insult, particularly because it was true.

He thought about calling Max, but then decided against it. He doubted it was anything alien-related. If both Kyle and Tess were gone, and not answering their phones, it was Chris and Trudy he should be calling.

Then he caught sight of Tess' cell phone lying on her desk. He walked over to it, frowning. Tess rarely went anywhere without her cell phone – she was a teenage girl, after all. He picked it up and flipped it open. Two missed calls from Max, one missed call from Michael, one missed call from Isabel.

So maybe it was something alien-related after all. Still didn't explain where Kyle was, although Jim knew that Trudy was likely his best bet to answer that question. But if something alien was happening, Tess was the more pressing concern, so he grabbed the house phone and called Max.

Max answered on the second ring. "Sheriff Valenti?"

"Hi, Max," Jim said. "Is Tess with you?"

There was a pause, and then Max answered in a surprised tone, "No. Did she say she was coming over?"

Jim looked around the empty room. "No. But I can't find her, and she left her cell phone on her desk. I saw all the missed calls from you all, and thought it might be something alien-related." He walked out of her room and back to the living room, glancing at the window as he did so, wondering if he would see her arriving. But she was nowhere in sight.

"She never called us back," Max answered, and Jim could hear the concern in his voice drifting across the phone lines. "Maybe she's with Chris."

"Yeah, probably," Jim agreed. "She and Kyle are both gone, so they are probably with Chris and Trudy. I'll call over there. Thanks anyway, Max."

"No problem, Sheriff."

Jim hung up the phone, and although he supposed Max's words should have been comforting, he could not help the vague disquiet that gathered in his stomach.

* * *

After Max closed his phone, ending the conversation with Jim Valenti, he shook his head slowly, thinking. Then he tossed the phone onto his bed and stepped out of his room. Isabel's door was open, and he crossed the hallway and stepped into her room.

She looked up from her desk. "What is it?"

Max shut the door behind him. "Have you heard from Tess yet?"

Isabel shook her head. "No, not yet. I left a message for her, but she hasn't called me back."

"Valenti said she left her cell phone in her room."

That caused Isabel to raise both eyebrows in surprise. "That doesn't sound like Tess." She rose to her feet, an uneasy expression on her face. "I did call over to Chris to see if she was there, but he hadn't seen her either."

Max's concern grew at Isabel's words, but he said, "If she was in trouble, we'd feel it. Right?"

Isabel didn't look convinced, but she nodded. "Right." It had always worked in the past, their sixth sense that somehow allowed them to know if one of the other three were in danger. It was how they had learned that Hank had beaten up Michael, how they'd gotten to Tess after she was kidnapped by Whitaker.

But she felt uneasy now, for some reason she could not quite fathom.

On a whim, she grabbed the nearest yearbook and flipped it open, finding Tess' picture. If Tess wasn't asleep, she wouldn't be able to enter the other girl's dreams, but she should at least be able to get a vague impression of her demeanor, to determine that she was not hurt.

She ran her hand over the photograph and closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable pull that would take her towards Tess. Dream-walking was always a strange sensation, and that first moment when she felt herself falling away from reality could be terrifying. She still didn't understand how dreams worked, and all she knew was that, somehow, she was making her way through them, seeing a person's innermost subconscious.

She pressed her hand down more firmly onto the page, holding her breath, waiting…

But the pull never came. There was no subconscious, no flickering of emotions, no faint presence. There was nothing at all, no matter how hard Isabel tried to find Tess.

It was as though Tess had simply ceased to exist.

* * *

Next Chapter: Brave New World

Due Sun 7/26


	60. Brave New World

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty: Brave New World

Isabel glanced around Tess' room, looking frantically for something, anything, that might explain her friend's disappearance. Jim stood in the doorway, watching with concern etched into the weary lines of his face, and Max was leaning over the desk, searching through Tess' papers. None of them had found even a single clue, however, and Isabel was getting more and more frenzied as every moment passed.

Michael was at the school, watching _Othello_, and though Isabel was tempted to call him and demand he come over here immediately, she knew she couldn't. He had to stay there, had to keep an eye on Maria, Liz, and Alex. But Tess was missing and not having Michael there to help was only making her more nervous.

"What could have happened to her?" Jim demanded finally, when neither Evans sibling has found anything. "Is something… I mean… is something alien-related happening?"

Isabel opened her mouth to answer, then froze. Tess was standing before her.

Except that she wasn't. The Tess that stood before her was translucent, see-through, a faint imprint. She was looking around, a confused expression in her eyes, and she seemed to be talking to someone that Isabel could not see.

Isabel reached out and grabbed Max's arm, yanking him around so that he was facing her. He dropped the book he was holding and it thudded to the floor. "What? What is it?"

"Do you see that?" Isabel asked, gesturing towards the phantom of Tess. "Don't you see her?"

"See who? Tess? Are you getting a vision of her?" Max asked, squinting in the direction Isabel was pointing. He could see nothing but empty air, and so he turned back towards Isabel with a questioning look. "Where is she? Is she hurt?" The questions came rushing out, fear making him speak quickly.

Isabel shook her head slowly as the image of Tess faded. "She seemed… fine. Not hurt. Just… confused. I don't know where she is. I couldn't tell."

The fact that Tess did not appear to be hurt was of some comfort to both Max and Isabel, but not knowing where Tess was still bothered them.

"I don't get it," Max said. "If Tess is alive and well, why couldn't you find her with a dream-walk?"

Isabel shook her head wordlessly. There was no satisfactory answer she could give to that, no way for her to explain to Max something that she herself did not understand. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and turned in a slow circle, surveying the room.

When she'd seen flashes of Tess before, during the time the hybrid Queen had been kidnapped by Whitaker, it had been different. Tess had been calling out to her, begging for help. This flash, this vision of Tess… she had not been calling out for help. She had simply been standing there, looking around in bewilderment, as though she didn't even really know where she was.

"When was the last time you saw Tess?" Max asked, turning to Jim.

The Sheriff frowned, thinking over the answer, then said, "This morning. She and Kyle were here at breakfast, but then I didn't see her again after that."

"Has Kyle seen her?" Isabel questioned.

Jim could only shrug in reply. "I don't know. I haven't been able to get Kyle on the phone either."

Isabel glanced quickly at Max, then said, "Maybe they're together." Neither Max nor Jim seemed all that happy about that idea, but Isabel thought to herself that it might be a good thing. If something alien had happened, Kyle was a lot safer with Tess than he was by himself, or even with anyone else. Tess would not let him get hurt, no matter what she had to do to protect him.

"Maybe they're fine," Jim said softly, his tone almost pleading. It was clear he did not believe what he was saying, but he wanted it to be true nonetheless. He wanted, desperately, to believe that both his children were safe.

Isabel did not even bother responding to the comment. Instead, she turned to Max and said, "It's weird, though. I can't explain it. It's like… like she's here. In this room."

"It's just the flash you saw, Izzy," Max replied. "You're sensing her in this room because of that."

Isabel nodded slowly, but was not entirely convinced.

A knock at the door stopped the conversation from proceeding any further, and Max and Isabel exchanged cautious looks. Jim was already walking towards the living room, and Isabel hurried to catch up with him, Max trailing behind them.

It was Chris.

He was standing on the steps, looking expectantly around. When Jim opened the door, he stepped into the living room, and smiled at the sight of Isabel. He looked a little puzzled by Max's presence, but didn't question it.

"Hi, Sheriff Valenti," he said politely. "Is Tess here?" He held up a package in his hands and explained, "I was just going to drop this off for her. She left it at my house this morning."

"She's not here right now," Jim replied, taking the package. A quick glance revealed it to be nothing out of the ordinary, just a book and a pair of sunglasses. He set it down on the sofa and added, "I'll give it to her when she comes home, though. Thanks for dropping it off."

Chris looked puzzled as he answered, "Oh. It's no problem. I just assumed she would be here, she said she had a family dinner tonight." He was clearly fishing for answers, but the other three had none to give, and so the following silence was strained and awkward.

It was Isabel who spoke up next, stepping forward and giving Chris a knowing grin. "Just dropping by, huh?" she said with a teasing laugh. "You know, I really doubt she needed any of that before tomorrow." Resting her hand on Chris' arm, she subtly steered him back towards the door, chatting amicably as she did so, "But let me guess… you couldn't wait that long to see her?"

Chris swatted at Isabel's arm, a look of mock-annoyance in his eyes. "Are you making fun of me?" he demanded haughtily, not noticing that they had stepped outside, and that Max and Jim had withdrawn further into the living room, out of sight and out of hearing range.

"What if I am?" Isabel challenged.

"Huh," Chris retorted, shaking his head, "like you're so much better? How many times do you make up excuses to go see Whitman?"

Isabel flushed, a light pink suffusing her cheeks. But her eyes sparkled as she countered, "I don't have to come up with excuses. Alex doesn't mind if I just drop by." They walked down the path through the neatly trimmed lawn, and she glanced up at the sky before adding, "And, you know, I'm guessing Tess sees through your cover-stories all the time."

He held his hands up, a sign of surrender. "Alright, alright. I give up." Folding his arms across his chest, he said, "If you see Tess before I do, tell her I left her belongings with the Sheriff and I will see her tomorrow." He turned and walked away, climbing into his car and driving down the street, disappearing out of view.

Isabel watching him go, her light-hearted expression turning serious. "If we find her," she muttered, "I will certainly pass along the message."

She turned to go back in the house, but a shiver ran down her spine, stopping her. She looked around again, eyes sweeping over the street. But nothing looked out of the ordinary. A gentle breeze rustled through the grass and stirred the leaves on the hedges and trees, and lights flickered from within the box-like houses that sat on either side of the street. It was quiet.

"I'm getting paranoid," she muttered under her breath, and walked back towards the house, towards her brother and the Sheriff.

* * *

Across the street, the man named Jared watched her from within his car. His dark eyes fixed on her, following her every move as she opened the door and stepped back into the house. The door swung shut behind her, and Jared leaned back in his car seat and sighed.

"Isabel," he murmured, testing the name. It sounded strange, foreign, and rolled off his tongue in an odd way. It was a strange name, far different from Vilandra. But it didn't matter what she was called. It only mattered that he had located her, recognized her.

One down, three to go.

* * *

"Wanna see the unicorn Daddy bought for me?"

Michael started at the appearance of the little girl at his side. He looked down at her, at her large eyes and innocent smile, and it took a moment to place her as Sydney Davis. Brody's daughter.

"Sorry about that," Brody said, appearing out of nowhere and wrapping his arms around his daughter's shoulders. "I keep telling her not to wander off and talk to strangers, but she hasn't quite gotten it yet." He looked frazzled, but his relief at finding his daughter was evident, and Michael thought with some amusement that Brody was going to have a hard time when Sydney hit her teenage years.

Michael waved away the apology, and looked down at Sydney once more. She was clutching a stuffed unicorn in her hands, a gaudy, sparkling toy made out of pink and purple. She held it out to him, chin jutting out slightly.

"Pretty!" she announced.

"Uh… yes. It is." He glanced around, looking discreetly for an escape route from this conversation. It was intermission, and they were standing in front of the auditorium, waiting for the play to resume. Maria had disappeared back stage, as had Courtney, and Liz was once again looking for supplies to fix another slightly broken set-piece, but Alex was pushing his way through the crowd of students and parents, smiling easily at them.

"You're Max's friend, right?" Brody said suddenly.

"Yes," Michael answered. "I've been by the UFO Center a couple times. It's… unique."

Brody grinned. "You should see it now. We've just finished putting up a new exhibit, star patterns and the orbits of planets."

"Sounds… fascinating," Michael said, trying to catch Alex's eye, wondering if the other boy was deliberately ignoring him, planning on leaving him trapped in this conversation forever. Had it been anyone else, he would have just walked away, and not really cared if they thought he was rude. But it seemed wrong to walk away from a child, even though Sydney was making him uncomfortable by continuing to stare at him with her large eyes.

"Do you like unicorns?" Sydney asked suddenly.

"She's in her unicorn phase," Brody murmured under his breath.

"I like unicorns. And fairies. And princesses. My Daddy said I was a princess. Isn't that silly?"

Brody looked at his daughter thoughtfully, then said, "You know, she's rarely this talkative. Especially with people she doesn't know." He shook his head, bemused. "I guess she just really likes you."

"Lucky me," Michael muttered under his breath.

"You'll have to excuse my ill-mannered boyfriend," a voice interrupted, and Maria came to Michael's side. She was still wearing her costume, her face covered in stage make-up, a thin film of sweat beading at her hairline, a sign of the heat of the stage lights. She rested a hand on Michael's arm and said with a smile for Brody, "He's not always the best with children."

"Sydney seems to like him," Brody replied. To his daughter, he added, "Don't you?"

"I wanna play," she replied. "Play with me and my unicorn?" The question was either aimed at Brody or Michael, that was unclear. She held the unicorn out, displaying it proudly for everyone to see. She didn't quite seem to realize that they were still at a play, that intermission was almost over. She probably didn't even know what the play was, given that Shakespeare wasn't usually grasped by young children.

"Uh…" Michael fumbled for words, wishing he had a smooth way of escaping the conversation.

Maria, catching sight of his bewildered look, laughed softly, then said to Brody, "Should I be world that she's trying to steal my boyfriend?"

"I think you're probably safe," Brody answered. "I'm Brody, by the way. Brody Davis."

"Maria DeLuca," Maria answered. "I think I've seen you around." To Michael, she said, "Got a minute?"

"Sure," Michael said. Nodding to Brody and giving Sydney a smile, he followed Maria away. Once they were out of earshot, he asked under his breath, "Is everything alright?"

"It's fine," Maria answered. "I just thought you might want an escape from that conversation." She shrugged, a mischievous smile on her lips. "Unless, of course, you wanted to spend the rest of intermission talking about unicorns?"

Michael shuddered.

"I've got to get back," Maria said, glancing over her shoulder. "Mr. Turner's not a huge fan of having his actors and actresses mingling with the crowd at intermission." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Michael glanced over her head and stiffened suddenly, his eyes falling on Amy DeLuca. She was watching them through narrowed eyes, clearly not pleased with seeing her daughter talking to the person she had explicitly forbade her from seeing. When she realized Michael had seen her, she raised one eyebrow questioningly.

"You should go," Michael said sourly.

Maria turned and followed his gaze, seeing her mother. She sighed, wishing it wasn't so difficult to balance out her desire to do what her other wanted with her desire to spend time with Michael. He hadn't called her on the fact that she'd referred to him as her boyfriend when talking to Brody, but she was sure he hadn't actually missed that detail. She wasn't sure what it meant, and she wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

But she knew that no matter what she did, someone she cared about would be upset with her.

She turned back to say something to Michael, but he had already started to walk away, melting into the crowd.

"Michael," she called out. He looked over his shoulder at her, and she gave an apologetic shrug. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "Yeah. Me, too." He opened his mouth to say something else, although he wasn't really sure what else he could add to the scenario, but the harsh jangling ring of his cell phone stopped him. He pulled it out, answering quickly when he saw Isabel's number on the Caller ID.

She didn't even wait for him to start speaking.

"Michael, as soon as the show is over, get Liz, Maria, and Alex, and get over to the Valenti's house."

"Is everything okay?" Michael asked worriedly as he watched Ms. DeLuca come closer towards them. The confrontation with Maria's mother was inevitable, but the frantic tone of Isabel's voice was enough to push the more mundane problems from his mind.

"I'm sure it's fine," was Isabel's answer, and her words were layered with doubt. If she didn't even believe what she was saying, then Michael knew it had to be bad. Still, she continued in a tone of forced calm, "We just need to talk. Mostly just the three of us, but Max is adamant that we don't leave the other three alone."

Michael was silent for a moment, digesting that. He turned away from Maria, but out of the corner of his eye, he could still see her spinning around to face her irate mother. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Problems with Maria would have to wait… again. Because he'd picked up on one very important fact – Isabel had said the three of them had to talk.

Not four.

"Where's Tess?" he asked softly.

"We're not sure," was Isabel's whispered answer. "Just hurry up and get here after the show is over, okay?"

And without waiting for his response, she hung up the phone.

* * *

"What the hell just happened?"

Kyle's angry voice, sharp like the crack of a tree branch, like the shattering of solid glass, filled the air and lingered in the silence.

Tess didn't answer. She wasn't entirely sure what she would say. What _could_ she say? She had no idea where they were or what had happened, although she had every reason to believe that some alien was behind it.

She rubbed her eyes and tried to think, tried to sort her confused thoughts. She'd been in the kitchen, looking through the refrigerator and cupboards, trying to come up with something to cook for dinner. She'd wanted to make hamburger – it was easy, and she knew Kyle and Jim would like it – but they didn't have ketchup. She'd gone into Kyle's room to ask him to go buy ketchup for dinner, and then…

Then what, exactly?

There was no crash of symbols, no flash of white light. Nothing grand and spectacular to indicate that something alien had just happened. She'd opened the door and walked into the room, and Kyle had been lying on his bed, reading, and then…

And then they were here.

But where exactly was here?

It looked like their house, looked like Kyle's room. Everything was in the same place as it had always been, from the messily sprawled clothing near the foot of the bed to the magazines partially concealed underneath a stack of papers on the desk. It looked like Kyle's room, it felt like Kyle's room…

…but it most certainly was not Kyle's room.

Outside the window, everything was fading. The houses seemed to be losing their color, drifting towards something pale and white. Trees were growing transparent, cars disappearing before their very eyes. A few things were retaining their color, a couple trees on the block, a car outside the house, the distant cliffs that rose over the desert town. But they were just bright splashes of color in a rapidly graying landscape.

"Tess?" Kyle's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she looked back at him, turning away from the window. "Why aren't you freaking out?" He was looking at her suspiciously, as though he thought she might have the answers, might be keeping something secret from him.

She looked back without flinching, but inside she was worried.

Would this break Kyle's mind-warp? Would he remember everything?

"I am freaking out," she said finally. "I'm just a lot cooler about it than you are."

She walked past him and opened the door, peering out into the hallway. The rest of the house seemed normal enough, although strangely silent and sterile. She took a few cautious steps into the corridor, biting her lower lip as she did so, as though she expected to be attacked at any moment.

She didn't know if they were in danger.

She had no idea what to expect, she reflected, and that was the problem.

Kyle followed her, pushing past her and walking into the living room. Then he froze, and she hurried to his side, wondering what had caused him to stop so suddenly.

He was looking at the window. The shades were open, and the entire street stretched out before them. But it was fluctuating, some things blinking in and out of existence as though they were not quite sure if they were supposed to be there. Cars and trees were there, and then gone, and then back again, and houses glimmered in the faint light, colors ebbing and flowing before them. A strange white light was slowly creeping up around them, coming from the distance and turning everything in its path into whiteness.

It was as though the world was disappearing.

"There are no people," Kyle said slowly, his voice oddly blank, devoid of emotion. "There are no people out there. Can you see people in the other houses?"

"I don't know," Tess answered honestly. It was true that there were no people on the street, and that was unusual for the early evening. She also was unable to see anyone moving behind the windows of the houses close to them, but that didn't mean that there weren't people there.

On the other hand, Tess wasn't really sure she wanted to leave the house and find out. She had no idea why she thought this, but some instinct was telling her not to venture out of her own home quite yet. She had no idea what was out there, and it was far too dangerous to take the risk of running into enemies.

"Maybe this is a dream," Kyle said, looking at her. "Just a really weird dream I'm having." He reached over with one hand and pinched the skin of his wrist, his face screwing up with pain. "Ow. Okay… not a dream. Not a dream. How the hell is this not a dream?"

She scrutinized Kyle's expression cautiously. Part of her wanted to play along, to pretend that she was just as bewildered as he was. But that would distract her from the far more important task of figuring out exactly what had happened and how to stop it.

They were supposed to have a family dinner tonight. It was likely that Jim, noticing that both his children were gone, would try to locate them. Hopefully, once he couldn't find them anywhere, he would know enough to call Max, Isabel, and Michael. But even if he did that, even if the other three hybrids came over to try to find her… would they succeed?

How could they find her when she didn't even know where she was?

Kyle suddenly sank down onto the sofa, a groan escaping his lips.

She was at his side in a heartbeat, sitting down next to him. "Kyle? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, "I don't know." His voice was dry, cracked, the words stumbling out from between barely parted lips. He looked at her, tilting his head to the side, "Feels like someone is pressing down on my head. Squashing my brain."

It didn't take much to break a mind-warp, particularly not one as extensive as what she had done to Kyle. A reminder, even something small and insignificant, of everything that he had learned at the end of last year, of the fact that there were aliens in Roswell… it wouldn't have taken much more than that for his memories to fight their way back into his mind.

And this was more than just a _little_ reminder.

But it didn't seem like he was breaking free, didn't seem like the memories were coming back. There was no look of comprehension in his eyes, no questioning stare, no glimmer of understanding. He seemed just as lost and confused as before, and nothing even _appeared_ familiar.

Rather, the mind-warp was still fighting the memories, keeping them back, and the battle between her gifts and his brain had the potential to destroy his mind. To make it literally melt.

She rose to her feet, filled with the desire to do something, anything, to get them out of this. As she turned to walk towards her bedroom, however, Kyle caught her by the arm. "Tess? Come on, I'm not an idiot. You know something. What aren't you telling me?"

She bit her lip. "Kyle… I'll tell you everything soon… I just… we need to get out of this first. I need you to trust me, okay? Please?"

Kyle looked reluctant, but she didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she walked quickly to her own bedroom, pushing the door open and stepping inside. Kyle followed her, his arms folded across his chest.

"Tess…" he started, but she was pacing rapidly across the floor of her room, not listening to him. "Tess!"

She spun to face him. "I don't know what is going on, Kyle. I don't know where we are or how we got here, or what happened to everyone else. And that's the truth."

"You know something…" he pressed.

She averted her eyes, unable to answer his prompt, but that only ended up with her gaze moving to the window. The distant white had crept closer, covering everything it passed. Would the world become a great expanse of white? Would there be nothing left but this emptiness?

And what would happen to them?

Kyle groaned suddenly and pressed the heel of his palm into his head, wincing. "Light… too bright…" he muttered. "Hurts."

Tess stared at him, swallowing back her own fears.

Migraines… the first sign of a rapidly melting mind.

* * *

Next Chapter: Here and Now

Due: Sun 8/1


	61. Here and Now

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty-One: Here and Now

"Okay… you're telling me Tess just… disappeared?" Michael asked, a little disbelievingly as he gazed at the two Evans. The siblings were sitting in the Valenti's living room, perched side-by-side on the edge of his sofa, wearing identical expressions of concern. Behind them, Jim paced nervously, his footsteps echoing slightly. Michael, Maria, Liz, and Alex, having just arrived and been informed of the entire mystery, were standing about, staring at each other with bewildered looks.

"Yes," Isabel answered. "I… we don't know how it happened. But we can't find her anywhere…" She trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

Liz took a seat across from them, and asked, "So, what do we do?"

Isabel and Max exchanged glances, then Max shrugged and said, "We don't know. That's the problem. We don't have the slightest idea what happened."

Michael rubbed the back of his head with one hand and hated the fact that he was making this suggestion, but with Tess missing and no clues as to what had happened to her, what else could he say? "We might need to ask someone. Courtney or Nasedo?"

"You trust them now?" Isabel scoffed, rolling her eyes. Even after the rest of them had agreed that Courtney was at least somewhat trustworthy, Michael had stubbornly held onto his doubts, and it was obvious she found it ironic that he was suggesting her.

"No," Michael answered sharply. "But… with Tess missing, do we have a choice?"

"I agree with Michael. We need to find her, and we don't have the answers right now," Max spoke up. He twisted on the sofa and glanced at Jim for a moment, a thoughtful look in his eyes, then said, "Wherever Tess is, Kyle might be there also."

"Kyle is safest wherever Tess is," Alex pointed out logically. "She won't let anything happen to him."

"True," Michael agreed with a nod of his head, "but it also makes her less safe if she has to worry about protecting someone without gifts." He didn't say it, but he could see reflected in Max and Isabel's gazes his own worry, that Tess might end up risking her life and her safety to keep Kyle out of harm's way.

"Okay, fine," Isabel agreed after a moment, "we should go to Courtney."

"Should we ask Nasedo also? The more information, the better?" Liz asked, looking over at Isabel.

"Courtney thought Nicolas was planning something," Max answered before Isabel could reply. "She thought sending Ava here was the beginning of whatever he wanted to do. She probably has a better understanding of how Nicolas works than Nasedo does… and I still don't trust Nasedo fully. I'd rather not go to him unless we absolutely have to."

"Do you trust Courtney fully?" Maria asked skeptically.

Max shrugged. "She did save Liz," he said softly, looking over at his girlfriend with a goofy smile. "I don't know all her plans, but I do owe her for that."

Michael rolled his eyes, caught Maria's eye, and stifled a snort of amusement. She grinned, obviously also both amused and exasperated by her friend's lovesick countenance.

Michael had no doubt that Max and Liz could have spent the rest of the evening just staring into each other's eyes, so he cleared his throat and said sarcastically, "Can we get back to the task at hand? Or do you two need a room?"

Max snapped his head over to Michael and sent him a sharp glare. But then his expression sobered and he sighed running a hand through his hair. Liz's expression, too, grew serious, and she lowered her gaze, looking down at the ground.

"So what now?" Alex asked. "We just go over to Courtney's house and start asking questions? Do we even know the right questions to ask?"

"Uh… guys?" Maria said suddenly, her voice sharp and nervous. Scared. "I have a question." All eyes turned to her expectantly, and she gestured with one hand to the empty area behind the sofa. "Where's Jim?"

They all turned and looked around, frantically trying to find the Sherriff, but he was nowhere in sight.

* * *

When Jim suddenly appeared before her, Tess nearly jumped. She stared at him for a full sixty seconds, unsure if he was really there, or if this was just some figment of her imagination, or something the skins had done. But he didn't fade away and he didn't suddenly morph into one of her enemies. He just stood there, mouth partially open, gaping at her.

"Dad?" came Kyle's voice as he walked into the living room and caught sight of his father standing there, looking confused. "Dad! You're… here."

"Where is here?" Jim asked, finding his voice. He looked expectantly at Tess, as though he assumed she would have the answers. And she really wished she had the answers, but she didn't, and she couldn't think of anything to say that would make this situation any less frightening or any less bizarre.

"Honestly?" she murmured, "I have no idea."

* * *

Michael glanced around the house warily. The others had left, and he was alone now, which shouldn't have made him as jumpy as it did. After all, they had reasoned through this plan, and it was the only one that made any sense. He'd agreed to that, agreed with the others – including Max. And when he and Max agreed on something, didn't that mean the plan had to have some good points?

He leaned back against the chair's stiff wicker and sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand. Max and Isabel had taken Maria, Liz, and Alex to Courtney's house, intent on finding answers. He'd stayed here in case, somehow, Tess or Kyle… or even Jim… reappeared. It was unlikely that that would happen, but none of them felt comfortable leaving the house unguarded, not when it was becoming rapidly obvious that the house was the last place any of the three missing people had been seen.

Maria had wanted to stay with him, and he would have appreciated the company, although he would never actually dream of saying that aloud. But Max had been reluctant, pointing out logically that leaving one person here was bad enough, did they really want to leave two behind? There was something wrong with this house, of that much they were all convinced, and Michael at least had some ability to defend himself from whatever was happening. Maria would be practically helpless.

Michael had to agree with that point as well, and he didn't like the idea of putting Maria in danger.

So even she had gone with the others, leaving Michael alone.

The house was empty, of that Michael was certain. He had searched every room after the others had left, even going so far as to sort through the desk and dresser drawers in the three bedrooms. That was an experience he didn't want to repeat. In fact, he'd been reluctant to do it at all, but he had to make sure there was nothing here.

He could practically hear Maria's voice in his head chiding him, _"What did you think would happen? That Tess would somehow be hiding in the drawers of her desk and jump out to surprise you? Come on, Space Boy, use your brain. You remember what that is, right?"_

"Oh, shut up," he muttered, shaking his head.

"Speaking to yourself? Now that's just weird."

Michael jumped and started, spinning around with his hand held out in front of him, ready to attack. But he hesitated when he saw who it was, and slowly lowered his hand. His stance remained tense, however, as did his gaze.

"Trevor."

He was standing in front of the half-open front door, and Michael was silently kicking himself for not hearing that door swing open. How had he been taken so by surprise?

"Rath. Michael, I mean," Trevor greeted, stepping further into the room and closing the door behind him. It swung shut, but there was no sound of it clicking closed. In fact, it made no sound at all. Michael stared at it, shivering slightly, and wondered what else the skins were capable of. It hit him, not for the first time, that they didn't even know what they were up against, not really, and the lack of information could get them killed.

"What are you doing here?" Michael asked sharply.

Trevor glanced around quickly. "Nicolas' schemes always end with people getting hurt. I suppose that shouldn't come as a surprise, given that his plan is to kill you." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "You're alone." It was not a question.

Michael shrugged. "I can take care of myself."

Trevor nodded. "Out of the group, you are the most likely to shoot first and ask questions later. I guess if I had to pick someone to leave behind by themselves, it would be you. You have the most chance of survival." His gaze hardened slightly, and he added, "Of course, I wouldn't be stupid enough to leave someone behind in the first place."

Michael bristled. "It wasn't stupid," he said, eyeing his brother coldly.

"Let me guess," Trevor said softly, "you're waiting for someone. The Queen and her human brother?" He shook his head and gestured around him with both arms. "Do you really think Nicolas' plan can be that easily undone? They aren't just going to come back."

"Where are they?" Michael asked through clenched teeth.

Trevor didn't answer.

"What is Nicolas trying to do?" Michael tried.

Again, Trevor did not answer.

Angrily, Michael nearly exploded, "What _side_ are you on? I'm your _brother_!"

Trevor's expression was unreadable. He looked at Michael, then averted his eyes for a moment. When he finally looked back, his gaze was harder than steel as he answered, "I'm on Khivar's side. I always have been."

Michael stepped back as though he'd been slapped. He could not find the words to answer. But he should not have been so unprepared for the answer to that question. Hadn't he always known that Trevor was his enemy? He hadn't wanted to believe it then, and he didn't want to believe it before, but Trevor had always been on Khivar's side.

"The Royal Four could never be beaten," Trevor continued as Michael remained silent. "They were too strong. It wasn't until Vilandra joined the other side that Khivar even had a _chance_ of winning." He folded his arms over his chest and sighed. "Zan was a fool in many ways, and he could have so easily destroyed the planet. But he knew how to fight, and he knew how to use others. Everyone was a pawn in his game, even you, and it wasn't until he lost his sister to Khivar's side that he started to crumble."

"I don't believe you…"

Trevor cut in before Michael could finish what looked to be the start of an angry rant. "I don't care," he said simply. "I'm not here to convince you of anything. I'm here to explain what's happening. Nicolas knows he has to separate you, turn you against each other. He can't win otherwise. But now, instead of four to worry about, he has eight. Ava couldn't get Liz to turn on Max, and that disappointed Nicolas, but he's not stupid and he doesn't give up. If he couldn't get Liz, then he would go for the next best thing, the next best human."

"Maria? Alex?" Michael breathed, afraid.

Trevor rolled his eyes. "Are you daft? Do you really think it is one of them? Have either of them spontaneously disappeared?"

Michael gaped at him, realization thudding into place. All this time they had assumed that Nicolas had targeted Tess, but what if that wasn't true? What if she had merely been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and all along the target had been…

"Kyle."

Trevor nodded.

Michael shook his head, everything forming a plan, sharp and bright and far too clear to ignore. Nicolas was smart, smarter than they had given him credit for. And he understood them a lot better than they had realized as well. If anything happened to Kyle, they would lose Tess, too. If Nicolas could somehow turn Kyle against them… where would Tess stand? Which side would she take? Would the others understand how torn she was, or would they expect her loyalty to always be to them? Who would take sides and who would try to remain neutral and how long would it be before they all fell apart?

"If you aren't on our side," Michael asked finally, "why are you here? Why are you telling me this?"

"Nicolas doesn't trust me," Trevor replied. "I am on his side, but… I don't want you to get hurt. I don't think he understands that. I've tried to explain it to him, but…" He shrugged. "He's Khivar's brother, and he knows how strong the ties of brotherhood are. I think he's waiting for me to take your side, to choose Zan over Khivar. I won't. I can't. But I won't stand by and let you get hurt."

Michael narrowed his eyes. "I don't understand," he said.

Trevor sighed. "He's coming here, to Roswell. Nicolas. And he's bringing several skins with him. If he wants to kill Zan, fine. But you…" He looked away, towards the window, towards the evening sky. "If you aren't here, you'll be safe."

"What are you talking about?" Michael hissed. "I'm not going anywhere. I won't leave Max and Isabel. Or Tess."

"That's alright," Trevor said simply. "You don't need to leave Tess."

And then everything went white.

* * *

With everything that was happening, Tess sincerely doubted anything else could surprise her. Jim was sitting on the sofa, staring blankly out the window at the world that was slowly disappearing before his eyes. Kyle was on one of the chairs, holding his head in his hands. He'd stopped asking questions, but Tess knew it wasn't because he was no longer curious or because he had stopped suspecting Tess. It was the pain in his head that was keeping him from talking.

So now, trapped in a place she couldn't even begin to comprehend, with her human brother and human father, she really did not think anything else could surprise her. Ever.

That was until Michael suddenly materialized before them.

* * *

Courtney opened the door and let them in without even bothering to ask what was wrong. They filed in, standing around her living room, waiting while she closed the door and came to join them.

"What's going on?" she asked finally, settling herself into an armchair and gesturing for the others to do the same.

Isabel perched on the edge of the sofa as she glanced at Max, wondering if he would answer. Or, rather, how exactly he would answer. She wasn't sure how much they were going to tell Courtney, and she'd figured she take her cues from Max.

"We can't find Tess," Max said simply. "Isabel tried dream-walking her, and it's like she doesn't even exist. Kyle Valenti is gone as well, and Jim somehow disappeared before our very eyes. We didn't even notice until after he was gone."

Isabel frowned at Max. He'd apparently decided to tell Courtney everything. Well, Tess was missing, and they had to get her back before something happened to her. So if telling Courtney everything helped them somehow find Tess sooner, she supposed she couldn't really blame him for it. And Courtney had helped them, more than once. Maybe it was time to stop being so suspicious…

"What do you mean she doesn't exist?" Courtney asked worriedly.

"I mean I can't find her through dream-walking," Isabel explained quickly, succinctly. "Even if she is awake, I should be able to sense her somehow. But I can't. Like… she's gone. Completely."

Courtney lifted an eyebrow and asked in a hushed tone, "Dead?"

"No," Max said firmly. "If she was dead, we would be able to feel that. We would be able to sense that something happened to her." He paused, glancing at Isabel, then added, "Also, Isabel saw her. A vision of her, I mean. In her room."

"Was she in trouble?" Courtney questioned.

Isabel shrugged uncomfortably. "No. Not really. She just seemed confused. She was talking to someone. It was like she didn't know where she was." She glanced at the others, waiting to see if Max would say anything, or if Liz, Alex, and Maria would ask questions. But they remained quiet, and she groped for something more to say, some clue that might make sense to Courtney.

"That sounds like something Nicolas would do," Courtney mused thoughtfully. "But I just don't know exactly what it is…" She trailed off, then looked around expectantly, "Where's Michael?"

"At the Valentis' house," Max answered. "In case Tess somehow manages to…" He paused, obviously unsure how to finish that. What would be the right word? Reappear? Come back? Show herself?

"If Nicolas is behind this, then he's not going to stop with just Tess," Courtney reasoned. "Whatever he wants, he definitely wants to use it to destroy all four of you." She rose to her feet and crossed to the window, staring out at the street. "It's a little too convenient with the timing of Ava's visit for those two to be a coincidence."

"Ava was trying to turn me against Max," Liz said worriedly. "Do you think he's now trying to turn Tess against Max?" She reached over to Max, catching his hand tightly in her own, their fingers interlocking.

But Courtney shook her head. "I don't see how making Tess disappear would do that. If anything, putting her in danger would just strengthen the bond between the four of you because you'd rush to her rescue."

"True," Isabel said with growing horror as an idea dawned in her mind, "but putting Kyle in danger…" She didn't finish the sentence, she didn't have to. They all knew how protective Tess was of her human family, and how easy it would be to use Kyle to manipulate her. If Nicolas tried to hurt Kyle, there was very little Tess wouldn't do to keep her brother safe.

Courtney considered this for a moment, then asked, "Do you know where Kyle and Tess were when they disappeared?"

"Not for certain," Max answered. "But Jim thought they were probably home. And Chris did go looking for Tess at her house, so he must have thought that, too."

"And that is where Jim was when he disappeared as well. Then whatever it is," Courtney concluded, "it must have something to do with that house."

* * *

"So… Trevor sent you here?" Tess asked in a low whisper as she and Michael stood by the entry way to the kitchen and spoke in hushed tones.

Michael nodded mutely, watching as Jim placed a cool washcloth on his son's forehead. Kyle was lying stretched out on the sofa, and his skin was unusually pale, his eyes shut tight against the light. They'd pulled the blinds over all the widows to keep out the bright whiteness of outside, hoping that would somehow help ease his migraine.

It didn't.

"What's wrong with Kyle?" Michael asked, jerking his head toward the football jock.

"His mind is melting," Tess answered grimly. "I don't know how, exactly, but I think it has something to do with whatever happened to us. It's hurting him, destroying his mind." She looked at him briefly, then added, "I don't know if I can fix it. I'm worried if I do anything at all, it will just kill him that much faster."

She didn't need to say anything else, Michael could hear the fear and frustration in her voice. Above all else, Tess hated being helpless while her friends or family suffered.

"Why did Trevor send you here?" she asked after a pause. "What did he think he would gain from it?"

Jim looked up at them then, a question in his gaze, but Tess shook her head. They had nothing to tell him, no answers that could provide useful information for him. And she wanted to keep the conversation as far away from Jim and Kyle as possible, hoping to spare them the same fear she was feeling. They couldn't help, anyway, and as long as she pretended like this could be fixed, they would believe her.

Even if all she was doing was telling lies.

Michael shrugged. "I don't know. I don't understand. He said it would keep me safe. He said he didn't care if Nicolas killed Max, but he didn't want anything to happen to me."

Tess frowned as she considered this carefully, dissecting the words. "So he thinks we're safe here?" she asked, surprised. Gesturing towards the shaded window, she argued logically, "The world is practically falling apart all around us."

Michael shrugged. It was true, it did not seem to him like they were actually safe here. But what else could he say? Trevor had seemed to believe that this would be the best place for him, the only place that would keep him away from Nicolas. But Nicolas had so obviously done this – whatever this was – and so how could it be safe for him here?

"Did Jim know how he got here?" Michael questioned.

Tess shook her head. "No. I asked. He was in the living room, talking to all of you, and then he just… everything went white, and he found himself here."

"This doesn't make sense!" Michael snapped in frustration. His voice was loud enough that Jim looked at them again, this time with concern and worry in his eyes. Even Kyle groaned and shifted slightly, opening his eyes. He looked as though he were about to say something, but then he grimaced and slammed his eyes shut once more, his entire body tensing in pain.

Tess took a step towards him, then stopped herself and looked away, her blue eyes swimming with tears that she only just managed to keep from slipping out from under her lids and down her face.

And that scared Michael more than anything, because Tess Harding did _not_ cry. Ever.

But Tess' guilty and terrified expression was soon pushed from his mind as he found himself staring at something. Or rather, _someone_.

She was tall, with blonde hair and pale eyes. Her white face was streaked with tears and dirt, and her hair was unkempt, ratty, and matted around her face. She was wearing a white dress, a nightgown, perhaps. She was arguing with someone, either begging or yelling, he couldn't be sure. Her mouth was open wide, as were her eyes, but he could not hear what she was saying.

"Tess!" Michael demanded, grabbing her arm and her attention, "Do you see that?"

Tess followed his gaze and his pointing finger and saw nothing but empty air. "See what?" she asked, bewildered, and even as she said the words, the girl seemed to fade away, disappearing before Michael's eyes.

She was gone as abruptly as she had come, but for that moment she had seemed, to Michael, to be real. To be vibrantly alive.

"Michael?" Tess asked nervously. "What is it? What did you see?"

It was a testament to how much they had been through that Tess did not question the fact that he _had_ seen something. She accepted the fact that sometimes one or more of the other three were able to see things that were hidden from her, and trusted that Michael wasn't just imagining things.

Her trust should have been reassuring to Michael, but it wasn't. He knew he wasn't imagining things, and he knew he wasn't insane, but he had no idea who the girl was or why he had seen her. And not knowing why he was seeing flashes of someone he didn't recognize was both disconcerting and troubling.

"I… I don't know," he muttered under his breath, shaking his head. "I have no idea what I saw. But there was… _someone_… there. And I think she was in trouble."

Tess gave him an uneasy look, then glanced back at Kyle and Jim, chewing her lower lip. She had no idea what to do or say now, and everything seemed to be getting stranger by the second.

She sighed, and prayed silently, fervently, that they would somehow get out of this mess in one piece.

* * *

Next Chapter: Choices

Due: Sun 8/9


	62. Choices

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Two: Choices

Diane Evans set the mug of tea down in front of her husband and gave him a quick look, a scrutinizing once-over, trying to read the expression in his eyes. She wanted to know what he would say before he said it, given just how big of an issue this was. But she couldn't tell what he was thinking, and that disturbed her much more than she thought it would, because she had once always been able to take one look at her husband and know what was happening behind his eyes.

"Well?" she asked finally, sitting across from him at the table and playing with her own mug, pushing it back and forth between her hands and feeling the warmth pass from the ceramic into her palms.

He shook his head, tired and weary. "I don't know," he answered. "There didn't seem to be a whole lot there. It was just… Polhman Ranch."

She sighed, but accepted this in silence. What else could they really expect? Whatever her kids were hiding, it was big, and they weren't going to find the answers easily.

But she couldn't help pressing, "There wasn't anything? At all? Why was it marked off on that map?"

Philip shrugged. "We looked around," he answered. "It borders on the Reservation, you know." He looked distracted, and disheartened, neither of which Diane could blame him for, but they still seemed so out of place on his normally optimistic features.

"I know," she answered. Teenagers sometimes went to the Reservation to gamble, or to do other things that their parents and the law might not approve of. When Max and Isabel were in middle school, she had feared the possibility of hearing that they had cut class and gone to the Reservation, or ended up there one night on the weekend, hanging out with their friends and doing God-knows-what.

Now, she nostalgically longed for the days when at least she would have understood what had lead her children astray, changed them into people she didn't remember.

* * *

"He's not here." There was a note of hysteria in Maria's voice, a cry that reflected the inner turmoil of the others. She was looking around frantically, as though somehow her own sheer force of will might bring Michael back. But they had searched through the entire house, and there was no denying the fact – he was gone.

"Maybe he just went out for a walk," Isabel suggested in a tone that indicated how clearly she did not believe anything she was saying. The suggestion fell into the silence around them, and she didn't bother pushing the subject, or offering any other ideas.

There was only one possible truth that really made any sense. First Tess and Kyle, then Jim Valenti, and now…

Michael.

Gone.

Max inhaled slowly, trying to stop his frantically beating heart, trying to slow it to more of a crawl. Worry twisted in his gut, spreading through his body and wrapping around every cell. They had left Michael alone – _he_ had left Michael alone – and now Michael was gone. How could he have been so foolish? Maybe it had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now…? Hadn't he always agreed that there was safety in numbers? Together they were far stronger than apart.

Isabel touched his arm and whispered, "Not your fault." She had obviously seen the self-recrimination in his gaze, and accepted it for what it was. But they had all made the decision to divide up tasks the way they had, and at the time, it had seemed like a good idea. It wasn't Max's fault alone.

Courtney did not waste time on regret. It was a useless emotion that would get them nowhere. They had to find Michael and save him, and to do that, they needed to focus on what they did have, what they did know, and not on all the fear and unanswered questions that plagued them.

"We need to find what is causing this," she said briskly. "There is something about this house, but whatever Nicolas did, it must be alien. Which means it is being channeled through some kind of alien device…" She trailed off and looked around, then said, "We need to find it. It's our only way of stopping this."

"Isabel, Alex, Maria, check Kyle and Tess' rooms," Max ordered. "Liz, Courtney, and I will look at Jim's room, the kitchen, and the living room. If you find anything, call for us. Do _not_ touch it."

It was probably a useless warning to give, because none of them were stupid enough to handle a dangerous alien artifact without taking some kind of precaution. But he felt better saying it, and the others were nodding even as they headed off towards their assigned rooms.

Max walked into the kitchen, Liz at his side.

"We'll find him," Liz said firmly.

Max only nodded mutely. He wanted to believe what Liz was saying, he truly did. But they hadn't found Tess yet, and he had no idea how much time they had left. If Nicolas was behind this, then they were in real danger, all of them. And, more than anything else, he hated the helpless waiting, hated not knowing what would come next.

A methodic search of the kitchen turned up nothing out of the ordinary, except that everything seemed to have a touch of Tess' freakishly organized personality. It wasn't as bad as Isabel – nothing, Max reflected, was as bad as Isabel when she was in one of her moods, because then even her pencils would be arranged in order of height – but it was still clean enough to easily indicate that it was not just Kyle and Jim living here.

Courtney poked her head into the kitchen. "I don't see anything in the living room," she said with the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice, already worried about the next suggestion she would be forced to make. "What about outside?"

The last thing Max wanted to do was send himself and the people he cared about outside, at night, into the shadowed backyard. At least it was harder for dangers to lurk in the brightly lit rooms of the house.

Although, he reminded himself grimly, they had still managed to lose four people from the confines of this supposedly safe house.

The issue was further compounded when the other three joined them a moment later, and Isabel said with a worried shrug, "Didn't find anything. You?"

"We really need to look outside," Courtney muttered, running a hand through her hair.

"Outside?" Alex echoed, frowning. He looked towards the window with a concerned gaze, the tone of his voice adequately reflecting the worry others felt. Outside was dangerous, though no one knew exactly why. But they all felt it, felt the strangest sensation of knowing that _something_ was waiting for them, lurking outside.

"Yes," Courtney said emphatically. "And soon. How much longer are we going to stand here and do nothing?"

Max gave Courtney a shrewd look, a suspicion slowly dawning. "What do you know that you aren't telling us?" he asked sharply.

Courtney stared at him for a beat, weighing her options. She didn't really want to tell him the truth, because knowledge was power, and that particular idiom had been drummed into her brain from the moment she joined the rebel skins. She also harbored the same distrust and dislike of Max as she had of Zan.

But she had no reason to suspect that anyone would use this information against her. And, for right now, they were all on the same side.

"On Antar," she said finally, opting to tell the truth, "scientists had discovered a way to manipulate time. It's… complicated… and I don't want to bore you with the details. But basically, they could create a subset dimension that consisted of partially displaced time. It would be cut off from the world, like an alternate reality."

"That was supposed to be the simple explanation?" Maria asked, rolling her eyes. "Am I the only one who got lost after the first three words?"

"Try it again, in English," Max demanded.

Courtney nodded slowly, then said with caution, trying to pick her words carefully enough so that they would explain exactly what she was trying to convey, "Imagine creating a prison that could only be accessed by teleportation. In effect, that is what the scientists did. An alternate reality, a place only their technology could allow them to access."

"You think Nicolas has sent Tess and Michael to some kind of prison?"

"In essence, yes," Courtney answered. "But the technology was never perfected, and I don't know what the dangers of it are. A lot could go wrong."

Maria flinched and looked over at Max, a question in her eyes. Max nodded, understanding her apprehension over Michael's fate, and asked Courtney, "Why do you think there is some alien device outside?"

"Time can only be bent in a certain radius of the technology. Since the only place that all this has been happening in this house, it stands to reason that wherever the technology is, it is nearby. If it isn't in the house…" she glanced over to the window looking out into the backyard before continuing, "where else could it really be?"

There was no arguing with that, so Max finally followed Courtney through the door leading into the backyard, with the others slowly tailing him. But as they began to systematically look through the yard, Max let his thoughts wander to the implications of what Courtney had said. He wondered to himself what the scientists had used this technology for, and whether he – or, rather, Zan – had approved of it. He wondered just how advanced Antar had become, how far ahead of humans they were. And he wondered, with a panic that he tried to keep hidden, if they had any chance of defeating someone who could do something as significant as manipulate time.

But all those worries aside, Courtney's explanation had brought up another point. The device had to be somewhere around this house, and that meant…

That meant that the Valenti household had been _targeted_.

* * *

"So… Ava tried to convince Liz to turn against Max?" Tess said thoughtfully, leaning against the wall of their living room and watching Kyle as he slept fitfully on the sofa.

Michael nodded. He'd just finished telling Tess everything that had happened since she had disappeared, trying his best to fill in all the gaps. She'd missed quite a lot, but getting her caught up had proved to be a challenge as Jim had decided to listen in as well, and kept asking questions.

"Did it work?" Jim asked.

"Obviously not," Michael snorted.

"Liz wouldn't turn on him," Tess agreed with a nod, "she's too pathetically love-sick."

"Hmm…" Jim looked over at his son as he said, "so, Trevor – who is your brother – told you that Kyle was targeted because Ava – who has the same DNA as Tess – failed at turning Liz?" He gestured to Kyle's still form and asked harshly, "And how does this help your enemies? What do they gain by killing him?"

"I don't know," Michael admitted reluctantly. "Maybe…" He looked at Tess, then took a deep breath and pushed forward, saying the one thing he didn't want to have to tell the irate and worried father, "Maybe they were trying to get to Tess."

Jim flinched and looked at his daughter, as though for the first time truly comprehending the danger she brought to their family. Tess had no emotion in her face, and, in fact, shutters had dropped over her eyes, effectively cutting off any chance of deciphering her feelings on the subject.

Kyle twisted suddenly on the sofa and groaned, a low, pain-filled whimper.

"He's running out of time," Tess murmured under her breath. "We all are."

"But we're supposedly _safe_ here," Michael reminded her sarcastically, folding his arms over his chest and wishing that Trevor had given him more clues.

"Can't you do something about this?" Jim asked, turning to Tess with a pleading stare as he waved one hand at Kyle. "If his mind is melting, can't you fix it? Isn't that your gift, the ability to mess with people's minds?"

Tess answered with a snap, "And his mind is already messed up enough at the moment, he doesn't need me adding to it." Turning away from Jim, she continued angrily, "If I could do something about it, do you really think I would be standing here, letting him suffer?"

Jim didn't answer, which Michael figured was probably best for all of them.

"I still can't believe you went to Courtney for help," Tess grumbled finally, walking over to one of the chairs and flopping down onto it with an aggrieved sigh. "It's not like we can completely trust her… or Trevor… Which means we _don't_ know anything, not for certain."

"We can't fully trust Nasedo either," Michael argued pointedly, "but we still went to him for help when Isabel was sick. And he is the one who managed to find her and free her from her own dreams."

"What?" Jim asked, looking between the two hybrids, both of whom ignored him. They were each lost in their own thoughts, Michael thinking about Courtney and wondering what answers she would have, and Tess remembering the incident in the previous year when Isabel had nearly died trying to dream-walk herself, and they'd had to turn to Nasedo for help.

Finally, Tess asked, "Have you seen your mystery woman again?"

Michael shook his head wordlessly. The mysterious blonde had not reentered his visions, but that did not mean anything to him. He was still convinced that she was somewhere out there, back in reality, and she was in trouble. And for some reason, he had seen her. And that meant that he had to find her, had to help her. Why else would she be calling out to him?

Tess was about to say something else, when she stiffened and looked around.

"Tess? What is it?"

"I don't know," Tess murmured, "but I felt…" She shivered and glanced over at Michael. "Max and Isabel. They're close. I can feel them."

"I don't feel anything," Jim remarked. "Is this an alien thing?"

"If it is," Michael answered grimly, "it's an alien thing that I don't have. I don't feel anything."

Tess leaned back in her chair as Michael and Jim came to her side. She closed her eyes, trying to focus on the sensation she felt. It grew, and she said slowly, "They're here. Maybe… maybe not in the house. Maybe outside… but… they're close." She opened her eyes and looked at Michael as worry continued to spread across her features, "And I don't think they're alone."

"Nicolas?" Michael breathed.

Tess nodded. "He's close. I can feel him, too."

* * *

"Uh, guys…" Maria's voice drifted towards them, and the others turned sharply towards its sound. Liz, being the closest, was the first to reach her friend's side and found herself staring at a glowing green rod. It was half-hidden in the overgrown grass and tangled roots of the shrubs below the window of Kyle's room.

"What is that?" Liz whispered.

"It's sending out electrical impulses," Courtney said, stepping around the two humans. "Turning it off could be difficult, I don't know exactly how it works."

"Would you like me to show you?" a new voice asked with a sneer.

They all spun, and found Nicolas standing half-hidden in the shadows of the yard, his pale skin standing out in start contrast to his glittering eyes. He was smirking, the perpetual expression of smugness fit easily over his features. He was flanked on either side by several skins, and they were all tense, waiting for an order to spring forward, to attack.

"Where's Michael?" Maria asked, taking a step forward. Isabel placed a hand on Maria's arm, pulling her back where she would be better protected by the others. But Maria was still glaring heatedly at Nicolas, fury and hatred reflected in her eyes.

"Well, now, it's really not my fault that you can't keep better track of your boyfriend," Nicolas drawled, giving her a cool smile.

Then Max watched as Nicolas' gaze shifted past Maria and landed on Courtney. The others followed his gaze, and he knew, abruptly, what he had to do.

It took very little to send Courtney flying back into the wall of the house. She was not prepared for his attack, nor did she react fast enough to muster any kind of counter-attack. Max was towering over her, his face filled with thunder, and he snarled, "This was all some trap, wasn't it? You knew Nicolas would be coming here, so you lead us all back to the house. Didn't you? _Didn't you_?"

He reached down and lifted a dazed and confused Courtney into the air, pushing her against the side of the house. Behind him, he could hear Liz calling his name, and he felt, rather than saw, Nicolas' intrigued gaze. Courtney, however, was only staring at him with anger and bewilderment, and he shook his head, keeping his glare firmly in place.

In a voice low enough that only she could hear him, he whispered, "I'm giving you a chance to convince Nicolas you're on his side. _Don't_ screw it up."

The bewilderment cleared instantly from her eyes, and Max watched in slight amazement as her entire countenance seemed to change. She shoved him roughly away from her and said haughtily, "What if it is? What are you going to do about it?"

He didn't have very long to dwell on just how skilled of an actress Courtney was, however, as Maria spat with a choked cry, "I _knew_ you couldn't be trusted!"

Courtney turned clear, malicious eyes towards Maria and retorted, "And yet you still were stupid enough to follow me back here. To the very place I _told_ you was dangerous, was probably the center of Nicolas' plan." She gave a slight shrug and added with an icy smile, "Humans. Pathetic _and_ predictable."

And she crossed the yard and took a spot next to Nicolas. The leader of the skins looked at her for a moment, a contemplative look in his eyes, and then he smiled. "I underestimated you," he said softly. Then, with a slanted, sly look at Max, he added, "And so, apparently, did they."

Courtney shrugged. "I'm good at what I do," she said carelessly, casually. "And I told you I was on your side."

Max felt chills run down his spine at how simply she had uttered those words. She'd been a spy for decades now, and he knew that, but watching her so easily manipulate someone as powerful and intelligent as Nicolas… He would make sure never to underestimate her.

"You still haven't answered my question," Maria said, and though her gaze was filled with loathing for Courtney, it was Nicolas she spoke to. "What did you do to Michael? Where is he?"

Nicolas' smile widened into a grin. "I didn't do anything to him," he answered, and something told Max that that was the truth. Whatever had happened to Michael, Nicolas wasn't behind it…

He scanned the skins once more, and noted with silent apprehension that Trevor was not among them. He had little desire to see Michael's brother again, particularly given how much pain he was causing by siding with Khivar. Although Michael would never say the word aloud, Max had seen the anger and helpless bewilderment smoldering in his friends eyes when it had become clear that Trevor was not, in any way, on their side…

No, Max did not want to see Trevor. In fact, he almost regretted leaving his husk unharmed during the Harvest.

But his absence was a clue to something, and it seemed as though Nicolas had realized that as well.

"Interesting," Nicolas mused to himself, having reached some conclusion.

"What's interesting?" Isabel demanded.

Nicolas looked at her, then suddenly waved his hand at Max and sent the hybrid King flying backwards through the air. Max slammed up against the side of the house and slumped to the ground, momentarily stunned.

Isabel reacted quickly, launching her own attack against Nicolas. She didn't have the power to defeat him, or even, really, to do much harm. Not with all the skins standing behind him, supporting him, protecting him. He absorbed her attack, deflecting the energy with ease, and retaliated quickly, sending sparks of electricity towards her.

Isabel felt two hands hit her in the middle of her back and she stumbled and fell, pushed out of the way of the electricity. It hit Alex in the chest and he crumbled to the ground, falling over Isabel. She looked up in time to see his eyes widen with pain, in time to realize that he was the one who had saved her, and then he was sprawled on the ground, his torso and arms flung across her chest.

"Alex!" Maria and Liz both cried out in unison, and something inside of Isabel snapped.

Everything went red, the red of fire and rage and blood. There was a pounding in her ears and something rushed into her chest, and without really knowing what she was doing, she had extended both hands towards Nicolas. A wave of pure energy exploded from her palms and slammed into Nicolas, sending him flying backwards.

Then Max was at her side, his hands reaching out towards Alex's still form. But Alex groaned and opened his eyes before Max could start healing him, and muttered, "Mm… I'm okay. Really."

"Alex, let Max heal you!" Maria practically growled, an order clear in her tone.

"No," Alex said stubbornly, gasping for breath as he pushed away Max's hands and rose shakily to his knees. "You need to focus on the fight. It's not over yet."

And sure enough, Nicolas had risen back to his feet and was striding forward, livid.

Max raised a shield quickly, a glimmering field of energy that would temporarily protect them from the skins. Nicolas narrowed his gaze, but did not attack. Instead, he stared coldly at Max and began to speak.

"Do you really think your pathetic shield is enough? You're running out of time, fool. Within minutes, the Queen's precious human brother will be dead. And where will that leave you?"

"Why Kyle?" Max demanded. "Why did you target him?"

"Because it was easy," Nicolas replied honestly. "Why waste time trying to destroy you all when he can do it for me?" With a mocking smirk, he added, "I hope you're ready to die."

"Where is Kyle? What did you do to him?"

Nicolas smirked, and did not answer. Then he waved his hand and the skins gathered around him, ready for the battle to begin again.

* * *

"Oh, _God_… Kyle!"

Jim's frantic cry brought Tess to her brother's side in a heartbeat, and there she froze, staring in horror at the sight that met her eyes. Kyle was staring straight at them, but his eyes had gone completely white, losing both the pupil and the iris. His skin was covered in a sheen of sweat, and blood was slowly forming a rivulet from his left ear.

Jim turned to Tess in true panic, and asked hoarsely, "Isn't there _anything_ you can do?"

Tess seemed unable to answer as she gazed at Kyle. His mind was slowly destroying itself, but now it had reached the point where it was destroying his body as well. She didn't know what was causing it, and not knowing the answer to that very important question also meant that it was nearly impossible to fix the problems. What was she supposed to do?

"If you remove the mind-warp…," Michael suggested, coming up behind her, and she spun on him in a fear-induced frenzy.

"It wouldn't matter!" she hissed. "Look at him, Michael! His body is falling apart. Even if I could remove the mind-warp without destroying his mind, it wouldn't save him. Not without Max. I can't… I _can't_ heal."

"If you remove the mind-warp, it could slow down everything else. Buy us some time to find Max, to get out of here," Michael argued, unconcerned by her anger. He was used to Tess' temper, and he knew the rage that splotched her cheeks with pink and made her sapphire eyes practically glow was not actually directed at him. It was directed at the skins, at the one who had done this to Kyle.

"Or it could speed everything up," Tess argued furiously. "It could make him die faster. The last thing I want to do is going messing up his mind even _more_."

"What other choice do you have?" Michael replied logically, pointedly. "He is _going_ to die. This might save him. Can you really afford not to take that chance?"

"Tess…" Jim cut into the conversation softly, resting his hand on Tess' shoulder. She turned to look at him, her blue eyes meeting his brown ones, and he said, "I trust you."

Tess opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Instead, she pulled away from Jim and Michael and stepped closer to Kyle, sinking to her knees by his side. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

And then she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and focused all her gifts and all her abilities on the mess that was his rapidly disintegrating mind.

* * *

Next Chapter: Out in the Open

Due: Sun 8/16


	63. Out In the Open

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This chapter is pretty long because there was a lot I needed to fit into it. The chapter after it will be pretty long also. I'm going out of town this weekend, so the new chapter will be a little delayed.

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Three: Out in the Open

"So you created an alternate reality, some kind of pocket realm? _Why_?"

Nicolas rolled his eyes at Max's question. "This isn't some cheesy, made-for-TV movie where one side explains their entire plan ahead of time, _your Majesty_. I'd rather just skip the talking and go right to the part where I kill you."

Maria raised an eyebrow at that, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she asked, "You know, I never had you pegged as the kind of guy who even knew what a cheesy, made-for-TV movie was."

The flicker blue-green of Max's shield was all that stood between the skin leader at the pixie blonde human, but it was lucky it was there. Nicolas turned an enraged stare to Maria, and she faltered for a moment, hesitating. But common sense and the survival instinct were not enough to overcome the other, more powerful emotion thudding in her chest – fear for the people she loved.

Was Michael okay?

Alex was on his hands and knees on the ground, his breathing labored. The burst of energy hadn't killed him, and a cursory once-over of Max's was enough to decide that he wasn't in any danger of dying yet… but he was in a lot of pain. Still, the cold, fierce glint in his eyes was enough to push away any thought Max might have had about offering to heal him once again.

Alex was obviously determined not to let any concern for his own wellbeing get in the way of Max's more pressing concern – fighting the battle against Nicolas.

Isabel crouched at Alex's side, one hand resting on his shoulder, both eyes fixed solely on Nicolas. There was pure, unadulterated loathing in her steely gaze, but Nicolas did not even flinch.

"Would you like to know a secret, Vilandra?" he asked, his voice a sneer. "I never did understand what my brother saw in you. As far as I was concerned, you were a whiny brat. You were selfish and self-absorbed, and thought little of the people who should have mattered to you. You turned on your own brother…" he trailed off with a sigh and shook his head. "Loyalty is _everything_, Princess, and you're nothing but a traitor."

"And you?" Alex snapped when it was clear that Isabel was not going to respond. "You turned on your own king. What does that make you?"

Nicolas laughed, a chilling sound that sent shivers down Max's spine. "Zan was _never_ my king," he answered. Then with a hardened gaze, he snarled, "Enough. Kill them."

And the fighting began in earnest. Max did not lower his shield, and that might have been the only thing that saved them from quick and inevitable annihilation. As it was, keeping the shield up despite the numerous attacks on them was painful and drained much of his energy, forcing him to his knees. Liz was at his side, and he could feel her fingers wrapped tightly around his arm as though she could somehow lend him her energy. It wasn't enough, of course, because she was still human and had no powers, but it was _something_, and he appreciated the support.

Isabel, meanwhile, had stepped forward until she was right at the edge of the shield. Reaching forward, she managed to force her hand directly on to the wall of energy… and then through it. As soon as her fingers appeared on the other side, she twisted her wrist and a burst of telekinetic power rushed at the skins, knocking several to the ground.

"Clever, Vilandra," Nicolas sneered. "But still not good enough. Look, your precious brother is falling." He jerked his head towards Max, and sure enough, the hybrid king had lowered his head, beads of sweat clinging to his hair as he fought valiantly to keep up the protection.

But it was rapidly fading, and they were running out of time. Without Michael and Tess…

Max's shield flickered one last time, then crumbled and he sagged forward, collapsing to forward onto his hands. Liz knelt next to him, and Nicolas strode forward with a triumphant smirk.

But Isabel would not give up that easily. With her brother in danger, she reacted quickly, fiercely. Instead of just attacking with her powers, however, she launched her entire body forward, physically slamming herself into Nicolas. Caught by surprise at the blatant recklessness of her actions, Nicolas was unprepared to protect himself, and fell backwards with a startled cry.

He twisted on the ground as one of the other skins advanced and grabbed Isabel by the arm, yanking her away from the safety of her brother and friends. She pulled back against the alien's rough grip, but was unable to fully free herself. Meanwhile, Nicolas, winded and bruised, pushed himself to his knees and then back to his feet, turning towards her with a cold glare.

"Isabel! _No_!"

"Let her go!"

The two cries were ripped simultaneously from Max and Alex's throat as they saw the fear in her eyes. Max weakly waved his hand, pushing the skin who held Isabel backwards. But he did not release his grip, and Isabel ended up stumbling into him, knocking them both to the ground.

Liz reached down and tore a rock from the ground beneath their feet, throwing it as hard as she could at the skins. It struck one of them in the back, and there was the sudden sound of something cracking, and then the alien had burst into nothing as his husk shattered, sending shreds of skin floating into the air.

There was an infinitesimal pause, and then Alex, following Liz's example, grabbed several rocks and sent them hurtling through the air. Some hit their mark, others didn't, but the sudden action was enough to cause a moment of confusion.

Then Nicolas spun around and flung both hands outwards, a wave of crackling electricity rushing from his palms. The air sizzled with the heat of the attack, and Max knew before it reached them that it would be deadly, that anyone caught in the wave would stand little chance of survival.

Something pushed him out of the way, and he looked up in time to see Liz throwing herself and Max to the ground, forcing them to the ground. Alex was already safely on the ground as well, and Maria had ducked instinctively.

It wasn't enough to save any of them from the attack, but it did keep them from getting the full, deadly blast. The edges of the energy slashed across Max's skin, causing him to cry out in pain. He looked at Liz, and saw the burn covering the right side of body, stretching from her collarbone to her fingers. He couldn't see Alex, but he heard the human boy's sharp intake of breath, heard the sudden, pain-filled moan.

Maria appeared to have escaped the attack, but she was breathless, her eyes wide with terror, as she lay on the ground close to Liz. And Liz knew that fear, knew it was for all of them, and for Michael.

Michael, who for all they knew could be gone.

"Maria," Liz whimpered, reaching out a tentative hand towards her friend.

In the process, she found her fingers grazing over the ground close to the green rod, the strange, glowing device that had somehow set this entire disaster in motion. What was it Courtney had said? That the device worked by sending out electrical impulses? Of course, at this point nothing Courtney said good be trusted, but…

But if she _had_ been telling the truth about that, then the way to stop it would probably have to do with electrical impulses as well.

Nicolas was preparing to attack again, his hand suffused with white and blue dots, with a crackle of electricity. She glanced at him as the smile on his face twisted into a smirk, as he pointed his hand at Max.

And attacked.

With all the strength she could muster, Liz lunged forward and grabbed the green rod, then twisted, ignoring the sharp pain that raced through her body, and hurtled it at Nicolas. It collided with the electricity, absorbing the power mid-air. The green glow stretched, twisted and turned, grew…

And then there was a burst of brilliant white light.

* * *

"_I had a nightmare. Of that guy… the one who hurt you."_

Kyle was lost. Of that much, Tess was certain. His mind was falling apart, and locked tightly within his brain, his consciousness was trying to understand what was happening. There were images and memories and a flood of truths she did not want to face, but Kyle was trapped in the same continuous-loop, like a broken record player stuck forever on the same song.

"_You said you could take away my memory. You can… control brains like that?"_

He had never wanted to believe the truth, her truth. Who would want to believe that, to believe that the sister who he had trusted had betrayed him for so long, had lied to him and kept secrets from him and manipulated him? He hadn't wanted to believe, and that was what had made it so easy to remove the memories, to lock away the truth and pretend that they were all one happy family.

Sometimes the lie was far easier than the truth.

"_So you can just… just… make people see things that aren't… aren't actually there?"_

Sometimes the lie was needed to preserve the idea that things were picture-perfect. That way no one would know that, underneath the smiles and the smooth surface of a teenager's bright falsehoods and cheerful fibs, everything was a tumultuous, aching web of deceit.

He never wanted to know.

"_Yes. I can make people see things that aren't actually there. Sometimes… Sometimes it's easier than making someone see what's right in front of him."_

And even now, he didn't want to know. Tess could tell that, from the white fog of his mind, from the pain that swirled in the air, from the over-riding sense of confusion and despair that wrapped around every second, squeezing the life from every single heartbeat.

He _didn't_ want to know.

"_I don't want to know this about you. I don't want to know any of it. Can you really make it go away?"_

After the white room, after what she'd shown him about who she was and what people did to her, he'd practically ordered her to make him forget. How could he want this, how could he ever want to look her in the eyes and know that the person staring back at him could not be trusted to tell him the truth?

She wanted to fix his mind. Outside, she could feel Michael and Jim waiting, watching, wondering. Jim was afraid and Michael was nervous and both were trying their best to stay strong and looked brave. Didn't they know better? Didn't they know _her_ better?

Didn't they know she could see through their façade?

"_You want to forget. If you didn't want to forget, your mind would hold on to the memories and I'm not powerful enough to change everything. But since you don't want to remember, and since these are relatively small memories… yes… I can make you forget."_

She focused on his mind, on saving what she could. Without Max to heal Kyle, it didn't matter if she saved his mind, because she would have already lost him.

She focused on saving what she could, even though she knew it might not be enough.

What other choice did she have?

"_Then do it."

* * *

_

The rush of wind that brought Michael suddenly sprawling into reality caught him entirely by surprise. There was a flash of light, but it was so brief that he might have missed it. But the air suddenly became warm, and something pounded in his ears, and then there was no more light coming in front the window. Instead, it was dark, night, and he could hear the sound of fighting coming from the backyard.

Tess jerked herself out of Kyle's mind and looked at him, sapphire eyes going wide. "Are we…?"

He didn't wait for her to finish the question. They were either back in reality or they were dead, and either way, he didn't need her to ask the question. Instead, he turned and ran towards the sounds drifting in through the thin glass of the kitchen window, and knew that Jim and Tess were following him.

And then he stopped dead in his tracks, unable to fully comprehend the scene that stretched out before him.

Faint moonlight, mingling with the glow of a thousand tiny stars, illuminated the backyard. Max was kneeling on the ground, with Liz at his side. It was clear that both were hurt, clear from the agony in Max's tawny eyes and the burns that spread across Liz's skin. Alex was lying on the ground, half-hidden by overgrown grass and shadows, and Maria was sprawled closer to the house, a little ways from the other three.

Nicolas and several skins stood over them, amidst the dust and decomposing skin of several destroyed husks, testament to the battle that had been fought. And Isabel, terrified and bewildered, was crouched on the ground behind Nicolas, two skins holding tightly to her arms.

For a moment, everything went still.

Then Michael reacted without thinking, and waved his hands at the skins. Several of them were blown backwards by the force of his blast, although Nicolas easily dodged to the side. The skin's eyes widened as he saw Michael and Tess, and sent another burst of energy towards them, but Michael froze it mid-air, and it hung there, suspended between them.

He still didn't have the hang of his new power… or gift, as Isabel would pointedly correct him… but it didn't seem to matter. When he needed it, it flowed easily from his hands, protecting him.

Then Isabel tore one arm free from her captors and waved it at the frozen electricity, pulling it back towards herself and the skins. She ducked her head, keeping low as it passed over her and barreled into the skins, destroying several of them.

By this point, the number of skins had dwindled, but not enough to tip the odds in their favor. There were still five skins standing around Nicolas, and they had Isabel, and…

An inhuman yell filled the air around him, and Michael shivered. He spun, almost expecting to find another skin coming out from within the house, or some other type of alien that they had never even heard of. What else could be making that sound, that shriek of vengeance and fear and fury?

But it was Tess.

Her eyes were closed, and the guttural sound issuing from her open mouth echoed around them, filling the air. And then, before Michael's very eyes, the air began to hum, to pulse, to heat up until it was scorching, until flames coalesced all around him, forming a wall of fire that converged without warning, and with a enraged intensity, on the skins. The inferno by passed Isabel, but consumed everything else around her, growing and expanding until it suddenly rushed in on itself and disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

Most of the skins were gone, although Michael caught sight of a few figures disappearing into the shadows and fading almost completely from sight, then something slumped into him from behind, and he turned in time to catch Tess as she collapsed to the ground.

"What… what…?" she whispered, unable to form a complete sentence.

"They're gone," Max said unnecessarily, and he reached out one hand towards Liz, his fingertips resting lightly on the burnt skin on her shoulder.

And Tess stiffened in Michael's arms. He looked down at her, watching as she pushed away from him and tried to stand on wobbling feet. She seemed not to be aware of her own rapidly dwindling strength, and she focused fully on Max as she said, "Kyle! You need to heal him. I tried to save his mind, but his body… he's dying."

Max looked torn. It was obvious that Liz was in excruciating pain, and probably in serious trouble. She was breathing slowly, short, uneven breaths that caused her to wince with every inhale and exhale. Besides the burns, there was blood on her clothes and her eyes were unfocused, shadowed by a detachment that Michael knew was a way of dealing with nearly unbearable hurt.

"Max!" Tess practically screeched, though her voice was raspy and strained, and she ended up having to lean against Michael to stand up.

It was obvious that Max wanted to stay and heal Liz first, wanted to spare her even a second of unnecessary pain.

It was equally obvious that Liz wasn't at death's door. She was in pain, the kind of pain Michael would never have wished on her, on any of them. But she was not about to die.

Kyle, on the other hand…

"Maxwell," he said, his voice firm, "Liz has time. Kyle _doesn't_."

And Max nodded, gave Liz an apologetic look, and hurried into the house to find Kyle.

* * *

Being brought back to life was nothing like the movies. There was supposed to be a light at the end of the tunnel, and then a voice calling him back to the world of the living. His life was supposed to flash before his eyes, and he was supposed to realize that he had so much left to live for, and that he just _couldn't_ die yet. He should have come back with the feeling that the world was at his fingertips, that he could accomplish anything.

But when his eyes flickered open, blinking into the artificial light of the lamp near his head, all he felt was a combination of a bitter aftertaste in his mouth and the strange sensation of discontent.

His father was standing above him, and Max was slowly drawing away, his attention shifting as soon as he determined that Kyle was alright. He saw Tess as well, hovering in the background, watching him cautiously.

Max disappeared, and it was just his father and Tess, and he looked at them, a distant, forgotten conversation suddenly playing through his mind. There was a flash of a white room, and Tess' frightened gaze, and a knowledge of things he didn't want to know.

He sat up, rubbing his eyes slowly. He heard voices from the kitchen, drifting softly in the air.

"You…" Kyle stopped, shook his head.

"Take it easy," Jim said, reaching out and gently pushing Kyle back against the sofa. "You're still recovering."

"Recovering." The word was hollow, short. He gave a dry laugh. "Right." He wanted to say that this wasn't happening. That it couldn't be happening, that it was all some giant mistake. Except that it wasn't a mistake, and he knew it wasn't a mistake… because he remembered.

He _remembered_.

"How do you feel?" Tess asked gently, one hand coming towards him. He drew back quickly, the movement causing pain to rush through his body, and he inhaled sharply. She looked at him, hurt clear in her eyes, but said nothing.

"I'm fine," he muttered sourly.

That was a blatant lie, he knew he wasn't fine. He couldn't be fine, not with the pain crashing through his body, not with all the memories he couldn't get rid of, not with Tess' blue eyes fixed on him.

He heard footsteps behind him, but felt no desire to turn and face the others. They would walk around the sofa and face him, probably try to explain everything. As though there was anything they could say that he would want to hear, any truth that would make up for all the lies.

Max came around to the other side of the sofa and faded him. "Kyle. Welcome back."

A choked laugh. "Back from _what_?"

He watched as Max looked over at Tess, a question in his gaze, but Tess wasn't looking at Max. She hadn't taken her eyes from Kyle's face, and had subsequently missed Max's questioning look. But Kyle didn't need to hear Max's question or Tess' answer to know it was all about him.

He looked away. "Don't you all have somewhere you need to be? I mean… it is a school night."

The words were so odd, so pointless. Kyle was never someone to actually follow the rules of what should or shouldn't be done on a school night, and everyone in the room knew that. He said the words anyway, because he couldn't think of anything else and he wanted them out of his house.

"Kyle," Isabel said softly, coming to stand next to her brother, "I think we should talk about this first… I'm sure you're feeling very confused and…"

He surged to his feet, anger flashing across his expression, but the action was too fast, to sudden, and the snap of pain that resulted forced him back to the sofa. But his gaze did not waver as he glared at Isabel and sneered, "You don't have a damn clue how I am feeling."

"Kyle, we're just trying to help you," Isabel protested, sounding stung.

He laughed, cold and bitter. "No, you're trying to help yourself. Either you're worried I am going to spill your secret or your feeling guilty about lying to me for so long." He glanced briefly at Tess, then said, "Either way, what you wanted doesn't actually have much to do with me."

"That's not true," Isabel protested. "We were really worried about you."

"Worried?" he mimicked, rolling his eyes.

"Kyle, it isn't like we wanted to lie to you," he heard Liz's voice say from behind him, and he twisted his neck to see her leaning against the wall next to the doorway of the kitchen. "I never wanted…" She stopped abruptly and slanted a look at Tess, who had finally torn her gaze away from Kyle and was now looking at Liz.

Liz blinked and looked at the ground, and Tess looked back at Kyle.

"I never wanted to hurt you," Liz said finally, and Kyle silently noted the fact that she had switched to first person singular.

He sighed and let out a slow breath, picking apart Liz's words. "When you cheated on me with Evans last year, did you already know what he was?" he asked, and saw Liz flinch.

"I don't think this is the time for that sort of question," Alex said, and Kyle was vaguely surprised by the hard edge to his tone. Alex had never been the type to stand up like that, and usually let his anger slide in an effort to be nice to everyone. How many times had he not bothered to defend himself when Tess or one of her friends mocked him?

But Isabel still looked upset by what Kyle had said to her, and Kyle had a feeling that was the true source of Alex's temper.

"I thought you _wanted_ to talk about this, Whitman," Kyle drawled, and then slowly raised himself to his feet, successfully standing this time. Bits and pieces of things were coming back now, rapidly, filling his mind with images. He couldn't bring himself to look at Tess yet, couldn't face her. Anyone else's betrayal he could right off as unimportant – after all, it wasn't as though he actually cared about the rest of them.

But Tess?

"Are you alright, son?" Jim asked, and reached out to place a hand on Kyle's arm.

"I'm fine," Kyle said brusquely, and found that even though he knew his father had lied to him as well, he wasn't as upset about that. How long had Jim been lied to as well, before he was told the truth? How long had it taken for the others – for Tess – to finally come clean?

He walked slowly to the door, forcing himself not to wince in pain. Pulling it open, he turned back towards the others with a cool look.

"You should go."

"You're not helping, Tess," he heard Michael hiss in a low tone, and looked at Tess in time to see her glare at Michael. He didn't know what the glare meant, exactly, but he knew it was Tess' silent way of saying that she was not actually taking their side on this.

It made him feel marginally better.

"You really need to leave," Kyle said again, more forcefully.

"Look, Valenti," Michael started, and Kyle felt his anger snap.

"What part of get the hell out of my house do you not get, Guerin?" he hissed. "Do you really think you can just waltz into my living room and expect me to want to talk to you? You lied to me, manipulated me, messed with my mind…" Liz had stepped forward at that point, trying to get his attention, and he spun to face her. "I trusted you," he said softly, voice underlined with steel. "I _trusted_ you."

"We were trying to protect you," Isabel said when Liz stammered into silence and didn't answer.

"Yeah. Good job with that," Kyle muttered sarcastically.

Isabel stepped back as though she had been slapped.

"I really think you guys should go," Tess said finally, speaking up as she faced the others. "We can talk about this later. We don't really need to talk about it right now, and maybe it would be better if…" She trailed off and looked at Kyle, then said, "Maybe it would be better if you all left."

Maria, who had been uncharacteristically silent the entire time, was the first to leave, storming out of the house and onto the front lawn. Isabel and Michael followed, both giving Kyle a glare, and Alex trailed after Isabel. Liz wrapped her arm around Max's waist as the two left, Max giving Tess one last look.

Tess stared back, and said nothing.

* * *

The sharp rap of fingernails against the glass of his window caught Max's attention, and he turned towards the sound with a confused start. Moving to the window, he shoved aside the curtain and saw Courtney standing there, her expression weary and drawn, though her eyes were bright.

He pulled open the door and gestured for her to enter. She climbed into the room, her eyes darting around almost frantically before she let out a shaky breath and asked in a low whisper, "Are we alone?"

He nodded mutely. "You survived," he said slowly, scrutinizing her. In everything that had happened, he'd forgotten about Courtney, forgotten that he'd given her the opportunity to convince Nicolas she was loyal to Khivar, forgotten that she could have been killed in Tess' display of firepower.

Now that she was standing before him, he felt oddly relieved.

"I did," she agreed, rolling her eyes. "Obviously." She moved past him, away from the window, and sat on the edge of his bed. "School starts in thirty minutes. Is Isabel awake?"

"Yes. Do you need me to get her?" Max asked curiously.

Courtney shrugged. "I guess not." Outside, the sun was rising, casting yellow rays across the sky. Sunlight fell in through the window, and a cool morning breeze rustled in the curtains. Max shut the window, blocking out the breeze, and looked back at Courtney, a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue.

Instead of a thousand questions, however, he only asked one. "Who else survived?"

"Nicolas," Courtney answered, her tone cold and flat. She blinked and looked away, let out a long sigh. "Unfortunately, Tess did not manage to kill him. And one other skin, a soldier by the name of Javasti. Nicolas has contacted Khivar, I have no doubt that more skins will be sent to join him soon. You have some time free from all this while Nicolas reassembles his allies. But it isn't much, and I suggest you use it wisely."

"Does Nicolas know you're here?" Max asked warily.

She shook her head, blonde hair falling over her eyes. Brushing it aside with an air of impatience, she explained, "He knows I needed to come back to Roswell. He wants me to spy on the mayor… easy enough, given that I _am_ part of that faction. But he doesn't know I am here, talking to you." She hesitated, then added a little begrudgingly, "That was a good plan, by the way. Getting Nicolas to think I'd betrayed you."

Max shrugged, uncomfortable with the praise of someone he still did not fully trust. "Did you learn anything else from Nicolas?" he asked, determined to glean any and all information that he could.

"Yeah." She shook her head, looking uncomfortable for a moment. Then she said, "Did Michael tell you how he ended up in the alternate reality?"

"Yes," Max answered, recalling that conversation. Michael had explained about Trevor, about how the skin had been convinced that he was somehow protecting his brother. He had also told Max and Isabel about the strange woman he had seen, the vision of someone in danger, someone he wanted to help. Neither of those stories had made a whole lot of sense to Max, and he still didn't trust Courtney enough to volunteer information.

So he answered her question, and waited for her to say more.

"The alternate reality was only meant for Kyle. Tess had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Kyle was supposed to get trapped in it, and… it's complicated, but being forced into a different space would screw up his mind enough that it couldn't tolerate Tess' mind-warp. After all, she'd done a pretty extensive job on him, and without his mind in fully functioning condition…"

"That's why he was dying?" Max asked, and Courtney nodded.

"His mind was confused… it didn't know to let go of the mind-warp, didn't know that _that_ was what was killing it… He was supposed to die, and then he could be brought back to this reality and… well, Tess would know that it was a mind-warp that had killed him because she would be able to sense something like that…"

"And she would think she had killed her own brother," Max breathed. "That's…" He couldn't even come up with the right words to express his outrage and disgust at what Courtney was telling him. Instead, he took to pacing, striding back and forth across the floor of his bedroom as he thought about everything.

And once again, he felt the stirring of an incredible hatred, a desire to hurt Nicolas the way that the skin had tried to hurt them.

"So Tess got pulled in to this realm…" he prompted finally, waiting for more of an explanation.

Courtney nodded. "Like I said, wrong place, wrong time. She must have just walked into Kyle's room when the device went off… anyway, once Nicolas realized that Tess was gone, he decided to attack. After all, without all four of you present, you aren't as strong. Trevor came to Roswell with the others and I guess decided that Michael was safer if he wasn't around. Nicolas would kill you and Isabel, and then Trevor would free Michael and Tess from the alternate reality. I don't know if he meant to then kill Tess or not, he wasn't forthcoming with all the details. But Nicolas would have succeeded in killing you, and Michael would still be alive, so Trevor thought…"

She trailed off and sighed heavily.

Max clenched his hands into fists. "Does Trevor think Michael would have _thanked_ him for that? Doesn't he care about what Michael wants?"

"Trevor hates you," Courtney said simply. "I don't know why, but he does." There was a distant look in her eyes, and Max wondered at it, wondered at what she was remembering. He knew so little of the past, of his own interactions with her. Had she, too, hated him? Was that why she had eventually turned her loyalty and allegiance to Rath… to Michael?

He wished, yet again, that he had the answers to those questions. But he also couldn't bring himself to ask her, because admitting to the truth, to his own lack of knowledge, seemed dangerous. She was good at manipulating people, that was why she succeeded so well at her job. She probably already had a thousand ideas of how to manipulate him, and he did not wan to add to it.

"And… well, you do have to die," Courtney continued with a faint shrug. "As long as you are alive, you are a threat to Khivar. You are preventing him from resting easy on the throne." She gave Max a contemplative look, then said, "So Trevor has to want you dead. And he has to want his brother alive. It's not an easy situation for him, I suppose, and I would hazard a guess that he has long since come to the conclusion that he can protect Michael, but that they will never be friends."

Max snorted. "Right," he drawled sarcastically. "Friends… More likely they'll end up being mortal enemies. Trevor's an idiot if he thinks he can do this."

"He almost did," Courtney answered softly, a sharp reminder in the quiet of her tone. "If Liz had not destroyed the device…" She turned away from him, walking over to sit down on his bed. "Trevor didn't come to the fight. Nicolas found him later, demanded to know what he had done. They got into a big argument about it… Nicolas accused him of not knowing where his loyalties are, of caring too much about the four of you. He certainly was not thrilled that Trevor had gone ahead and tried to save Michael, done all of it without Nicolas' permission." She met Max's gaze again and said firmly, "Nicolas is rapidly losing his trust in Trevor."

"This could all work to our advantage," Max mused thoughtfully. "While Nicolas is regrouping, I would like to go ahead and schedule a meeting with the mayor. No reason to waste time."

Courtney agreed with a curt nod. "Alright. I'll arrange it for you."

Max leaned against the wall and regarded Courtney. As he looked at her, looking past the suspicion and distrust that lingered in his mind, he saw how tired she looked. How worn out, exhausted. And worried. What could have caused that?

She answered his unspoken question as though she had somehow managed to read his mind, "Nicolas almost succeeded. You escaped, but… Max, you almost died. And so did Isabel, Liz, Mara, Alex, Kyle… Nicolas is getting closer to succeeding,, and that terrifies me. Don't underestimate him. Ever."

Max didn't reply. Instead, he asked, "That still doesn't explain what happened to Sheriff Valenti. How did he end up sucked into this alternate reality as well?"

"Ah…" Courtney smirked slightly and said, "That was one of the kinks in the new technology. A kink they apparently haven't worked out yet." She rolled her eyes as she said that, as though it was somehow amusing and not disturbing that the skins had used technology they knew so little about on their enemies. "Nicolas was rather surprised, although not disappointed, by it."

"What exactly is it?" Max pressed.

"The device can't fully separate realities. It tries, of course, but doesn't quite succeed… Depending on the person, this defect can have a few different outcomes. The strongest part of a human is DNA. When Kyle was pulled into that realm, his DNA didn't really want to go. It didn't want to be pulled out of reality. And it certainly didn't want to separate itself from any other similar DNA…"

"Like his father," Max filled in the rest of the sentence.

"Exactly," Courtney confirmed. "With aliens, it is a little different. The DNA is not natural, it has been artificially created, spliced together. It isn't as strong. But the alien brain is incredibly powerful. It is the source for all our gifts, and, in the case of someone like Tess whose gifts are mostly mind-based…"

"The mind-warp, and her empathy," Max supplied.

"It would be her mind that wouldn't want to let go of reality. That's probably why Isabel saw a vision of her. Subconsciously, Tess was trying to hold onto reality, refusing to let go. Kyle is human, he doesn't have gifts. He couldn't break out of the alternate reality, he could only pull people into it. But Tess is stronger than that, so she could project her image out to others."

"But why did Isabel see it, and not me?" Max questioned.

"You and Michael have gifts that are more physical. Healing for you, and molecular control for Michael. Isabel's gift is dream-walking, a mental ability like Tess'. That makes her mind more in sync with Tess, and means that she is more attuned to picking up on something like this."

Max accepted all of this in silence. It made sense, of course. Isabel was the one who had received the vision of Tess when she had been attacked by Senator Whitaker. Isabel was often the one who could sense that something was wrong before they figured out exactly what the problem was. Tess had that gift to an extent as well, though not as well-developed as Isabel. But far better developed than either Michael or Max.

He thought of Michael, of the woman that he had claimed to have seen. Max wanted to ask Courtney about it, but opted not to. He wouldn't give her any more information than absolutely necessary. Besides, it was Michael's story to tell. If the hybrid General wanted to confide in Courtney, he could do so. But Max wasn't going to make the decision for him.

"At least we won," Max said finally. "At least it is over."

"Is it?" Courtney asked cautiously. Max gave her a quick look, and she asked, "How is Kyle? How is Tess?"

Max didn't answer. He could so easily remember the fury and hatred in Kyle's eyes, the torn expression on Tess' face, the fear and concern etched into the lines of Jim's countenance. Isabel had been upset by Kyle's hard words, and Alex had been upset because Isabel was upset, and Liz…

He sighed.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Courtney murmured. "You didn't die, and that is something to celebrate. But I have a feeling that this is far from over. You still have all the reactions and consequences to deal with…" She hesitated, then added pointedly, "Nicolas might still win something from this."

* * *

Later that morning, and Max and Isabel climbed into Max's car to drive to school, two figures stood across the street, discreetly watching with silent satisfaction. The woman, a tall redhead with a cool gaze a lips compressed into a thin line, turned to her companion. "Max Evans. Are you sure, Jared?"

Jared nodded. "Isabel is certainly Vilandra, Kristi. It makes sense that her brother on this planet would be Zan." He frowned, dark eyes narrowing at the Evans house. "That leaves two."

"Hmph. I know."

"It should not be too difficult to narrow them down, Kristalia," Jared said, turning away from the scene. "But we must be cautious. They are not to be underestimated, and I don't want to make a mistake."

"Neither do I," Kristalia agreed, "but too much caution can be a problem. We don't have time to waste. Nicolas has already made a move, more than once. I won't let him win this." She gave Jared one quick look, then turned and watched Max and Isabel's car disappear around the corner. "Two down…"

"…two to go," Jared muttered under his breath.

* * *

Next Chapter: Just a Girl I Thought I Knew

Due: Wed 8/25


	64. Just A Girl I Thought I Knew

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Four: Just A Girl I Thought I Knew

"We need to talk about Kyle," Max said without preamble as he approached Tess in the school hallway. She was alone, which was rare, and so he did not bother about coming up with an excuse for talking to her. It was easier now, anyway, since Tess was friends with Isabel. People at school rarely gave him a second glance when he spoke to Tess, assuming it was something related to his sister.

Which was certainly preferable to what they would think if they knew the truth about the conversation.

She looked at him briefly. Stuffing a few books into her bag, she said, "He won't spill our secret. He knows what the consequences of that will be, and he might not like any of us, but he wouldn't actually do that. At least… he wouldn't do it to me."

Max wanted to believe that, he truly did. He wanted to believe that Kyle loved Tess, regardless of what he had learned about her. He wanted to believe that her origins and her gifts would not in any way impact that relationship. But he'd lied to his own parents for over a decade about his secrets because he knew that wanting to believe something didn't always make it true.

"I really think…" he started, but Tess cut him off.

"You think what?" she snapped. "That if you corner him and demand to talk, it will make him trust you more? What do you think you can possibly say to him that he will actually hear?"

"We're talking about our safety, Tess," Max countered. "I will _make_ Kyle listen if I have to. But we can't just leave this to chance."

Tess swung her back over her shoulder and slammed the locker door shut. Isabel and Liz were approaching, and they paused behind Max, obviously curious as to the topic of conversation.

Tess sighed. "I'm not asking you to leave this to chance," she said finally. "I'm _telling_ you to leave it to _me_." And without waiting for a response, she pushed past him and walked down the hallway, mingling with the other students.

Max sighed and ran a hand through his hair, watching her until she was out of sight.

"What were you talking about?" Liz asked.

"Kyle," he answered moodily, and Liz and Isabel both grimaced. He wanted to say something else, to offer some words of comfort, because he knew both girls were upset by Kyle's anger. Isabel was upset because she was somewhat friends with Kyle, and didn't like the fact that he was turning against her. And Liz was upset, because she still truly cared about Kyle even though they'd broken up, even after all this time. She didn't like that he felt betrayed, didn't like the way he had looked at her with hurt and disbelief in his eyes.

But there was little he could say, and it was Isabel who spoke instead. "Maybe we should let Tess take care of it. She knows Kyle the best."

Liz didn't look convinced, and Max knew he certainly wasn't sure that was the best course of action. But instead of arguing with Isabel, he remembered the other thing he had meant to tell Tess, and had forgotten. He'd have to track her down later and let her know, but in the mean time he would pass the message along to Liz.

"Courtney is alive. She escaped last night. So did Nicolas and another skin."

Liz frowned worriedly, and said, "How do you know?"

"Courtney told me," Max answered. "She came by last night."

"What? Why? Are you okay?" Liz demanded anxiously.

Before Max could answer, Isabel said sarcastically, "Oh, he's fine. Just a complete idiot, who forgot to mention one important detail to us last night." She glared at Max as she explained to Liz, "Courtney's really on our side. It was all a plan of Max's to get Nicolas to trust her so she could be a more effective spy. He just… you know… _neglected_ to fill us in on that."

Liz gaped.

Max sighed and gave his sister a reproaching look. He knew that she was justifiably annoyed, but he'd had so many other things on his mind that he had simply forgotten about Courtney all together until she had shown up at his window that morning. He'd filled Isabel in on everything in the car on the way to school, and had hoped that she wouldn't give him a hard time about it.

His wishes hadn't come true, and she'd fumed at him for most of the drive.

"Look, Isabel," he said finally, opting to ignore the scathing tone of her voice, "can you fill Tess in on everything when you see her next? And tell Alex, also. Liz, if you see Maria, let he know. I'll tell Michael. We need to meet to talk about this sooner rather than later, but for right now I think we should just try to act normal. I want to make sure nobody saw or heard anything."

The fallout with Kyle would be the hardest to deal with, but it wasn't their only problem. They had basically had a full-fledged alien battle in the Valetnis' backyard last night, and though the place was fairly well concealed with a fence and tall hedges, there was still always the chance that the neighbors had seen the strange lights or heard the sound of fighting.

And the last thing they needed right now was _another_ investigation but some law-enforcement agency looking for answers.

Isabel and Liz were both nodding, looking worried but resigned.

Courtney said they had a short break, a reprieve while Nicolas once again tried to gather his troops and plan a counter-attack. Did it count as a reprieve, he wondered, if they were forced to spend the entire time cleaning up yet another alien mess?

* * *

"What is she doing here?" Kyle demanded loudly as Isabel took a seat across from him at the picnic table.

Tess rolled her eyes and fished inside her lunch bag for her sandwich. "She's eating with us, Kyle. She does that sometimes. What with the whole being-our-friend-thing."

Kyle glared at Tess, then shot Isabel a disdainful look and said, "Whose stupid idea was that?"

"Kyle!" Trudy said angrily, slapping her boyfriend on the arm. "What is wrong with you? Isabel's our friend."

"Yeah, right," Kyle said sarcastically, standing to his feet and grabbing his own lunch. "Whatever, I'm not eating here." And he marched away, followed a moment later by a confused and irate Trudy.

Tess watched them go, her eyes narrowing as she saw Trudy catch up with Kyle and start arguing with him, her arms moving in rapid gestures as Kyle assumed a defensive posture and snapped back at his girlfriend.

Then Tess turned back to the table in time to see Isabel pick up her own lunch and step away from the others. "Tell Kyle he can sit here if he wants," she said, directing her comment to Tess. "I'll stay out of his way." And she walked over towards Alex and Liz, who were sitting at a table on the opposite side of the quad.

Tess rubbed her temples in slow circles. It was going to be a very long, rather painful couple of days.

* * *

At some point, Maria realized, the Eraser Room had stopped carrying the same connotation it had once had for her. She hadn't been in it recently, but the few times this year that had led her to that room had not exactly been romantic. It was a useful place for private conversations, and lately any private conversation she'd had had not actually revolved around the typical teenage drama. Rather, it had been something alien in nature, and that had taken all of the romance out of the room.

So when Michael caught her by the arm and dragged her into the aforementioned room, she expected a conversation about something related to the skins.

And that was what she got.

"Are you insane?" Michael hissed, eyes dark as he glared at her. "Did you lose your damn mind?"

In a detached sort of way, she noted that his face was flushed red and he'd incorporated a swear word into his rant, sure signs that he was truly upset about something. She had no idea what that something was, and didn't see much of a reason in asking, given that he would most likely ignore anything she said anyway. So she remained silent and let him continue his long-winded speech, only half-paying attention.

"Max said you threatened Nicolas! _Threatened_ him. You're human, Maria. You can't threaten Nicolas. He could kill you in a heartbeat. My God, what is wrong with you? Did you even think about what you were doing? Why the hell didn't you just keep your mouth shut and let Max and Isabel do the talking? Why would you want to draw _more_ attention to yourself?"

He paused, to take a breath, and she interjected swiftly with a flashing gaze of her own, "I was worried about you. You'd just disappeared completely, and we had _no idea_ where you were."

"That's not a good enough excuse," Michael snapped in reply.

"And if the situation were reversed?" Maria argued, raising her voice to be heard above his words. "If I had just disappeared? Are you saying you wouldn't do anything about it? God, Michael, you know that's not true. You've done plenty of rash and stupid things when one of us was in danger." Now she was starting to get annoyed, both by his rather hypocritical words and by his patronizing tone.

"That's different," Michael answered, refusing to back down despite her pointed argument. "I can take care of myself."

"And I can't?" Maria asked, glowering. "Is that it? I'll have you know, Guerin, that we humans didn't do all that badly in the fight. And it was Liz's quick thinking that destroyed the device and brought you, Tess, Kyle, and Sheriff Valenti out of whatever alternate reality you were stuck in. _Liz_, not Max or Isabel."

"It's still much more dangerous for you," Michael retorted. "You were lucky, that was about it."

"We were more than lucky, and Max and Isabel were there to help protect us, anyway," Maria countered.

"But I _wasn't_!" Michael nearly cried, his words breaking off at the end. She stared at him, surprised by the emotion in his eyes and the realization that he wasn't upset only because she had threatened Nicolas, but also because _he_ hadn't been there to keep her – and everyone else – safe.

Then he kissed her.

It took her completely by surprise. It shouldn't have, she reasoned, because this was the Eraser Room, but she'd hardly even registered the fact that he was moving before his lips were pressed against hers, his hands on her upper arms, and a flash of light burst behind closed eyelids. Her hands moved automatically to his waist, and she felt his grip tighten on her shoulders.

Then he pulled back, looking just as confused as she felt. He stepped away from her, and the air was tense, awkward, as he lowered his gaze.

"You got there eventually," she said finally, because it was the only thing she could think of to say, and she desperately wanted to break the silence that had crashed in between them. "After Liz destroyed the alien device… you saved us, then. You and Tess."

That didn't see to be enough for Michael, however, and he continued to stare moodily at the ground. Finally, he said, "I was worried. Alright? I was just… worried."

Maria bit her lip, then offered a hesitant, "I was worried about you, too?"

Michael folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the shelves. Last time they were in here, Maria remembered with a wry grin, Michael had accidently knocked over the erasers, and then frozen them in midair. It was the first time he had used that gift, and it had taken them both by surprise.

"When I was in the other realm," Michael said softly, "I saw someone. A woman."

Maria blinked, surprised by the sudden change of topic. "Uh… okay? Like… a real person? Or were you hallucinating?"

Michael sent her an exasperated look. "It was like a ghost, almost," he said. "Like… a vision. Kind of the way Isabel can sometimes see when we're in trouble, like she did with Tess and Senator Whitaker."

"This woman was in trouble?" Maria questioned carefully, cautiously trying to put together the pieces of what Michael was saying.

Michael nodded. "I think so. I don't… I don't really know. I didn't recognize her, but she felt… familiar. I can't explain it, but… she needed help. Maybe she needed _my_ help."

"Did you tell Max?" Maria asked.

Michael nodded. "Yeah. And Tess. Tess didn't really know what to think, and Max suggested that I ask Courtney about it."

Maria grimaced. Liz had told her the truth about the blonde rebel skin, and she was rather annoyed. It wasn't that she wanted Courtney to betray them – that would have caused too many other problems – but neither did she really want her continually worming her way into the group.

"She might have answers," Maria said finally, less than thrilled about the fact that she was encouraging Michael to talk to Courtney. But it was the best idea they had at the moment, especially given how convinced Michael was that this woman needed his help.

"Yeah," Michael agreed. "Courtney is setting up a meeting with us and the mayor, so when she gets back to Max about that, I'm going to ask him to pass along the message that we want to talk to her about this. Maybe she can help clear up a few things."

"Okay," Maria agreed reasonably.

The sound of the bell ringing sharply through the air startled Maria, and she realized she was late for class. In alarm, she yanked the door open and hurried out into the empty hallway, Michael right behind her.

"What's the rush?" he grumbled. "It's just school."

"I know," Maria agreed, "but I don't want to be late."

"You're already late," Michael pointed out.

"Oh. Right," Maria answered, distracted. "Um… I need to get to class. I'll see you after school?"

Michael nodded. "Yeah. After school." And before Maria had a chance to leave, he pressed another quick kiss to her lips and whispered, "Don't ever do anything that stupid again. _Ever_." And then he was gone, striding away towards his own classroom.

* * *

"You're not being fair," Alex said, walking quickly across the parking lot to catch up with Kyle before the football jock reached his car. He'd spent the entire lunch with a morose Isabel, and though she had told him repeatedly that it wasn't Kyle's fault and to stay out of it, Alex wasn't about to actually listen to her. He knew it was Kyle's fault, because by the end of the day _everyone_ seemed to know that Kyle had kicked Isabel out of his group of friends at lunch, and that had to be the reason that Isabel was so upset.

Kyle turned around and glared at Alex. "What the hell do you want, Whitman?" he demanded coldly.

"I want you to stop being so mean to my girlfriend. I know you're hurt about all of this, but we were only trying to do what we thought was best," Alex answered levelly, trying his best to sound sympathetic and understanding. After all, he knew that Kyle was dealing with a lot – including all the ramifications of almost dying – and that he was stressed and upset. But Isabel was now stressed and upset as well, and it simply wasn't fair of him to take out his own problems on her.

"We already had this conversation," Kyle said firmly, his voice shaking with barely suppressed rage. "I told you to get out of my house last night. Now I guess I should extend that to telling you to stay out of my life. All of you."

"Even Tess?" Alex asked, and Kyle hesitated just the slightest amount. Alex pressed, "If you can look past your anger and manage to forgive her for the lies, why can't you do the same for us?"

But then he answered, "You're not Tess. And neither is Isabel. You don't get the same benefit of the doubt. And, for the record, I _haven't_ forgiven her yet." Then he turned away from Alex and slammed his keys into the lock in the door of his car, forcefully pulling it open.

"You don't get it," Alex protested. "This isn't just a matter of typical high school secrets. This is life and death for all of us. It is an issue of our safety."

Kyle glanced at him over one shoulder and said simply, "I don't care."

"I didn't either, in the beginning," Alex replied, desperately trying to get through to Kyle, to make him understand. "I was all prepared to tell your father the truth about the four aliens. I thought they were a threat, and I was upset that Liz had lied to me, and I was worried about Liz, but… but I know better now. I know all of them better. And we all care about you, especially Isabel. You have to believe that."

"Don't tell me what to believe," Kyle snapped.

"Is their a problem?" an icy voice interrupted the conversation, and Tess appeared at Alex's side, her eyes thinning into slits of blue as she looked in between the two boys.

"No, no problems," Kyle sneered. "The computer geek was just leaving."

Alex did not want to leave, and opened his mouth to protest the comment, but Tess hand closed around his arm tightly, and she said to Kyle, "Excuse us for a moment." Then she began to drag Alex away from the football jock, leading him across the parking lot.

He yanked his arm out of her grasp, noting that several students had turned towards them, obviously curious as to what was about to happen. Lowering his voice and trying his best to remain calm, he said, "Tess, I was only…"

"I _don't_ care," Tess said, her tone becoming glacial. "I told you to stay away from Kyle."

"Actually, you told Max to tell us to stay away from Kyle," Alex said before he could stop himself, only just barely remembering to keep his volume low so that he would not be easily overheard.

Tess rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter," she said dismissively. "What matters is that you're supposed to keep your distance. Do you understand that? Has it penetrated your thick skull?" Her words were dripping sarcasm, and several students inched closer, curiously blatant in their expressions.

"Hey," he heard Isabel say as she came up behind him, "don't talk to him like that." He turned to see Isabel frowning at Tess, arms folded across her chest.

"Then tell him to stay away from Kyle," Tess shot back.

Isabel faltered, her gaze flickering to Alex as she said pointedly, "I _did_. At lunch, Alex. I specifically told you that I agreed with Tess, that we should keep our distance from Kyle and let her handle this. Weren't you listening?"

"I was just trying to help," Alex defended himself.

"Yeah?" Tess muttered mockingly. "Good job." Then she turned and walked away, joining Kyle at his car.

"Isabel…" he started, but Isabel just shook head.

"Don't," she said softly. "Just don't." And she, too, walked away from him, leaving him standing in the middle of the parking lot, surrounded by inquisitive students.

* * *

"I can't believe you," Maria fumed as she stormed over to Isabel.

Isabel glanced up from where she was sitting, the menu still open in her hands. It wasn't as though she needed the menu, this was the Crashdown, after all, and she spent enough time here to know exactly what she wanted. But she felt the desire to hold something, to look busy, so that she wouldn't spend too much time staring at the others, at Jessica, Sara, and Cliff. She doubted they would kick her out if she went over to sit with them, particularly given that they were bewildered by Kyle's behavior and couldn't even begin to fathom what had gone wrong. But she also didn't want to answer their questions about he argument, and it was safer to sit here with Michael than to try to talk to her other friends.

Michael looked a little intrigued by Maria's wrath, or perhaps he was just surprised that it wasn't directed at him. Either way, he made no move to interrupt, but merely watched the confrontation unfold before him.

"Tess, I can believe," Maria continued, irate. "I have no trouble at all believing Tess would be that much of a jerk to Alex. But you? He was only trying to help! How could you treat him like…"

"Like what?" Isabel asked softly, her voice dangerously quiet. Her eyes glittered with anger as she stared at Maria, as she listened to the self-righteous rant.

"Like you don't even care!" Maria snapped.

Isabel leaned back in the booth, her arms folded across her shoulders. "He obviously didn't care about my opinion or about what I wanted," she retorted angrily. Maybe she had overreacted, maybe she shouldn't have gotten so angry at Alex. But she had specifically asked him not to get involved in this, not to intercede with Kyle, and he had ignored her.

"It's not just you who is involved in this," Maria sneered. "You can't go and make a decision unilaterally."

"Yeah well…" Isabel rose to her feet, looking over the shorter girl, "then Alex probably shouldn't be allowed to that, either." And she spun away from Maria and stalked out of the Crashdown.

* * *

"Trudy has been calling him nonstop for an hour now," Jim said softly as he and Tess both stared at Kyle's open door, watching as he slammed down the phone again. "Every time, they argue. What happened?"

Tess shook her head. "Kyle is having a hard time accepting this," she said softly, "and Trudy is just being her usual absurdly kind self. Defending Isabel, or whoever it is she thinks has been wronged in this case."

The conversation was abruptly ended as Kyle emerged from his room and glanced at the two of them. "I'm going out," he said shortly, and moved towards the door.

"Where?" Tess asked.

Kyle gave her a hard look and said, "Just out." The words were blunt, as though he was daring her to press for more. She didn't say anything, and he left the house, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Tess groaned.

"He'll understand eventually," Jim promised. Tess gave him a questioning look, silently asking how he could be so sure of that, and he shrugged and pointed out, "I understood eventually, didn't I? Kyle will, too. He just needs some time."

But time, Tess knew, was one of the few things they never really had.

* * *

In retrospect, walking through this part of town had been a spectacularly bad idea, given how close it took him to the Crashdown. He hadn't really thought about it, of course, and had simply started walking the moment he left his house, needing some time to clear his head and try to arrange his thoughts. And he wanted to get away from everything, from all the reminders of what had just happened. Unfortunately, he had picked the wrong neighborhood, and that would explain why he was standing across from Liz Parker, wishing he could anywhere else in the entire town at that moment.

"Kyle," Liz said softly. "I… how are you?"

He shrugged. "Just wonderful," he said dryly. "It's always fun to find out that people have been lying to you for a very long time and you had no idea."

"We didn't want to hurt you," Liz murmured. "The whole reason we did this was because we were _trying_ to keep you safe."

"Yeah. Good job." He was a little surprised by the bitterness in his voice, by the way that his every word seemed to be dripping pure acid. Liz was watching him, aghast, as though she could not quite believe that he could be so cold, so mean, and that left him feeling both guilty and vindictive.

"You were the one who wanted this," Liz protested finally, her sympathy fading, replaced instead by anger. "You were the one who agreed to let Tess mind-warp you, erase your memories. How can you be so angry when this was partially your decision?"

Kyle blinked, the memory of that fateful conversation playing through his mind. It was after Tess had been kidnapped by the FBI, after she had finally been saved, after she had given him those flashes, shown him what had happened to her in that white room. After they had all almost died, or worse. After he had been used by Deputy Fisher – who was really Agent Pierce – who had almost killed his father.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Is that how you remember it? Because the way it seems to me, I wasn't given a whole lot of a choice. Tess knew exactly the right buttons to push to get me to agree with what she wanted, and she manipulated me into it."

"Maybe she did," Liz agreed, "but she was only trying to keep you safe. And, anyway, that is hardly something you can blame on Isabel. Or Alex." Almost as if an afterthought, she added, "Or me."

"And everything else? All the times you lied to me before I learned the truth?" Kyle demanded. "Was that also to protect me? Or was it to protect yourself and your precious Max Evans? Heaven forbid he comes to any harm."

"Leave Max out of this!" Liz retorted fiercely, taking an almost threatening step towards him. "You don't know a thing about him!"

"You cheated on me with him," Kyle replied. "That's enough of a reason for me to dislike him. And you."

"I never cheated on you," Liz argued, tears pooling in her eyes though they did little to ease her fury as he continued to verbally attack Max. "I told you that last night."

"If that is true, then why wouldn't you have told me that back at the beginning of last year?" Kyle countered, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Because it was better than you knowing the truth. That way you wouldn't realize that…" She stopped abruptly, but the pieces had all fallen into place for Kyle, and he understood.

"You knew he was an alien," Kyle said with dawning comprehension. "You let me believe that you cared so little about me because you didn't want me to know the truth. You didn't want me to be suspicious of why you were spending so much time with Evans…" More of the pieces came together, expanding the picture, as he remembered the shooting at the Crashdown and his father's initial suspicions. "And you didn't want my father to be suspicious either. You played me for a fool because you were trying to protect Max."

"I never meant to hurt you," Liz said angrily. "But Max's life was in danger. Yours wasn't. And it's not like you waited all that long before moving on with Trudy. But you don't understand. You don't anything about this, about what this has all been like for us…"

Kyle did not back down. Now that the subject of Max had been broached, he could not keep at bay everything he wanted to say, all the vicious anger he'd harbored. "I know enough," he hissed. "I know that you turned on me in a heartbeat because of him. I know that you accused me of stealing your journal without any proof whatsoever because you were worried about him. I know that he lied to and manipulated my father for a year, and you went along with him all the time. I know that my own sister ended up working against my father and actively kept secrets from me so that Evans would be safe. I know _enough_."

"Kyle…"

"Leave me alone, Liz. You've got nothing at all to say that I could possibly want to hear." And he tried to step past her, to leave her alone on the street. But she wouldn't give up without one last fight.

"You have to know that Tess loves you. Maybe you think the rest of us don't care about you at all – although you would be wrong about that – but you have to know that she loves you. And she would never let us do anything to put you in harms way. Not if there was any other option."

He turned back to her. "So what?"

"Can't you trust her? Can't you forgive her?"

Kyle wrapped his arms around himself. He wanted to storm away and not answer the question because it was far too difficult to think about Tess at the moment. He had avoided all conversation with her since the previous night, knowing that once they started talking about this, everything would change. He didn't know how he felt about her, about what she had done. He didn't know how easy or how difficult it would be to look past what had happened, what was now forcing them apart.

But the moment Liz asked the question, he knew the answer. He might not know anything else, but he knew the answer to that.

"Eventually," he said honestly. "Eventually, I'll forgive her. And I'll trust her."

"She trusts us," Liz said quickly, "so why can't you do the same?"

"I did trust you," Kyle answered. "Once upon a time, I did trust you. I loved you. You were the first girl I really cared about, the first one who I had actually enjoyed dating. But things changed. You changed. And maybe I did, too, I don't know. But things are different now and…"

He trailed off and glanced around the street. The sun was sinking in the distance, and a cool breeze drifted through the air. It was winter now, although in Roswell that didn't mean anything ever got cold. Just a little bit cooler, just enough that he would start taking a sweater to school and Tess would buy a new denim or khaki jacket to add to her ever-expanding wardrobe.

Seasons changed. People changed.

"Tess is my sister," he said finally. "And I might be furious with her, I might feel betrayed, I might actually hate her right now. And I might be a little freaked by the fact that she's apparently not even human. But she's my sister, and that won't ever change."

He looked at Liz, and she met his eyes with her own watery gaze.

"But you?" Kyle shrugged. "You're just a girl I thought I knew. I was wrong, I don't know you. Not anymore. And, the thing is, Liz… I don't really want to."

* * *

Next Chapter: Crazy

Due: Sun 9/6


	65. Crazy

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Five: Crazy

"What are you doing?" Max asked curiously as he slid into the booth across from Isabel and followed her gaze.

"Watching Michael and Maria," she explained, jerking her head towards the two in question. "I think they got back together. They're certainly acting like it, anyway. I mean, they aren't as disgustingly lovesick as you and Liz, but…"

Max glared at her, but she ignored his look and just smiled sweetly in reply. Then he frowned, and asked, "They're back together?" Pausing to scrutinize Michael for a brief moment, he asked pointedly, "Were they ever really apart?"

"They did break up at the end of last year," Isabel answered with a puzzled expression for her brother. "You do remember that, right?"

Max rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Right. And then Maria was the one who went with Michael to Copper Summit. And it was Maria and Michael who figured out about the Harvest and it was Maria and Michael who decided to have a stake-out outside Sorenson's house and it was…"

"Okay, I get your point," Isabel interrupted. "They spent a lot of time together."

Max nodded, but thought to himself that it was much more than spending time together. Maria and Michael wouldn't have had such a big fight over Amy DeLuca's determination that her daughter couldn't spend any time with the boy if they were just friends. But they were obviously more than that, and regardless of the fact that they had both decided to break up at the end of last summer, the attraction was still strong.

Max watched the two for a moment. Maria was clearly upset over something, and kept hissing and muttering under her breath. Michael was apparently trying to calm her down and be sympathetic at the same time, although it was unclear if he was succeeding.

Then Maria looked up and caught Max's eye. She frowned at him, then her gaze slid over to Isabel, and the frown turned into a glower.

Isabel sighed and lowered her gaze in frustration.

The rest of the diner was packed with chatting students and families, and none of them noticed Maria's heated glare. But somehow, the air between the two tables was filled with tension and simmering anger, and Isabel clenched her hands into fists, her knuckles going white.

Max shook his head slowly. He'd heard about the various arguments, of course, and it worried him. Courtney had mentioned this, had warned him that Nicolas' actions would have serious repercussions. At the time, he hadn't realized how bad things could get. He had assumed that Kyle would be angry at them, and Tess would feel torn between her brother and the other hybrids, but that the group itself would not be that badly harmed. He had never imagined that Kyle's anger could fracture everything so badly.

"Have you talked to Alex?" Max questioned softly, knowing he was entering dangerous territory but not really sure how to avoid the topic when it was so clearly at the forefront of Isabel's mind.

She shook her head. "I don't know what I'd even say to him. I don't want to be angry, but… I also don't want him to talk to Kyle. He doesn't need to fight my battles for me."

"He cares about you, and he doesn't like seeing you upset," Max murmured, "is that really so wrong?"

Isabel wrapped her arms wound herself and leaned back in her seat. Maria had started talking to Michael again, though she occasionally sent an angry stare towards the hybrid Princess. Isabel was resolutely not looking at them, but that action did not keep her from knowing that she was at the receiving end of Maria's wrath.

Finally, she said, "It is wrong if he refuses to listen to what I want. I get that he cares, but… this is my friendship. He has to respect that I get to handle it however I want. Even if he disagrees with it… it isn't his decision to make. He doesn't get to choose what is best for me." Appealing to Max, she finished with an almost-pleading, "You know?"

"It seems to me," Max said delicately, "that this would be the sort of thing you should tell him, not me."

Whatever else he was about to say, whatever advice was on the tip of his tongue, was forgotten the moment the door to the Crashdown opened and Liz came rushing through. She'd been crying, that much was clear from her bloodshot eyes and the salt-water stains on her skin. She pushed through the crowded room and disappeared towards the kitchen, barely even looking right or left.

Max was on his feet in a heartbeat, ready to follow her, to find out what was wrong. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Maria rise as well, looking concerned. They both hesitated for a moment, as though unsure which should go after the brunette, and then Max walked determinedly forward and Maria reluctantly sat back down.

When he reached the kitchen, Liz wasn't there, but he did see a distraught Nancy Parker.

"Mrs. Parker?' he asked, grabbing her attention. "Did you see where Liz went?"

"She just ran up to her room," the older woman answered. "Do you know why she is so upset?" She was giving Max a suspicious look, her eyes narrowed in what was almost an accusation, and Max realized that she thought he might be the source of Liz's tears.

He knew that he had caused Liz pain in the past, though he had never meant for that to happen and now wished he could take it all back, but he was absolutely positive that he could not be the cause this time. "No," he said firmly, adamantly. "Isabel and I were in the diner and I saw her run through. She was crying, so… I just wanted to see what was wrong, to see if I could help."

Mrs, Parker didn't look convinced, but she stepped away from the stairs and said, "I was just about to go talk to her. You can come, too, I guess."

Somehow, talking to Liz with her mother present was not at all what he had envisioned when he followed her into the back of the diner, but he nodded, not really seeing any other option.

The door to Liz's room was open, and she was lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. She wasn't crying anymore, but her eyes were red and watery. She sniffled as they came in, and rolled onto her side to look at them.

"What's wrong?" Max asked, coming closer. He stopped in front of her bed, a little unsure. If Mrs. Parker hadn't been there, he would have sat down at Liz's side and pulled her into a hug, but now he just felt uncomfortable.

"Nothing," Liz answered, wiping at her eyes and pushing herself into a sitting position. "I'm fine."

"Sweetie, we can see that something is wrong," Mrs. Parker countered, stepping around Max and brushing a few strands of hair out of Liz's eyes.

"It's not a big deal," she said, looking away. "I just… never mind. It's nothing."

It wasn't nothing, and that much was blatantly obvious to Max. He sat down on the edge of the bed and let Liz lean against him. Mrs. Parker's eyebrows came together in slight displeasure, but she said nothing. Instead, she just watched as her daughter continued to sniffle and wipe away her tears.

"Liz?" Max prompted.

"It's just… something Kyle said…" Liz whispered.

* * *

"Hey, Izzy, wait up a minute."

Isabel turned on the sidewalk outside the Crashdown and waited for Michael to catch up with her. She looked past him, and could see Maria watching them through the window. She was scowling.

"Your girlfriend let you free to talk to me?" she asked bitterly.

Michael ignored the comment, and she was not sure if that upset her more or less than Maria's anger. But before she could say anything about it, Michael was talking, and she snapped her attention back to his words.

"You know the girl I saw? When I was in the other… whatever it was." Isabel nodded mutely, and Michael continued, "Do you think you can somehow… I don't know… tap into what I saw and tell me if it is real… or maybe it someone was… I don't know, screwing with my mind?"

Isabel blinked. "You want me to dream-walk you while you are awake to see if I can figure out anything about some random girl you saw while in an alternate reality? A girl who was probably just a hallucination?" Smirking, she added, "You really are crazy."

He glowered, but said, "Look, I'm planning on asking Courtney to help me figure this out, but I thought I'd come to you first. Since you are at least somewhat less annoying than she is." As an afterthought, he added, "And you're more trustworthy."

"I'm flattered," Isabel drawled. "I'll come by tonight."

* * *

It didn't make any sense.

Brody knew he wasn't the most patient man in the world, but this was beyond just frustrating. He had been so close, so incredibly close, and now it was gone. It didn't make any sense, and the answers seemed to be slipping through his fingers even as he tried to grab onto them.

The computer screen was blank.

Just two days ago, it had been printing out numbers and sequences that made no sense to him, but that must have meant something. A change in the atmosphere, a shifting of magnetic and electric fields, a resonating hum of something. Like an echo, bouncing around in space, telling him that something was happening.

Something big.

And now it was all gone.

Something alien had happened. It was the only possibility that made any sense, the only explanation that could account for the complete lack of anything now. It had happened, but the moment had passed, and he had not been able to capture any more data.

He looked away from his computer, towards the stack of file folders he had piled on his desk. They contained the print out from two days ago, the one with the formulas that made no sense. There was an answer in there, somewhere, and he was going to find it, even if it meant consulting every mathematician and physicist on the planet.

He rose to his feet and ran his hand over the top of the folders. They held the answers. He could feel it.

The sound of footsteps outside the door of the room caught his attention, and he turned away from the computer. Crossing the floor quickly, he pulled open the door and stepped into the main room of the UFO Center. The door at the top of the stairs was open, and a few tourists had entered and were looking around at the various articles, displays, charts, and maps that were set out on tables and plastered to the walls. Another man had entered behind the tourists, and he looked around with a serious expression before spotting Brody and walking briskly towards him.

"Brody Davis?" he asked.

Brody nodded warily. "Yes."

The other man extended his hand. "Philip Evans."

"Oh, you're Max's father," Brody said, shaking hands warmly. "What can I do for you?"

"I was actually just looking for my son. I know he was working today."

"He's not here yet," Brody answered. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he said, "He should be here in about twenty minutes, though. You can stay and look around if you like, or I can tell him you stopped by."

Philip shifted from foot to foot, looking apprehensive. It was then that Brody noticed that Max's father appeared extraordinarily pale and there were beads of sweat along his hairline. His gaze darted back and forth, settling on Brody for only a few seconds before moving towards the walls around him.

"I'll… uh… look around. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Brody answered, a little bewildered by the strange behavior. He watched as Philip moved towards a display of star formations and constellations, then he turned and walked over to the tourists, forcing a smile to his lips.

He wasn't really a fan of these talks, of introducing his exhibit and encouraging people to browse and ask questions. It felt cheap and commercial, and he was much more suited to the research. But donations and fees from tourists were what paid for his research, so he couldn't really afford not to do it.

After introducing the tourists to Roswell and to the UFO Center, explaining the various projects they could see around them, and assuring them affably that if they had any questions they should feel free to ask, he looked around for Philip again.

Only to realize that Philip had left.

* * *

Max was fuming. If he didn't have to be at the UFO center in ten minutes, he would have taken his fury and targeted the person responsible for causing all this pain. It was bad enough that Kyle was being so cruel to Isabel, but then to say those things to Liz…

He let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm his anger. He would talk to Kyle later tonight, he decided, even if that meant blatantly ignoring Tess' wishes. She couldn't protect her brother forever, not when Kyle was acting like such a jerk to the people that Max cared about.

The memory of Liz's tear-stained face flashed before his eyes and he grimaced. He was going to kill Kyle.

"Idiot," he muttered under his breath as he strode along the sidewalk. The UFO Center was right in front of him, but he had a few minutes until he had to be there, which gave him some time to pace back and forth and glower. "Insufferable jerk. How Tess can even care about him is beyond me…"

"Well, well, well," a smooth voice remarked, "looks like things didn't end so perfectly after all, did they?"

Max turned and watched as Courtney stepped out of the shadows, glancing left and right quickly to make sure they weren't being observed. She was smirking at him, her arms folded over her chest, her chin raised slightly as if to say _I told you so_.

"Courtney," Max greeted wearily, not in the mood to deal with her. "What do you want?"

"You and Michael have a meeting with the mayor after school tomorrow," Courtney said simply. "I've successfully dropped out of school and quit my job at the Crashdown, so that will make it more challenging for us to be in contact. But since you supposedly hate me, I can't really stick around and give Nicolas any reason to doubt my loyalty."

"Are you coming to the meeting with us?" Max asked.

Courtney shook her head. "I can't, I need to get back to Nicolas. Max…" She seemed to hesitate, as though choosing her words carefully, and then said, "The mayor is… not always completely trustworthy. He wants what is best for Antar and he is willing to use any means necessary to get it. Remember that. And don't underestimate him."

Max accepted he warning for what it was, and nodded. "Oh, also, Michael wants to talk to you."

She raised one sculpted eyebrow. "About what?"

"Something about the alternate realm he was in," Max answered vaguely. Although Michael had agreed that talking to Courtney about the girl he had seen was a good idea, Max still didn't know how much he planned to reveal. So he opted to let Michael choose which details to give.

Courtney didn't press for more information. Instead, she just shrugged and said, "Alright. I'll stop by his apartment."

* * *

They sat cross-legged, facing each other on the bed. Isabel cautiously wrapped her fingers around Michael's wrist, palms pressing into his hand. They were close enough for her to hear his steady breathing and see the rise and fall of his chest.

"Close your eyes," she directed. "And focus on what you saw. Try to remember it as clearly as possible."

Michael closed his eyes, and she watched him for a moment, waiting until the lines across his forehead signaled that he was focusing as much as he could on the woman he had seen. Then she, too, closed her eyes, and let herself cautiously reach out towards Michael's mind.

Everything was dark. For some inexplicable reason, she began to feel uneasy. Would this be like the white room? Everyone who had seen the flashes Michael had of that place had been frozen with fear, and Tess had been plagued with nightmares prior to her own incarceration by the FBI. Would it now be Isabel's turn to be haunted by something Michael had seen?

But she pushed away those thoughts and pressed forward. She had promised Michael that she would do her best to determine the origin of what he had seen, and she could not go back on her promise now. Certainly not because of these rather paranoid fears.

The darkness gave way to light, and she saw the woman before her.

The stranger was blonde, with pale skin. Her eyes were pale brown, and there were dark circles ringing them. She was looking around, afraid, her movements sharp and nervous. Almost as if she were trapped somewhere. Isabel didn't know _how_ she knew this, but looking at the strange girl, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the girl was in trouble.

She opened her eyes, and Michael did the same.

"Well?"

Isabel frowned, shaking her head slowly. "That was real, Michael. I don't know how… or why… you got that flash, but it was definitely real."

"Not planted?"

"Not planted," she confirmed.

"But that doesn't make sense," Michael protested, pulling away from her and climbing to his feet. "I don't get flashes." He looked at her, confusion in his eyes, and she had to concede that particularly point. He didn't get flashes, besides the ones that came from kissing Maria. He didn't see them like she and Tess did, didn't get warnings of things about to happen.

So why had he seen this?

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "I can't tell you why you saw her. But you did see her. And she was in trouble."

A knock at the door saved Michael from answering, and she followed him out of the bedroom. In the living room, she stood next to the sofa and watched as he pulled open the door to reveal Courtney.

The blonde skin stepped past Michael quickly and moved into the room, shutting the door sharply behind her. She cast a few worried looks around, her gaze lingering for a moment on the curtains pulled over the windows, before she gave a little sigh. It was obvious she was concerned that someone might see her here and report back to Nicolas, but Isabel had to assume she was good at covering her tracks. Otherwise how would she have survived as a spy for so long?

"What are you doing here?" Michael questioned, his tone suspicious.

Courtney shrugged. "You tell me. Your darling King told me you wanted to see me. You had a question, I guess." She walked over to the sofa, nodding briefly at Isabel as she passed the other girl, and sank onto the cushions. "Oh, and by the way, you have a meeting with the mayor tomorrow."

Michael and Isabel locked gazes. Isabel was still less than thrilled by the idea of Max and Michael meeting with the untrustworthy leader of the rebel skins, although she did recognize the necessity of this move. But it meant putting two people she deeply cared about in harm's way, and so soon after they had miraculously survived an attack by Nicolas…

"Good to know," Michael drawled. He took a seat across from Courtney, and after a momentary pause, Isabel did the same.

"So, what did you want from me?" Courtney pressed. "I don't have a lot of time."

"I was wondering…" Michael hesitated, still looking at Isabel, and then said, "When I was in the alternate reality, I saw someone. A woman. It looked like she was crying out for help."

Courtney frowned thoughtfully. "You mean like a flash of some sort?" she questioned. Michael nodded, and she said, "As far as I know, the alternate reality would have allowed you to see only those who can somehow be construed as family. If you share a bond with the person – either blood, DNA, or some other alien connection – they might appear to you. That's how Isabel was able to see Tess after she had been sucked into the alternate reality, and that's why the Sherriff was pulled in by Kyle Valenti…" She trailed off, then asked, "Did Tess see the person also?"

Michael shook his head. "No, she didn't. Why?"

Courtney chewed her lip. "I just find it… odd. Tess is much more open to seeing flashes, given that her gifts are mental and emotional. For you to see something that she missed…" She trailed off, still thinking, then said, "The person would have needed to be connected you, and you only. I just can't think of who that would be."

"Someone from Antar?" Michael suggested.

But Courtney just frowned. "Besides Trevor? There isn't really anyone else. Particularly not anyone else who would be crying out to you for help."

"But I saw someone!" Michael insisted.

Courtney raised her hands in a sign of surrender. "I'm not saying you didn't see anyone, Mikey. I'm just saying I don't know who it could be."

"What about a friend from Antar?" Isabel questioned softly. "Maybe not a family member, but… a friend he had a close bond with. Is that possible?"

"It's certainly possible," Courtney agreed cautiously, "but I wouldn't know exactly who. By the time I met Rath, he had grown up. He didn't really have time for childhood friends anymore. He was too focused on the war."

"But it is someone," Michael said with a groan. "Someone who is in trouble, and needs my help."

"Probably," Courtney replied. Then she said reassuringly, "Still… if they really need your help, I am sure they will make their presence known some other way. Maybe another flash? Or maybe they will call out to Isabel or Tess. Either way, I wouldn't worry about it too much. You can't do anything yet, not until you know who she is and where to find her. And if Max's anger at Kyle Valenti was any indication, you do have other problems to deal with, don't you?"

* * *

Isabel flopped back onto her bed, feeling both mentally and physically exhausted. The day had worn on too long for her likes, and the argument with Alex and Kyle still weighed heavily on her mind. She hadn't spoken to Alex yet, although she knew she should. But she wasn't sure what she would say, exactly, or how she would make him understand that he couldn't fight her battles for her.

She could hear her parents moving around on the floor below. She hadn't seen her father much that evening, he had been holed up in his study, which was a little unusual for him. But her mother hadn't really seemed to notice, and Max was far too busy silently fuming at Kyle's actions to pay attention to anything else, so she hadn't bothered questioning her father's behavior.

Moonlight flooded in through the open window. Even though it was now officially the end of autumn with winter – and Christmas break – only a month away, it was still warm enough to leave the window open at night and let the cool breeze float into the room.

She closed her eyes.

Thoughts of Nicolas filled her mind for a moment, followed quickly by memories of Michael and Tess as they appeared in a flash of white light, of Kyle lying on the sofa, nearly dead. They had almost lost him that time… They had almost lost completely.

At least Michael and Maria were back together. It appeared that one good thing had come out of that disaster.

Eventually, the weariness of the day caught up her with, and she drifted slowly to sleep.

"_I'm not crazy! You can't do this… I'm not… please…"_

_It started out faint at first, a voice whispering in the darkness. But it grew louder, more frantic, the words rushed together in some sort of horror-filled nightmare. Isabel looked around uneasily, "Who's there?" she called out, peering through the dark, trying to figure out where she was and what was happening._

_The room appeared around her. It was white and gray, with a wash of pale yellow waving through the padded walls. There was a bed in one corner, and a table with a chair. The table was round, and the chair looked odd. It took her a moment to realize that all the corners had been shaved down to smooth surfaces, leaving behind not a single sharp edge. There was a single window that looked out at the blue sky._

_A girl was pacing back and forth._

_The girl from Michael's vision._

_She was crying. Tears made their way down her cheeks and spilled over everything, soaking the collar of her white shirt. She turned to the door several times, rushing to it and slamming her fists against the smooth surface, but no one answered her calls._

"_Please…" she gasped, half-crying as she slid to her knees. "Please, I'm not crazy. Please don't do this to me."_

"_Can you hear me?" Isabel asked, stepping forward and kneeling next to the girl. Usually, when she dream-walked someone, they could see her and hear her if she tried to make contact with them. But the girl just stared right through her, oblivious to her presence, and Isabel knew this was no ordinary dream-walk._

"_Don't you understand?" the girl cried, turning and looking towards the corner of the room. Isabel followed her gaze and saw that the girl was talking to a video-camera, something that appeared to be watching her every move. "I'm in danger. We're all in danger. They will kill us all!"_

_There was nothing but the silence to answer her._

_Isabel rose to her feet and looked around the room, searching for some sign of the girl's identity. But the room lacked any helpful details, and she was left without an answer._

_Just then, the door slid open._

_The girl jumped to her feet, looking terrified. She backed away instantly, hands wrapped around her torso as though trying to protect herself from whoever was about to enter. But the woman who entered did not look threatening in anyway. She was average height, a little round, with brown hair swept into a bun and a smile that seemed too wide for her face. She was carrying a tray of food._

_Still, the girl was shaking, and she pushed herself further back against the wall. "Please…" she whispered. "Please… don't…"_

_The woman set the tray of food down on the table. There was a small container of applesauce, a roll, a bit of chicken already cut into bite size pieces, and some carrots._

_There was no knife._

_The girl suddenly lunged forward, past the woman, and towards the open door. She pushed the door further open, and it slammed into the wall, bouncing back on its hinges. She made it to the hallway, her eyes wild and crazed, filled with the look of a trapped animal that sees only one way to freedom._

_She did not make it any further._

_Too rather large, burly men seemed to appear from nowhere, and blocked her path. They grabbed her by both arms and pulled her back into the room. She struggled at first, crying a guttural sound that ripped from her throat. But then they pushed her back onto the bed, and she went limp in their arms, as though she have given up._

_They were holding her in place as the woman came forward and knelt in front of her. "Sweetie?" she murmured in a low voice, hands held out before her, palms forward in a non-threatening gesture. "Can you hear me?"_

_The girl nodded._

"_I'm going to give you a sedative, just so that you calm down a little," the woman continued in a kindly manner. "Do you understand that?"_

_Again, the girl nodded, but she was crying once more, and she started whispering, "Not crazy… please… not crazy."_

_The woman gestured for the two men to move away from the girl, and they did, taking positions on either side of the door. The woman withdrew a needle from the folds of her clothing and said softly, soothingly, "You'll only feel a slight prick, sweetheart. Alright?" The girl sniffed and stared blankly ahead, and the woman pressed the end of the needle into her arm._

_The girl's eyes unfocused for a moment, and she let out a sigh._

"_I'm going to leave lunch here for you," the woman said, rising to her feet. "You make sure to eat when you get hungry, alright sweetie? We don't want to have to put you back on IV nutrition."_

_Isabel watched as the woman and the two men left the room, closing the door behind them. It snapped shut with a resounding noise, a final thud that indicated it would not open again until someone else from the outside decided to enter. The girl shivered at the sound and looked down, wiping slowly, lethargically, at her tears._

"_Not crazy, not crazy, not crazy…" she repeated over and over, but the words sounded sluggish as the sedative coursed through her veins and slowed all her movements. "I'm not crazy." _

_Then she looked up, her gaze locking with Isabel, and for the first time, Isabel thought perhaps the girl could see her._

"_Help me," the girl said, her voice hoarse. "Please."_

"_What's your name?" Isabel asked quickly, urgently._

"_Laurie. Laurie Dupree."_

Isabel's eyes snapped open, and she found herself lying in her bed, staring up at the ceiling, the dream fading from her mind. The cool wind continued to blow in through the open window, and her parents were still moving around on the floor below. There was no sound from Max's room, he seemed to finally have left his anger behind long enough to give in to the necessity of sleep.

Isabel sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. Then she reached for her phone and snapped it open, quickly dialing a number and listening until it was picked up at the other end.

"Izzy? What's up?"

"Michael. I know who your mystery girl is. I know her name. And I think I know why she's in trouble."

* * *

Next Chapter: Laurie

Due: Sun 9/13


	66. Laurie

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Six: Laurie

"Where's Alex?"

"Isabel, I'm trying to talk to you about the crazy girl you saw in your dreams."

"You saw a crazy girl in your dreams?"

"I don't understand, where is Alex? It's lunch, why isn't he out here?"

"Maybe he bailed because you were being such a brat to him, Isabel."

"Shut up, Maria."

"Can we focus on the crazy girl, please?"

"What crazy girl?"

"Not now, Max."

"But…"

"Are you sure you haven't seen Alex?"

"Yes! We're all sure we haven't seen Alex. Can we please get back to your dream? Sit down and talk."

"Oh… fine. Okay."

"Oh, so now you're sitting with us? What happened to running over to Tess and Kyle? Don't you want to be all buddy-buddy with them?"

"Maria! _Not now_."

"We need to talk about this quickly, though, because I need to talk to you, Michael. We have a meeting with the mayor this afternoon."

"The mayor of Roswell?"

"No, Maria, the other mayor we'd be meeting with. Of course the mayor of Roswell."

"I was just asking."

"It's a stupid question."

"You're a stupid question, Space Boy."

"Oh, witty comeback!"

Maria choked back whatever retort she was going to make, and settled for glaring at her boyfriend. Michael just smirked as he bit into his sandwich.

Isabel sighed and rolled her apple between her hands, glancing across the quad to the table where Tess and Kyle were sitting. They were clearly arguing about something, and Kyle abruptly jumped to his feet and started to stalk away. Tess, looking frustrated, stuffed her lunch back into her lunch bag and rose to her feet as well, storming in the other direction.

"Think that is going to blow over any time soon?" Michael muttered, and Isabel glanced over at him, noting that he, too, was watching Tess' retreating figure.

Isabel shrugged. "No idea." She frowned, then said, "How about I talk to Tess today after school? Maybe the Sheriff can find out about our mystery crazy girl."

"Okay, that could work," Michael agreed.

"Who is this mystery girl?" Max demanded as Liz joined the table, slipping into the seat next to him.

But Isabel ignored him, turning instead to Liz. "Hey, have you seen Alex?"

* * *

Tess glanced around the Sheriff's office as she waited for Jim to finish her meeting. She hadn't been particularly surprised when Isabel had tracked her down after school and asked for help, but she had been hesitant to involve Jim in this. After all, they knew nothing at all about this Laurie Dupree, and though Michael and Isabel were both convinced that she was just an innocent victim, Tess was less willing to trust so easily.

Particularly when trusting involved pulling her family further into the alien mess.

But Isabel had reasoned that Jim would be perfectly safe, and she had to agree that he had the most chance of finding out what the could about her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Jim, who stepped out of his office and gestured to Tess. "Come on in."

"Thanks." She stepped past him and walked into the room, taking a seat at the chair in front of his desk. He closed the door firmly, shutting out the other members of the law-enforcement office, and came to face Tess, a worried expression on his features.

"Is everything alright? You usually don't come to my office…"

"It's fine," she rushed to assure him. After everything that had happened in the alternate reality, after Kyle's near brush with death, it was obvious that her adopted father was quite terrified of the possibility that one of his children could come to harm.

She couldn't blame him, her very presence put all three of them in danger.

"Actually, I need a favor. It's about the flash that Michael had while we were trapped in the alternate reality. The vision of that girl."

Jim nodded for her to continue.

"Isabel thinks she knows who the girl is. She had a dream… or, I guess, a vision in her dream. She determined that the girl's name is Laurie Dupree, and she is in a mental hospital somewhere."

"And you want me to see if I can find her?" Jim surmised correctly. "Maybe learn why she was committed?"

Tess bit her lip and agreed, "If you have the time. Michael… Michael thinks that she is in danger, and that she was calling out to him for some specific reason." If that was the case, then it made sense that they would need to do everything possible to help the strange girl. But first, they needed more information. They had only barely survived the most recent of Nicolas' attacks, and Tess was not going to let any of the people she loved walk into this new situation without first making sure it wasn't dangerous.

"Sure," Jim promised. "I'll look into it. See what I can find."

* * *

"_Don't wait. When you get there, just walk into the room. Act confident. Remember, you outrank him." _

Courtney's words of advice hovered in Max's mind as he and Michael climbed out of the car and looked over at the building that housed the mayor's office. City Hall created an imposing sight against the backdrop of the rolling deserts. He'd never been in the Hall before, and it was hardly making him at ease, the knowledge that he was going to meet the leader of the rebel skins on the other man's turf.

Courtney had called him the night before with last minute advice. He'd been skeptical, not entirely sure he could trust anything she said. But what she told him made sense, and he knew he'd be a fool if he didn't listen to her.

Although that did not explain _why_ she was so determined to help him.

"_He's good with words. He's good with a lot of things. And he's manipulative. Don't forget that. Don't ever take what he says at face value." _

"_Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be on his side?"_

"_Do you want my help or not?"_

"Ready?" Michael asked.

Max bit back a smile and gave a curt nod. He wasn't ready, and he wasn't sure he would ever be ready. What he was about to do was play a game of politics with a man he'd never met, but a man who was clearly powerful enough to control an entire faction.

It was like walking into the Summit in New York. He was uneasy and unsure and he _knew_ he was not prepared for whatever was about to happen. But he'd had Tess by his side then, and he had Michael at his back now, and he was grateful for that.

He was grateful that he didn't have to do this alone.

They crossed the parking lot and stepped onto the plaza that stretched out in front of City Hall. There were a few people milling about, but mostly the space was empty. It was a gray day, and threatened a light drizzle of rain. And the threat of rain was enough to keep people in doors, given how rarely it came.

People from Roswell didn't like getting wet.

They climbed the stairs, and Max glanced one last time behind him at the town of Roswell and the surrounding desert before he followed Michael into the building and let the door slam shut behind him.

It was ironic, he reflected, that the mayor from Roswell was an alien. People in Roswell were proud of their little town, of its sleepy, tourist-focused economy, of its lack of big-city people. There was always a faint suspicion of people who came from Santa Fe or any of the other neighboring cities.

What would people say if they knew their supposedly home-grown mayor wasn't actually from Roswell? Or Earth, for that matter?

"_Be careful about what you say. Don't hesitate too much, but make sure you think through your answers. You don't want to say anything recklessly, because he _will_ use it against you."_

They paused at the secretary's death outside the mayor's office. She looked up at them with a bland smile and a raised eyebrow, waiting for them to make their request. Her hair was curled and her nails were painted and she looked rather bored by the job.

"Max Evans and Michael Guerin here to see the mayor," Max said, introducing himself with as much authority as he could muster.

Michael snickered, and Max shot him an annoyed look.

The secretary glanced down at the calendar spread out in front of her and said, "Have a seat and I'll tell him you are here."

But Max, remembering Courtney's warning, took a deep breath and shook his head. "Don't bother," he said simply, "we'll show ourselves in." And he ignored the secretary's protest as he lead Michael around the desk and towards the office. The secretary was obviously too shocked by this, having rarely had anyone so completely ignore her before, and just watched in stunned silence as Max pushed open the door and walked into the mayor's office.

The mayor looked up at Max's entrance, his gaze moving between the two with interest. He didn't seem particularly upset by their blatant lack of courtesy, but actually more a little intrigued.

Michael shut the door.

"King Zan and General Rath," he greeted cordially, rising to his feet and gesturing towards the two chairs in front of his desk.

"You can call me Max," Max answered, sliding into the chair. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Michael frown for a moment, then choose to remain standing, resting his palms against the back of the offered chair. Max jerked his head towards Michael and added, "And that's Michael."

The mayor nodded. He eyed Michael for a moment, then resumed his seat. "It is nice to finally meet you. In person."

"_Be polite. Be civil. Be firm, be unbending, but don't confuse either of those with rudeness."_

"_Why does it matter?"_

"_If you want him to treat you like a king, you need to act like one. Kings don't verbally attack people. They don't have to, because they can always have their followers do it for them. Remember that."_

"A pleasure to meet you, too," Max answered. "Courtney has told us quite a bit about you and your… followers."

The mayor smirked. "Has she? Good." He looked over at Michael. "She informed me that you both wished to talk with me?"

"It was mostly Max's idea," Michael said gruffly, tilting his head towards Max in indication.

If the mayor was disappointed that Michael had not taken the bait, he did not show it. Instead, he simply switched his attention back to Max and asked curiously, "And what would you like to talk about, Max?"

"Your plans," Max answered simply.

The mayor narrowed his eyes, eyebrows coming together slightly in confusion. "My plans?" he echoed. "What do you mean?"

"I am sure that you have some plan," Max replied confidently. "And it also quite obviously will affect myself and my family and friends. Already, you have sent Courtney to spy on us, and members of your faction have nearly killed to of my friends." His voice was tight and barely under control as he remembered the fear in Liz's eyes after Carla had attacked her. And he had no doubt that Michael felt the same way when he thought of the attack of Maria.

The mayor pressed his lips together and nodded slowly. Then he said, "Those attacks were… unfortunate."

Michael made a convulsive movement with his hands as though he wanted to snap the chair in half. But he stopped quickly, catching Max's warning gaze, and instead shifted his weight from foot to foot.

The mayor continued unperturbed. "Rest assured, I have done everything in my power to find and eliminate the dangerous members of my faction. Nicolas has been trying to infiltrate the group, just as we have sent Courtney to spy on them."

Max didn't bother asking what eliminated meant. He'd already seen Courtney kill an enemy alien, more than once, and he had a feeling the mayor did the same.

"It is more than _unfortunate_ when we keep getting attacked," Michael growled.

"You have my sincere apologies," the mayor answered, and Max wondered vaguely if they were being mocked.

"_He's fought a war, _this_ war, since before any of you were born. Since before _I_ was born. A single life means nothing to him. Don't presume you can appeal to his human emotions. He doesn't have any."_

"_Do _you_?"_

"Why are you here?" Max asked, speaking quickly, sharply so that Michael would not lose his temper at the smug and cocky alien.

The mayor hesitated, then said slowly, "I am here because you and your family are here. It is the same reason that any of us came here. To be where you are."

"And what do you want from us?"

The mayor leaned forward, eyes glittering. "I want an end to this war. I want to go home. Home to a planet no longer destroyed by civil war. Home to a place where I can spend the rest of my days in peace."

"You think we can help you with that?" Max asked.

The mayor looked again at Michael, a cold, calculating stare. "I wouldn't be here if there was anyone else."

"Do you have a plan?" Michael asked curiously, lifting his arms from the back of the chair and folding them over his chest. Standing, he towered over both Max and the mayor, but for some reason the height advantage didn't seem to help him. He was ill at ease, that much was obvious by the tension in the line of his jaw and the whiteness of his knuckles as his fingers clenched.

Max sighed inwardly, worried. The mayor was making him wary as well.

"A plan?" the mayor repeated.

Michael nodded. "You might be good at improvising, but you don't strike me as the type who leaves things to chance. Do you have a plan?"

"If I did, would it matter to you?" the mayor replied, a challenge in his tone.

"Of course," Max interrupted, stressing the words. "Of course it would matter. If it affects us…"

"And if it doesn't?" the mayor questioned. "I am more interested in getting rid of Nicolas than I am in any of you."

"You were interested in the Vilndra Project," Michael countered immediately, remembering the time that he and Tess had broken into this very office and searched through the mayor's belongings.

Again, the mayor paused for just a fraction of a second, then said, "I was interested in that because I wanted to stop it. Not really to protect Vilandra… or, Isabel, as I believe you call her… but more because I wanted to stop Nicolas and Khivar."

"You don't care what happens to Isabel?" Max asked, eyes flashing.

The mayor shrugged. "I care about her. Of course I do, she is one of the Royal Four. And she is, at least this time around, an enemy of Khivar. But she is not the most important one of you. She is… expendable."

"My sister is not…" Max started furiously, and then stopped himself and drew a breath, trying to stay calm.

"_He will try to provoke you. He wants to manipulate you, and for that, he needs to learn your strengths and weaknesses. He needs to know what you care about, he needs to know how to get under your skin. Don't let him."_

"_Why are you helping us, Courtney? Why are you telling me all this?"_

"_Because I've been playing politics for the last several decades. I remember the rules of this game. And I know that you won't win it on your own. You can't. You just don't remember enough."_

"This is a war. I do not have the luxury of thinking about the wants of each individual person," the mayor continued smoothly, ignoring Max's outburst as he studied Michael. "Ideally, the four of you would return home. If you cannot, however, then so be it. Only one of you is needed."

"I will never leave Max, Isabel, and Tess behind," Michael declared fiercely.

The mayor shrugged. "And hopefully you will not have to. But… ask the thousands of people who are dead now and they will happily tell you the very unpleasant truth – not everyone survives a war."

Max didn't answer right away. He could tell Michael was getting antsy with all this talk of death, and he didn't particularly like it either. But the mayor was right, it did keep happening all around them. How many people had died last year, killed by either Nasedo or the FBI? And how many had died in the years leading up to that?

How many had they been responsible for killing? Pierce, of course, and Whitaker, and countless other skins who had lost their husks during the Harvest…

How many would continue to die?

"Do you really want to know my plan?" the mayor said, leaning forward. "It is remarkably simple. Nicolas must be eliminated. Returning to Antar and removing Khivar from power will be difficult, but it will be near impossible if we do not destroy Nicolas now. So that is my plan. We have to kill him, and the rest of the skins who are here, before we can even think about going home."

Max felt shivers run up and down his spine at the chill in the mayor's words.

"And when that happens?" Michael demanded. "Then what?"

"Then we go home," the mayor answered simply.

* * *

In all the many months that he had been on-again, off-again dating Isabel, he could count on one hand the number of times she had shown up at his house. So when she knocked on the door that evening, he was immediately both surprised and concerned.

His first thought was that they had been attacked again, and it must have shown on his face, because Isabel gave a reassuring smile and said without preamble, "Don't worry. Everybody's safe."

But the smile didn't reach her eyes, and Alex was still left to wonder exactly why she had showed up on his doorstep. He stepped aside and let her into the house, watching as she moved past him softly, and ran a hand through her hair with a nervous gesture.

He was alone in the house, for which he was grateful. He was not always thrilled with the fact that they spent so much of their time away from home, but right now, he was pleased to have the privacy.

"Is everything alright?' he asked as she stood awkwardly in the entrance to the living room, arms folded over her chest. "Did something happen?"

She sighed and said, "Michael and Max went to meet with the mayor to talk about the rebel skins. Max is ready to kill Kyle, unless Maria beats him to it. Michael is seeing visions of a woman who is trapped in a mental hospital outside of Santa Fe. And Courtney has apparently dropped out of school and left her job at the Crashdown."

Alex blinked. "Oh. Okay." It was more information than he had expected, and he was actually kind of surprised that all this could have happened so quickly. He had not seen any member of the group since his argument with Tess and Isabel the previous day, although it wasn't as though he was actively avoiding them. He'd just been busy with other things, and yet somehow, in those twenty-four hours, the entire world seemed to have changed.

Isabel bit her bottom lip and stared at him wordlessly.

"I'm sorry I missed it all," he said finally. He felt as though perhaps he should be asking more questions, but he wasn't even sure where to start.

"Are you?" Isabel asked quietly, though her tone was pointed and firm. She lifted one eyebrow questioningly, searching his face for something. "You weren't around at all today. Or yesterday afternoon and evening."

He flinched, though it had been a simple question and her voice did not hold even the slightest hint of accusation. Almost defensively, he answered, "My Dad needed my help with a few things yesterday afternoon. And I was in the computer lab today at lunch, fixing the lighting for the play. I wasn't purposefully avoiding anyone."

She nodded. "Alex, I…" Then she stopped, frowning slightly as though not sure if she should continue.

"Do you want to sit down?" Alex suggested, wondering if perhaps that would make her feel more comfortable. She'd obviously come her for a reason, with something in mind she wanted to say, and standing about awkwardly was not helping the situation.

He was still a little worried about what she had to say, though. Had she come to break up with him? He'd thought that things were fine, except for the one argument concerning Kyle. But why would she be standing here, looking so nervous, if she had come for any other reason? After all, it wasn't like they had trouble talking to each other. Not anymore.

It hadn't always been like that, he reflected with a slight smile, recalling all the times they had spent exchanging self-conscious phrases and discomforted words during the previous year. But this was different. He felt comfortable with Isabel now, and the way she was looking at him, as though she had never really seen him before, sent uneasy shivers down his spine.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she moved past him and perched on the edge of the sofa. She wasn't looking at him, she was staring instead at the floor, and he choked back the immediate protest that came to his lips.

Instead, he asked cautiously, "For what?"

She looked at him briefly, then answered, "I didn't mean to hurt you. I was just… you have to understand that this is complicated. It will always be complicated, but right now… it's worse than usual."

"Complications can be overcome," Alex said stoically, taking the seat across from her.

She sighed. "Sometimes," she murmured. "But sometimes they can't."

"Look, Isabel, I lo…" he caught himself before the word _love_ slipped from his tongue and changed quickly, "like you. A lot. And I am sure we can fix whatever is… whatever is wrong. We don't have to… end."

She jerked his eyes towards him, gaze frank and confused. "You're breaking up with me?" she asked, incredulous.

Alex blinked, nonplussed. "No. I thought… aren't you breaking up with me?"

Now Isabel looked thoroughly bewildered. "No," she answered, shaking her head emphatically. "I mean… I didn't think I was. But if we're breaking up, then…"

"Wait. If you're not breaking up with me," Alex asked, still trying frantically to rearrange the pieces of the prior conversations so that they made sense, "then why are we breaking up?"

"How would I know?" Isabel protested in annoyance. "You're the one who said we were breaking up."

"I said we _didn't_ have to break up," Alex argued. "I was saying that we could stay together."

Isabel frowned. "But why would you say that we didn't have to break up unless we were breaking up? I don't understand this."

"I thought you were breaking up with me," Alex explained, shaking his head slowly, mimicking Isabel's earlier action.

"Did you _want_ me to be…?"

"No," Alex interrupted emphatically before Isabel could finish the question. It was obvious at this point that they were getting nowhere with the conversation, but he realized with a giddy feeling that she had definitely not come here to end the relationship.

But then, why had she come? Why hadn't she just called him or waited until she saw him at school or the Crashdown? That was what she usually did, after all…

With that thought in mind, he asked, "So why are you here?"

"I was trying to apologize for getting so angry with you before," Isabel answered, chewing her bottom lip. "Well… I mean, I sort-of wanted to do that. But I also wanted to explain that… that you can't go yell at Kyle just because you want to. It's… complicated. You know?"

Alex ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to agree, of course, because Isabel had actually come and apologized to him, and after successfully determining that they weren't breaking up, he still wanted to avoid an argument.

But he was never particularly successful at saying things he didn't mean.

"Isabel, I didn't… appreciate… the way he had treated you. It wasn't your fault, and he acted as though you were the enemy. We have enough problems as it is, and…"

"And starting an argument with Kyle wasn't going to make things any better," Isabel said pointedly. She was staring at him, and though there was no accusation in her eyes, he could still see that she was frustrated by everything that had transpired.

He groaned inwardly.

"I was fine giving Kyle the space he needed to…"

Alex cut her off sharply, "But you _shouldn't_ have been. He didn't have the right to push you away from that table, to verbally attack you so cruelly. They're _your_ friends, too."

Isabel nodded, and he could see her swallow nervously. But when she spoke, her tone was calm and collected and underlined with the steel that he had come to admire about her.

"I know. And I know that you might not ever understand this. But Kyle is my friend as well, and he obviously felt hurt and betrayed. If he needed the space…" She trailed off with a weary shrug. "I was willing to give that to him."

"I just… I was just trying to help. I was just trying to do what was right for you. Is that so wrong?"

Isabel answered reluctantly, "It is if you think you have the right to decide what is best for me against my own wishes."

Alex accepted that in silence. He could see her point of view, of course. He might never fully agree with her friendship with the popular crowd, and he certainly would never understand why she was continually forcing herself to be nice to Kyle. But it _was_ her decision.

"I'm not saying you can't tell me if you think I am wrong," Isabel added. "I just don't want you going behind my back to other people."

"Okay," Alex agreed. "I guess… I guess I understand. And I am sorry that I… that I made Tess even more angry with you."

Isabel waved that away carelessly and said, "It's Tess. She's always angry at someone, I'm used to it being me." A pause, then a faint smile, "I'm glad we're not breaking up, though."

Alex laughed, suddenly able to find the entire situation quite a bit funnier than he had only moments before. But Isabel was looking at him with a warm, caring expression, and he could not help but smile in reply.

* * *

A few phone calls and a quick search through legal files had told Jim everything he needed to know.

Unfortunately, it also opened up a lot of new questions that he could not answer.

Laurie Dupree. Her parents had divorced when she was two, and her mother had disappeared completely from her life, apparently having no desire to remain connected to her daughter or ex-husband. Her father had remarried when she was ten, and had died when she was twelve, leaving her with her step-mother.

He'd also left his rather sizeable fortune to Laurie.

The step-mother was left with full custody of Laurie, and with limited access to the girl's inheritance. Access that would disappear completely when the girl turned eighteen.

She would turn eighteen in two days.

Was it a coincidence, then, that she had been committed to a mental hospital by her step-mother less than a week ago?

The hospital was in Santa Fe. It was a good facility, with a good reputation for caring about its patients. It was private and expensive, and that made Jim wonder. If the step-mother was simply trying to get rid of her cumbersome daughter and continue to help herself to the girl's money, why would she bother paying so much for a private institution? Why not just dump her in the state hospital where she would most assuredly slip through the cracks and be lost to the rest of the outside world?

Could Laurie really be crazy?

And, of course, it did not answer the question of why Michael was getting flashes of her in the first place. But he never did understand the alien things, so that would be a question for Tess anyway.

He picked up the phone.

* * *

"So she really is crazy?"

"We don't know what she is," Tess answered Michael's question.

The two of them were sitting in Michael's living room. She was on the sofa and Michael was sitting uneasily on another chair across from her. Max was pacing along the floor, and Isabel was leaning against the wall, looking apprehensive.

Michael rubbed the back of his head. "She's in Santa Fe?"

"Yeah, at a mental hospital," Tess answered, her tone slightly sarcastic. "As I told you the last time you asked that question."

"And she's really crazy?" Michael muttered, and this time Tess didn't even bother answering.

They had met to talk about the meeting with the mayor. Max had done most of the explaining, and Isabel had ended up looking absolutely disgusted. Tess, as usual, was impassive, but Michael had been struggling to keep his anger in check as Max mentioned how carelessly the mayor had spoken about the inevitability of death.

Michael honestly had not been surprised by anyone's reactions. Tess had said little during Max's recounting, but Isabel had interrupted constantly with exclamations of fear or frustration.

At the end, Tess had simply announced that she would not let anyone, least of all an untrustworthy alien, manipulate her into returning to Antar against her will. Isabel had echoed that sentiment and added several angry mutterings under her breath. Then Max had pointed out logically that Nicolas was still alive, and until he was defeated, the couldn't return to Antar anyway, and so there was no point worrying about it now.

They would cross that bridge when the came to it.

And then there conversation had turned to Laurie.

Tess had told them everything the Sheriff had told her, but Michael still couldn't quite grasp what she was saying. It didn't make any sense. Why was he seeing flashes of some lunatic he had never even met?

"So what do we do?" Isabel asked finally, breaking the tense silence.

"We have to go to Santa Fe," Michael said immediately. "If she is in trouble…"

"I think we need to go a little bit more… slowly," Max cautioned, worried. "We still don't know anything about her, and rushing into this will probably only put us in danger. We have a brief break from our worries about the skins, do we really want to go looking for trouble?"

"We didn't go looking for trouble," Michael countered. "Trouble came looking for me."

"If this girl is calling out to Michael for help, we can't just ignore it," Isabel agreed. Then, after a moment of silence, she added, "But we also can't just leave. Someone will notice."

"I can go," Michael argued. "No one is going to think it is all that strange if I miss a couple days of school."

"Days?" Max repeated. "How long are you planning on being gone?"

"As long as it takes," Michael answered.

"I don't like the idea of you going alone," Tess said finally. All eyes swung to her, and she shook her head. "I can't go with him. I already got in trouble with Jim for missing so much school."

"Mom and Dad aren't going to be okay with you disappearing either," Isabel pointed out, looking at Max. "They've been pretty suspicious lately. Especially after New York." She chewed her bottom lip, then said, "But I could go. I don't think they would mind that as much. And Tess can cover for me. Tell Mom and Dad that I am at her house."

Michael noted silently that no one was suggesting the idea of Maria, Liz, or Alex accompanying him. He knew that they would offer little protection, given that they had no powers, but he also knew it was more than just that. He had no idea what had occurred between Isabel and Alex, but she had been asking about her computer-geek boyfriend all day, and he was fairly certain she had gone to talk to him that afternoon. And he remembered Liz's tear-streaked face the previous day when she had rushed through the Crashdown, worrying both Max and Maria. Whatever had caused that, it was enough to make Max try to keep her out of the alien mess, at least for a little while.

"I don't know, Izzy," Max argued, frowning. "I don't like…"

"You never like the idea of sending her into anything dangerous," Tess huffed, rolling her eyes. "Because you're an overprotective freak."

"Do you want her to go?" Max demanded pointedly.

"I don't want anyone to go," Tess muttered, leaning back on the sofa.

"I'm going," Michael said firmly, glaring at her. She stared back, unmoved by his anger, and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "And I think I should go alone." Isabel and Max instantly started to protest, but he continued, "Look, as far as the Sheriff could tell, this was not alien-related. Whatever trouble Laurie is in, I am not going to be fighting off the skins."

"I know, but…"

"No, no buts," Michael snapped. In a softer tone, he said, "Isabel could come, but that would cause suspicion with her parents. Maybe not a lot, but enough that I don't think we should risk it. I can go by myself."

Tess gave him a shrewd look and said, "And when you say _by yourself_ you really mean _with Maria_, right?"

He shrugged, not bothering to lie about it. "She does have a car. All I've got is a motorcycle, and it is a long way to Santa Fe."

"Oh, there's a good idea," Isabel drawled. "Get your girlfriend in even more trouble with her mother. Wasn't she forbidden from spending time with you?"

Again, Michael shrugged. He truly did not care. Maria could have been killed by the skins, but she was miraculously alive, and he was going to take advantage of that. After all this time apart, nothing Amy DeLuca said was going to stop him from spending time with her.

* * *

Next Chapter: Back to the Beginning

Due: Sun 9/20


	67. Back to the Beginning

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Back to the Beginning

"So we're breaking into an insane asylum," Maria commented sarcastically as she kept her eyes on the road, watching as the landscape flew by. "Yeah… that sounds like a really good idea."

Michael slanted a quick look at her, then shook his head. "I think we call them mental hospitals now. And besides, you're the one who _agreed_ to come along," he muttered pointedly, wrapping his fingers tightly around the wheel of the car.

"And remind me again why we're taking my car, and yet you're the one who gets to drive?" Maria asked, turning to him and lifting one eyebrow questioningly.

"I'm a better driver," Michael answered steadily, not even bothering to face her.

The car picked up speed, and Maria huffed. "You're going fifteen miles over the speed limit," she protested, glaring at him. It was actually rather impressive that he had managed to get the car to go that quickly. It was a reliable vehicle, but going at top speed was not its strongpoint. And in Middle-of-Nowhere, New Mexico, the speed limit was seventy.

They were going eighty-five.

"Which just means that we will get there faster," Michael argued.

"Or we will get pulled over by the police," Maria grumbled under her breath, switching her gaze to the side window and looking out at the jagged cliffs that formed the horizon. "And then we will end up in jail and my Mom will totally freak."

Michael laughed and drawled, "They don't throw you in jail for speeding." He debated pressing down harder on the gas, but decided not to. He knew he was pushing his luck going this speed anyway, and if he went any faster, Maria might actually try to take the keys away from him.

But the thought of annoying his abrasive girlfriend _was_ tempting.

Maria didn't answer.

Michael sighed and let his mind wander to Laurie. He could still see her face, so clearly, so vivid, even though he had only seen her for a minute in that vague and enigmatic flash. And he could feel the fear that pumped through her veins, turning her blood to ice. He didn't know why he was so connected to her, could not even begin to fathom what was binding them together.

But she was in trouble, and Michael had only felt this overpowering of a desire to help someone when it was one of the other three hybrids in danger. Or Maria.

"Do you think she really is crazy?" Maria asked after a moment of silence.

Michael shrugged. "Don't know."

Maria gave him a puzzled look. "Are you even thinking about that? Michael, what if we're rushing off to help a lunatic? Or a psychopath? Maybe there is a reason that she is in this mental hospital."

"Maybe there is," Michael agreed with another shrug. "Or maybe her step-mother had her committed so that she would be declared mentally unfit to take care of herself. The step-mother would then be given permanent guardianship, thereby giving her continual access to her innocent step-daughter's money."

"This isn't a fairytale, Space Boy, and not all step-mothers are evil."

Michael had to concede that point. This certainly wasn't a fairytale, and there was a possibility that Laurie was actually crazy. He couldn't completely dismiss that possibility until he had absolute proof.

Still…

"I don't know why she is in the hospital," he admitted reluctantly. "And I don't know why she is in trouble. But I _do_ know that she is in trouble, and that she reached out to me for help."

Maria sighed and slumped back in the seat. "Then I suppose we have to help her," she murmured.

* * *

The mental hospital was a lavish institution, complete with a gated garden that stretched the length of an entire city block. There were three different buildings, each adorned with columns on the outside and intricate trim around the windows. It stood on the outskirts of Santa Fe, just far enough away that the air was fresh and clean and not contaminated with city pollution or filled with city noise.

But as Maria glanced around, she noted silently the heavy padlock on the gate, the double locks on all the doors, the bars that stretched across every window. The men and women dressed all in nurse's and doctor's outfits that wandered around, sharp eyes moving in every direction while their hands closed stiffly around sedative syringes or restraints.

The first building they entered had a waiting room which was painted with bright, cheery colors. The floor had a plush carpet, and several expensive-looking paintings and tapestries hung on the walls. A smiling woman dressed in designer clothing came to meet them.

"Please, come in," she said politely, "and have a seat." She gestured towards the plush armchairs and sofas that lined the walls. "One of our doctors will be with you shortly."

As she drifted away, Maria leaned towards Michael and hissed, "What are you going to tell them?" Michael gave her a confused look, obviously not understanding the question, and Maria elaborated, "They're not going to let you go talk to Laurie. You aren't her family. And this place is way too well guarded to be able to break in"

Michael blinked. "I don't know," he said slowly. "I just want to get inside. I'll wing it from there."

"Wing it? That's your brilliant plan?" Maria snapped, rolling her eyes. "Do you actually think it is going to work?"

"You got a better idea?" Michael challenged.

But Maria's answer was cut off by the appearance of a well-dressed, neatly groomed looking man in his mid-forties. He was dressed in black slacks and a light blue polo shirt, and wore a white lab coat over his other clothes. He had a stethoscope around his neck and a friendly smile on his features.

"Fine," Maria whispered. "You want to get inside? Then shut up and leave the talking to me."

Michael snorted and would have protested, but the doctor paused before them, and Maria had already risen to her feet.

"Hello. My name is Dr. Henry Swan. Who do I have the pleasure of meeting with today?"

"I'm Maria," Maria answered, extending her hand with a warm smile. "Maria DeLuca. And this is my fiancé, Michael Guerin." Michael's gaze snapped towards her, but fortunately the doctor did not seem to notice the surprise in the hybrid's eyes.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. DeLuca. And you, Mr. Guerin. Won't you please come with me?"

As they followed him through the waiting room and into an office adjoining the other side, Michael leaned closer to Maria and whispered, "Fiancé?"

"Yeah. Got a problem with that?" Maria demanded.

Michael didn't reply.

They stepped into the office, and Maria glanced around curiously. The office was decorated in the same bright, colorful, expensive style as the waiting room. The ceiling curved upwards , the gentle slope coming to a stop over the center of the room where a small chandelier hung. A large window looked out over the garden.

This window did not have bars.

Dr. Swan settled himself behind his desk and gestured for Michael and Maria to take seats opposite him. "So, please tell me what brings you here."

"It's my mother," Maria said, jumping into her false story with as much energy as she could. "She's bipolar. And we could handle it, until my Dad left a few months ago. Now she just… she's all over the place, you know? Sometimes she sleeps all day, sometimes she has all this energy, but she's so careless and reckless and I get worried. I can't leave her alone…"

The doctor leaned forward, concern and sympathy clouding his eyes. "Are you afraid she's going to hurt herself?" he asked gently.

Maria nodded, willing a few tears to swim in her eyes. "Last week, I came home and she'd taken a whole bunch of sleeping pills… she said that she hadn't been thinking clearly, that she was just really tired and wanted to sleep, but I had to take her to the hospital to get her stomach pumped and I thought…" She trailed off and looked away, biting her lower lip.

"You thought it might not have been an accident?" Dr. Swan finished for her.

Maria nodded. "She's just different now. Different from how she was when I was little. She always had it, but now it is so out of control, and… sometimes she doesn't seem to know what is going on, or where she is." She leaned against Michael, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as though he really were her fiancé, offering her support.

"We're really trying," Michael said gruffly. "But it is just… too much."

"I'm only a sophomore in college," Maria added, inwardly somewhat surprised that the doctor was nodding his head, believing every word she said – including the fact that she was in college. "I don't know… my Dad did most of this, but now he won't even return phone calls and I… I have my classes, and Michael and I are supposed to be married in a few months, and I just… I can't do this."

"No," the doctor agreed seriously, "you can't. It's obviously having a negative impact on your life. And you would be doing your mother a disservice also, if you kept her with you. She needs more care than you can provide."

"I just want what is best for her," Maria agreed. "I can pay anything. Money isn't the issue. And I have heard good things about this place."

That caught Dr. Swan's attention, and he perked up. "From who?"

Maria opened her mouth to answer, to make up something, anything, that would be enough for the doctor. However, Michael answered for her, sliding his answer in quickly and smoothly.

"Meredith Dupree."

Maria shot Michael a sideways glance.

"She's a friend of my family," Michael continued, blatantly ignoring Maria's look. "Growing up, I was very close to her step-daughter. Laurie. Then… with everything that happened…" He gave a half-shrug and said, "Meredith told us that she sent Laurie here, and that it was a wonderful place. That she had peace of mind knowing her step-daughter was in good hands."

Then he gave Maria a pointed look as if to say, _see, I can make up stories, too_.

"Is it possible to see some of the grounds? Not the restricted areas, of course," Maria was quick to reassure the reluctant doctor. "But maybe the garden and… I don't know, all of the places that family members are allowed to be in when they come to visit? I would just like to… you know… make sure my mother will like it here."

The doctor nodded slowly. "I suppose that can be arranged," he agreed amicably. "Let me just find a nurse to guide you."

And he left the room.

The moment he was gone, Maria turned to Michael and asked, "Meredith Dupree?"

Michael shrugged carelessly. "Tess told us her name. She lives somewhere outside of Santa Fe." Then it was his turn to narrow his eyes and demand, "And what is all this about us being engaged? And you a sophomore in college? Is that the best you could come up with?"

Maria huffed impatiently and retorted, "It's getting us inside, isn't it? Now it's your turn, Space Boy. Go ahead. _Wing_ it."

* * *

The nurse was pleasant and chatty, and smiled brightly at them as they wandered around the garden. The air was cool, a gentle breeze floating through, and the place was actually incredibly pleasant. As Michael absorbed it all, he couldn't help but think that if he actually had to commit someone he loved to a mental hospital, this would be the facility he would choose.

Unfortunately, he still hadn't come up with a way to break into the restricted area where Laurie was, and the nurse had almost finished her tour.

He and Maria exchanged worried glances as they were lead back towards the administrative building. They'd seen the cafeteria, the recreation rooms, the visitors rooms… they'd seen more than they wanted to, and still hadn't managed to see the one person they desperately wanted to find.

At that moment, another nurse approached and spoke to the first nurse in low undertones. They exchanged words for a moment, then the first nurse turned apologetically to Michael and Maria and said, "I'm sorry, but something has come up that I need to take care of. Heidi here will show you back to Dr. Swan's office."

"Oh... thank you," Maria called out as the nurse quickly disappeared.

Then they both looked at Heidi.

And Michael had to bite back the urge to laugh. He settled for snorting in disbelief and demanded hotly, "What are you doing here?"

Heidi lifted her eyebrows and replied coolly, "I was going to ask you the same thing. Whatever it is you are doing, I imagine it is reckless and _incredibly_ stupid. Do you have any idea how good the security is here? You won't get away with anything."

"We did before," Michael argued fiercely.

Heidi rolled her pretty green eyes and said, "Do you _want_ me to blow up the entire compound?"

"Am I missing something?" Maria interrupted clearly having no idea what was going on between the two.

Michael turned to her and said with an exaggerated sigh, "All you're missing is Nasedo apparently spying on us."

Heidi-Nasedo folded her arms over her chest and said, "I followed you from Roswell. I had a feeling that you might need help. But I still don't understand why you are here."

"Laurie Dupree."

The name obviously meant nothing to Nasedo, there was not even the barest flicker of recognition in those green eyes. Michael frowned, unhappy at the lack of response. He had wanted Nasedo to know something about this, to be able to explain what was going on.

And, of course, Nasedo was right. The only reason they had managed to successfully break into Eagle Rock Military Base, escape, and avoid detection was because they had been working with a well thought-out, detailed plan. And because Nasedo had destroyed the base, blowing up any and all remaining evidence.

They couldn't do that this time.

"Who is this girl?"

Michael hesitated, not wanting to retell the entire story. "Basically, she's crazy, and she's in trouble, and I saw a flash of her and I want to help."

Heidi-Nasedo narrowed her eyes. "She's _human_?" she asked incredulously. When Michael and Maria wordlessly nodded, she continued in an irate tone, "You just barely survived Nicolas' latest attempt on your life, and now you're going to risk the precious little amount of safety you have by actively _looking_ for trouble? Trouble that doesn't even involve aliens?"

"You know, you seem to know an awful lot for a guy who is never around," Michael snapped, wondering how much Nasedo knew about the alternate reality that he had been trapped in and everything that had happened as a result.

"It's my job to know," Heidi-Nasedo answered calmly.

"Look," Maria interjected swiftly as Michael felt his anger and frustration with the entire situation rapidly grow, "we're here for a reason. And my reasonably attractive boyfriend might be an idiot, but he's a stubborn idiot, so we're not leaving until we've figured out how to help Laurie."

"Reasonably attractive?" Michael sputtered, indignant.

Maria ignored him.

So did Nasedo.

"Do you even know why she is in trouble?" Heidi-Nasedo asked sharply.

"No," Michael answered, grumbling. "That's part of why we are here." When it looked as though the shape-shifter might protest, he added quickly, "All I know is that I got a flash of her. She was reaching out for help. My help."

Heidi-Nasedo frowned and didn't say anything for a moment. She looked contemplative, as though she were trying to plan out her best move. Then, with a look of resignation, she said, "Fine. You two need to leave. I will go get a copy of Laurie Dupree's file and bring it to you. We can go over it, and if there is something in there that makes it look as though she does really need our help… I'll help you."

Maria gave a dark chuckle and said, "You obviously don't like this. Why are you offering to stay and help?"

"Because you're both stupid enough to get yourselves arrested or exposed or killed on this idiotically heroic mission of yours," the shape-shifter drawled as green eyes shifted towards Michael. "And you'd be no use to me then."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Nasedo found himself pushing open the door and stepping into the small coffee shop with a large folder tucked under one arm. It had been ridiculously easy to get a copy of the human girl's chart and to get out unnoticed by the others in the office.

Michael and Maria were both waiting for him at one of the tables in the back of the coffee shop. Michael looked up sharply as he entered, and Maria gave him a long stare. He had almost come as Sean, but something had stopped him. He pretended it was just that he had grown tired of that shape, but it was more than that. Though he would never admit it aloud, and tried to keep from admitting it even to himself, he had opted to avoid that disguise because he knew it was upset Maria.

He'd pretended to be her father for too long, and now he couldn't quite get rid the nagging voice in the back of his mind, the instinctual desire to look out for her.

He ruthlessly shoved those thoughts aside and walked forward, heading towards their table. As he drew close, Michael kicked the empty chair forward, gesturing for the shape-shifter to take seat.

It impressed him how quickly Michael was able to tell who he was, to see through his shape-shifting. He'd picture up another form this time, that of a teenager, around the same age as the two he was meeting. And yet despite his sandy blonde hair, fair skin, and bright blue eyes, Michael only needed to look at him once to know who he was.

He settled his lanky form into offered chair and slid the file folder across the table to Michael. "I scanned the first few pages," he said. "She'd definitely human, and she's definitely crazy."

Michael grimaced slightly as he opened the folder and looked at the first page, clearly not happy with that conclusion. Nasedo knew the hybrid was hoping that Laurie would be perfectly sane because at least then they could determine why she was in danger. But if she was actually crazy, if she really did belong in the mental hospital…

The first few pages were a basic medical history, and then lab-work and other diagnostic tests. The doctors had scrutinized her blood enough times that if there was anything unusual about it, she would have ended up in the white room, instead of here.

The blood-work was, in fact, relatively boring. The medical history was only marginally more interesting. She had presented with delirium and paranoia in her mid teens. Prior to that, she had battled a few bouts of clinical depression, particularly after her parents' messy divorce. Her pediatrician had also remarked once or twice on her listless behavior during exams, and had been slightly concerned about her lack of attention span.

But it was the paranoia that had eventually caused her step-mother to commit her. She'd been convinced that someone was after her, although it was unclear exactly who this someone was. She'd stopped eating, afraid her food was being poisoned. She'd stopped leaving the house, leaving her own bedroom, afraid she would be attacked. She'd stopped speaking to anyone except her step-mother, worried that the others were all spies.

Michael turned over one of the pages and said, "Maybe she is being followed."

"Or maybe she's just crazy and there isn't anything here," Nasedo countered. It wasn't that he particularly cared if Michael went out of his way to help random humans. But he did care when that help might end up drawing unwanted attention to the hybrid General.

He needed all four hybrids alive, or else how would he ever manage to get home?

"Looks like mental illness ran in her family," Maria murmured softly, pointing to a section of the form they were studying. "See? The doctor made a note that her grandfather had something also. But he didn't say what it was."

Nasedo leaned forward and nodded. "I don't know much about human biology," he said quietly, pointedly, "but I don't think it is uncommon for similar illnesses to run in families."

"Oh, here's some more on her grandfather," Maria said, fishing out a stapled group of papers from the back of the file. She flipped them over so the writing was facing up and placed them in the center of the table…

"Oh my God."

Maria's muttered exclamation of shock had both Michael and Nasedo stretching further to see the papers. And there, paper-clipped to the top page, was a photograph of Laurie's grandfather as a young man. A photograph of someone who looked exactly like Michael.

"That's… _me_," Michael said incredulously.

Nasedo hadn't been a member of the group that created the hybrids. He wasn't a scientist, and he wasn't particularly well liked by the Queen Mother, who had organized much of the project. He knew he also wasn't completely trusted because he was viewed as far too self-serving.

But he had known what they were doing. He had known that, to create hybrids, they had collected human DNA. He had known that, somewhere on Earth, were four people who had unknowingly donated their DNA to another person, who had unwittingly become - in some weird, twisted, biological way – family members of the Royal Four.

But he hadn't given it much thought. He honestly hadn't cared about those four other people. He had never thought they would in anyway impact his life or his mission. But now the granddaughter of one of them had reached out for help, and had unintentionally drawn herself into this alien mess.

"What… how… I don't understand… what is that?" Maria stammered as Michael traced the lines of his look-alike's face.

"That," Nasedo said heavily, "is the beginning."

"Of what?" Maria demanded, lifting bewildered eyes towards him.

Nasedo met her gaze and replied simply, "Of Michael."

* * *

"So… I'm confused. Do we trust the mayor, or don't we?" Liz asked curiously.

Max looked torn. "I don't know. I didn't like him. I didn't like the fact that he seemed to have no problem using anyone and everyone around him as long as it served his purpose. But… he _is_ Nicolas' enemy."

Liz accepted this in silence, mulling over what she had been told. Max had just finished recounting everything that had transpired since the previous day, and she was doing her best not to think about Kyle and to instead focus on what her boyfriend was telling her.

And it was obviously a lot. In a single day, Max and Michael had met with the mayor, Isabel had discovered the identity of Michael's crazy woman, and then Michael and Maria had taken off to track down this Laurie Dupree.

But even with all those thoughts rushing through her head, she couldn't help but think of Kyle.

It must have showed in her expression, because Max's gaze hardened and he said, "I'll beat him up if you want me to."

Liz laughed softly, but the emotion did not reach her eyes. An offer to actually physically attack someone was out of character for Max, but she knew he was under a lot of stress at the moment, and he was concerned for her.

Finally, she pointed out, "I don't think Tess would appreciate that."

"I can handle Tess," Max reassured her. Liz came him a doubting look, and he said with mockingly righteous anger, "You _doubt_ me? How could you?"

Liz rolled her eyes. "Because I've met you. And Tess." And Max gave a slight chuckle and a nod of his head, as if conceding the point. But she noted that the darkness didn't completely leave his eyes, and the fury still simmered underneath the surface of his calm expression, threatening to explode at Kyle.

She chewed her lip, worried. But there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it at the moment, and her own hurt and sense of betrayal at Kyle's previous words prevented her from really _wanting_ to do anything about it.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence as they turned away from the street and stepped into her house. Max had offered her a ride home from school, which she gratefully accepted, and then had continued to walk her to her door. Now it appeared as though he was going to walk her all the way to her room, and she smiled and slid her hand into his.

Both her parents were out right now, so she knew she wouldn't have to worry about their sideways looks and questioning stares if they saw her bring Max up to her room. That was a relief, because while she had no intention of doing anything with Max that they could actually disapprove of, she didn't want to have to deal with yet another one of her mother's lectures on the perils of growing up.

"So I saw Alex and Isabel together," Liz murmured as they headed towards the stairs. "I take it they made up?"

"I guess so," Max answered, looking a little disturbed to be talking about his sister's relationship.

It was good for the group, Liz reflected. The split between Alex and Isabel had affected Maria, and that threatened to draw in Michael as well. Things were already bad enough, and she knew the last thing they needed was _more_ problems between friends.

They reached the top of the stairs, and she pushed open the door of her room.

And froze.

The place looked as though it had been ransacked. The sheets were pulled off her bed and piled on the floor, mixed with clothing from her closet and scattered pairs of shoes. Books had been yanked from the bookcase and strewn about, and loose sheets of paper covered the desk and fluttered in the wind that came in through the open window.

As the surprise slowly wore off and Liz was able to think clearly again, her first thought was one of panic. Rushing to the bed, she reached underneath the mattress and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out her journal with a sigh of relief.

She turned to Max and held it up, "It wasn't moved. Your secret is safe."

But Max did not look relieved. His expression had set into hard lines as he looked around at the havoc in front of him, and then he said in a harsh tone, "I can't believe he would do something like this."

"Who?" Liz asked, blinking in surprise.

"Valenti," Max snapped. "I know he is angry, but this is unacceptable. I'm going to talk to him. I don't care what Tess says, he isn't going to get away with it." And he turned on his heel and stormed from the room.

Liz watched him go for a moment, then shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts. There was no proof that Kyle was behind this, but… who else would it be? It looked as though the person had been searching for something, and the only one who had just newly learned their secret was Kyle. Had he trashed her room to get even with her? Had he done the same to the others? Had he searched their rooms as well?

And if so, what had he been looking for?

She moved towards the door, ready to follow Max and keep him from physically attacking Kyle if necessary, when something caught her eye. The door to her closet was open, and an eerie blue light seemed to glow from within. She walked over to it cautiously, pulling the door open further in peering into the dark.

The back corner of her closet, starting at the floor and continuing about halfway up the wall, was covered in translucent blue crystals.

* * *

The fact that Max didn't actually bother knocking was Tess' first clue that something was wrong. The door was unlocked – it was always unlocked, which was ironic given that Jim was the Sheriff – but the hybrid king usually at least had the common courtesy to wait for their invitation to enter.

He didn't wait.

She was standing in the kitchen when the door opened, and she moved instantly to the living room, expecting the worst. Had their been another attack? Was someone hurt? Had something happened to Michael and Maria on their trip to Santa Fe?

Kyle was sitting on the sofa, and he looked up in distaste. "Don't you knock, Evans?" he sneered. "Or is that not an alien custom?"

She flinched at the tone of his voice, but neither the human nor the alien seemed to notice that she was in the room. She and Kyle had barely exchanged words since Nicolas' attack, and every time she tried to start a civil conversation, he would stalk away before she could even finish the first sentence.

"Why'd you do it?" Max demanded, striding forward, and warning bells went off in Tess' head. She stepped forward quickly, ready to jump into the middle of the confrontation if necessary. She still wasn't entirely sure what this was all about, but the rage in Max's eyes was enough to tell her that it would not be pretty.

"Do what?" Kyle countered, rising to his feet to face the furious hybrid.

"Ransack Liz's room," Max hissed, face flushed darkly. "Wasn't it enough that you insulted her? Drove her to tears? Wasn't it enough that you've upset her so much when all she was trying to do was be nice to you? You then had to go and break into her room also?"

"What are you talking about?" Kyle asked coldly.

"You know exactly what I am talking about!"

"Obviously I don't," Kyle argued. "I wouldn't waste my time on Liz. Not anymore." He took a few steps forward, moving until he was directly in front of Max. "Now get out of my house!"

Max ignored his protest and his order, and said, "What did you think you would get out of it? Do you really hate Liz so much that you would do something that petty?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kyle repeated. Then, with a glittering gaze, he added maliciously, "But let me know when you figure out who did it. Because if it upset you… and Liz… this much, then I _definitely_ want to shake that person's hand."

Max reached out and grabbed Kyle but the collar of his shirt, and Tess instantly pushed herself in between the two, trying to separate them. At the same moment, Jim entered through the front door and paused in the doorway, eyes wide as he took in the scene.

"What is going on?" Jim demanded, slamming the door shut. "Max, let go of my son!"

Max turned towards the Sheriff, dropping Kyle's shirt, and said, "What's going on is that your son decided to break into Liz's house and trash her room."

Jim's gaze switched to Kyle, his eyes questioning, and Kyle retorted fiercely, "I didn't do it. I don't know who did, and I don't care. I wasn't behind it."

"The hell you weren't," Max muttered, and it was then that Tess decided to cut in.

"Max, stop it!" He spun to face her, but she didn't let him get a word in. "Do you actually have proof that Kyle did this? Or did you just decide to blame him because your precious Liz Parker is upset?"

"Who else would it be?" Max shot back.

"That's your reasoning?" Tess asked with a short, bitter laugh. "Gee, I don't know. How about Nicolas. Ava. Rath. The Mayor. Even Nasedo or Courtney could be on that list. Why would you just automatically assume that it is Kyle?"

"Do you know what he said to Liz?"

"Do I look like I care?" Max took a convulsive step forward, as though to move around her and attack Kyle again, but she pressed both hands firmly against his chest, stopping him, and said in a low tone, "Don't even _think_ about trying it."

Max hesitated, but even in this much of a rage, he wasn't stupid enough to try something with Tess glaring at him and Jim standing only a few feet away. Instead, he glanced quickly at Kyle and said, "Fine. But stay the hell away from us, okay?"

And without waiting for a response, he walked from the house.

Tess followed him out onto the front lawn, leaving Kyle and Jim alone in the house. She could see that Max was literally shaking with anger, and although she did not know the details of whatever conversation had passed between Kyle and Liz, she could tell that it had upset the brunette waitress enough to make Max furious.

She ran a hand through her hair and muttered, "You know, you're not exactly _helping_."

"Neither is Kyle."

"What are you? Four?" Tess shook her head. "The whole _'he did it first'_ excuse doesn't work anymore."

"He did it. I know he did."

"No, you don't. You _think_ he did it, but you don't have proof."

Max rubbed his eyes, then asked wearily, "Do you really think that Kyle _wouldn't_ do something like that?"

She wanted to say that she knew Kyle would never stoop so low. But she knew her brother, and she knew just how furious he was, how betrayed he felt, and how far he would go to get even if he felt it was necessary. She loved him, of course, but he had the same callous and sometimes cruel streak she did.

Finally, she said, "I believe him. If he said he didn't do it, then I believe him."

Max left a few minutes later, and she walked back towards the house. The door was partially open, and she could hear Kyle and Jim arguing inside. She climbed up onto the porch and listened quietly, straining to catch each and every word.

"…don't actually care."

"Kyle!" Anger in his tone. And shock.

"What? Dad, you _saw_ Evans. He just threatened me, accused me without proof. You can hardly blame me for being a little angry at them."

"You were angry before Max came. And I am not saying that Max was right. But you have to…"

"I don't have to do _anything_, Dad." Defiance.

"Kyle, you can't really believe that they were trying to hurt you this year. That _I_ was trying to hurt you, that your _sister_ was trying to hurt you?"

A snort. "She's not my sister. And she isn't your daughter. I don't know what she is, but she's certainly _not_ family."

A silence, then, "Don't ever say that about Tess. _Ever_. She would move heaven and earth to keep you safe. To keep both of us safe." Another pause, then, "I've seen it."

"Yeah?" A challenge in his tone. "Did you see her play with my mind? Did you see her lie to me? Did you see her manipulate me?"

"Kyle, I know how you feel…" Patience. Understanding.

"No you don't!"

"Of course I do. Because in case you don't remember, they all lied to me, too. For years. You know the alien investigation I was doing last year? Who do you think kept me from finding out the truth? Who do you think made sure that my searching lead nowhere?"

"And you forgave them? Forgave Tess? _Why_?" Pure incredulity in that question.

"Because. They're good people, Kyle. They're just trying… trying to survive, and to keep themselves and the people they care about safe."

"Right. Of course." Sarcasm.

"She's your sister. And Isabel is your friend. And Liz… you cared about her once, too. I know you did."

"Yeah, and look how well that turned out for me, Dad."

"Kyle, please…" Pleading.

"I don't know about Liz and Isabel. I don't… I don't care about them right now. As for Tess… yeah, I know she's my sister. I know… I know that that isn't going to change because… no matter what, she still _feels_ like my sister. But that doesn't mean I don't hate her for what she did, what she said, the lies she told. And for all the times she _didn't_ say anything."

The conversation ended then with the sound of footsteps marching away the heavy slam of a bedroom door closing. Tess slowly lowered herself until she was sitting on the front step, her head resting in the palm of her hands. Jim did not come out to find her, for which she was grateful, because she really did not think she could face yet another person who would try to offer her pointless words.

Kyle's furious statements reverberated in her head, and she could not clear them away. It seemed as though nothing could fully unweave the tangled web that had caught her. She could still easily picture Max's livid expression as she forced him out of her house, and now Kyle, too, hated her. Trying to protect one from the other, she'd only ended up hurting them both.

* * *

Across the street, Jared watched as the petite blonde finally rose back to her feet and reentered the house. Then he turned to his companion and said, "It seems as though even in this world, Ava has a temper."

The woman nodded. "Indeed."

"We have now identified Vilandra, Zan, and Ava. Only Rath left." Jared bit his lip cautiously, then said, "Are you sure it is not the boy she lives with, Kristalia?"

"He is human," she answered swiftly, waving her hand in dismissal. "Though he is certainly as stubborn as Rath was." She looked away from the house. "One more. Once we find him…"

Jared didn't look pleased, but he nodded reluctantly. "We must be careful."

"Of course," Kristalia agreed. "But it has been a long time. I won't wait forever. I _can't_ wait forever. And neither can anyone on Antar."

* * *

Next Chapter: Parasite

Due: Sun 9/27


	68. Parasite

Title: Time After Time

Author's note: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. It's remarkably longer than I had intended, so it took me a while to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Sixty-Eight: Parasite

"I don't understand," Maria said again, and it seemed to be the millionth time she had said that.

Michael burred his head in his hands and groaned.

Nasedo rolled his eyes in impatience at the human girl's inability to comprehend what he was trying to say. But Maria continued to glower at him, and he found himself explaining yet again, "Michael is a hybrid. Half his DNA comes from Rath, General of the Antarian army. The other half, the human half, comes from this man right here." And he tapped his finger against the photograph of Laurie Dupree's grandfather.

"Yes, I understand that," Maria snapped. "I'm not an idiot."

"Could have fooled me," Michael muttered.

"Oh, shut it, Space Boy."

"Anyway," Nasedo continued, raising his voice just a little so that the two would stop bickering. Then, noting the looks he was receiving from other patrons of the coffee shop, he would dropped back to a whisper. They couldn't afford to be overheard. "It explains why Michael was able to receives flashes of Laurie."

"Yes, and see, that's the part I don't understand," Maria protested.

"Laurie was reaching out for help," Nasedo replied. "She didn't know she was, it was entirely subconscious. She's probably a complete lunatic, so she would have no way of knowing what exactly she was doing."

"And so Michael got her telepathic SOS?"

Nasedo frowned. "What's an SOS?"

"It's a distress call," Maria answered, one eyebrow raised in question. "What's the matter? Never heard of that expression?" There was a definite snide quality to her voice.

Nasedo didn't even bother reacting to the second half of her statement. Instead, he said, "Yes. Michael received her SOS. She's family. _His_ family. And he has the capability to…"

"But I don't," Michael cut in before Nasedo could continue. To the shape-shifter, he said with a puzzled frown, "I don't receive flashes. I don't see people in distress. Isabel does. And Tess, to some extent. But I don't. And neither does Max."

"My bet is that it took her a while to reach you," Nasedo answered. "Maybe if it had been Isabel or Tess that she was related to, they would have known she was in trouble the moment something bad happened to her. But with you… well, it took longer. She had to be desperate, truly desperate. And you had to be thrown into an alternate reality where the laws of space and time were warped."

"So if Nicolas hadn't attacked us, I might never have seen Laurie?" Michael asked, sounding disturbed at the thought.

Nasedo shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted reluctantly. "I can't say what would or would not have happened. But ties of blood are powerful. Don't ever forget that."

There was a silence while Michael and Maria digested all of this. Then Maria turned to Michael and asked, "So what happens now?"

"I want to talk to her," Michael said decisively. "I want to find out what's really wrong."

* * *

The plan was simple enough, but it relied heavily on Nasedo, which Michael did not like. Still, they didn't really seem to have any other option, so he waited reluctantly for the shape-shifter to join them.

"So, just to put this out there… we're back together, right. I mean, officially?"

He looked over at Maria, who was standing at his side. "I'm not getting into the relationship stuff with you," he answered, rolling his eyes.

"You don't have to," Maria replied. "In fact, I'd prefer that you didn't say anything." She folded her arms over her chest and explained, "I'm just saying that we kissed in the Eraser Room. And the only reason I'd kiss you then, and then drive with you all the way to Santa Fe – in complete disregard for my mother's wishes – just to track down a crazy girl would be because you and I were officially together again."

"Whatever," Michael muttered.

"I told you not to say anything," Maria snapped.

They were joined a minute later by Nasedo in the form of Meredith Dupree. She was a stylish woman, with blonde hair swept back from her face and an expensive looking skirt and top. They had no idea if that was actually her style, but Nasedo had explained that this would only work if they did their best to convince everyone that he was Meredith, and so they could only hope that this would work.

"Alright," Nasedo-Meredith said, "let's go. The sooner we get this over with…"

"Are we even sure that they will let us see Laurie?" Maria questioned.

"I checked. She's allowed visitors and it is visiting hours right now, so it shouldn't be a problem," Nasedo-Meredith replied quietly. "Just stick to your cover story and we'll be fine."

Michael nodded, and the three of them entered the mental hospital.

It took only a few moments. Nasedo-Meredith went to speak to the administration staff behind the desk in the visitor waiting room, and then they were escorted through a set of double doors into a room where they had to empty all their pockets. The security was strict, and Michael wondered just how much of a threat them patients here really were.

Before he could reflect on that, however, they were lead into the sprawling garden and told to wait while an orderly went to retrieve Laurie.

"Do you think Laurie will talk to us in front of him?" Maria asked, jerking her head towards the shape-shifter. "If she thinks that he's really her step-mother… she might not want to reveal anything."

"She might not want to reveal anything anyway," Nasedo-Meredith countered before Michael could answer. "But we can't tell her the truth, either. We don't know if she can be trusted. We don't even know if she's sane."

"We know she's in trouble," Michael said staunchly. "Anyway, Maria is right, she won't be completely honest if you're here."

"And how do you think she's going to react when she sees you?" Nasedo-Meredith countered. "A teenage boy who looks exactly like a young version of her deceased grandfather?"

The argument was cut short by the appearance of Laurie herself. She was following quietly behind a nurse and an orderly. Her eyes were lowered to the ground, focusing on her feet as she took each step. She looked more weary than Michael remembered, and more helpless.

"Laurie?" Nasedo-Meredith stepped forward, coming to stand before her supposed step-daughter. "How are you today?" she asked, gesturing to the nurse and the orderly that she could take care of her step-daughter for now. The two staff members withdrew silently, patting Laurie on the shoulder, and Nasedo-Meredith placed a hand on Laurie's arm. "I brought some friends."

Laurie's head snapped up, and she looked frightened for a moment. Her gaze moved silently to Maria, and the fear was replaced by confusion and curiosity. Then she glanced at Michael…

And froze.

"No!"

It was the first word she had spoken, and it was quiet, soft. But there was a steel underneath it, a firmness that matched the strength of the emotion in her eyes.

"Laurie…" Michael started, reaching out towards her, but she backed away quickly, shaking her head.

"No. You're not real. You're dead. You're dead, you have to be. I… I remember. I went to your funeral." Her words were rushed and scared, and her expression reflected the beginnings of panic. "You're _dead_."

"No… no, okay listen…" Maria scrambled forward and grabbed Laurie's arms, effectively preventing the girl from bolting, "we just want to help you. Okay? Just… we're here to help. That's it."

Laurie continued to shake her head in disbelief. "No. No… you think I'm crazy. You think I'm crazy don't you… _don't you_?"

Maria sent a frantic look towards Michael and hissed, "Do something! Talk to her."

"Look, you gotta trust us," Michael started, trying to get closer to her. But as soon as he took a few steps forward, Laurie dissolved into tears and crumbled in on herself, refusing to look him on the eye.

Michael gave a huff of frustration. Dealing with sobbing, hysterical women was not exactly a strong point of his, and he was at a loss as to how he should proceed. If she didn't want to listen, how was he supposed to make her trust him?

"You were asking for help," Michael said finally, a little irritated. "You asked us for help, and we came. But you've got to tell us what's wrong."

Laurie glanced at him, then looked away, averting her eyes to the left. "It was a dream, just a dream," she said. "And it was a girl I talked to. Not you. Not you. Not you." She yanked her arms away from Maria and stumbled backwards. "Not you."

"Laurie…"

The crazed human girl whipped her head around to face Nasedo-Meredith. "Why did you bring them? I'm not crazy. I'm not… don't you _know_ that…?" The tears continued to run down her face, though she made no move to wipe them from her eyes. She continued to stare at the shape-shifter, a mixture of fear and betrayal in her eyes.

Nasedo-Meredith moved forward and pulled Laurie into an awkward hug. Surprisingly, the girl did not resist, but she did not relax either. Her entire body seemed to stiffen, and she stayed like that as the shape-shifter tried to summon something akin to human emotion.

"It's alright, Laurie. You're safe."

Maria turned to Michael, her mouth falling open. "Did Nasedo just hug her?" she whispered, amazed. "I didn't know he even knew what a hug _was_."

"Hmm. Will wonders never cease?" Michael replied sarcastically.

Laurie seemed a little bit more calm after the hug from her supposed step-mother, which Michael filed away in the back of his mind as an interesting fact. Although Laurie did not appear to particularly like her step-mother, there was some level of trust there. More than he would have expected, had Meredith been the gold-digger that they all believed she was.

He would have to discuss that with Maria later.

Then Laurie looked directly at him and said with a tinge of desperation in her tone, "Please. Go away. Leave me alone. I'm not crazy, I know I'm not crazy. Just… go away. Please."

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of a nurse, who approached Laurie and said gently, "Would you like to go back to your room, sweetie?"

Laurie nodded and moved towards the nurse. "Yes, please, Julie," she whispered.

The nurse, Julie, wrapped a comforting arm around Laurie and said to Nasedo-Meredith, "Laurie seems a little too stressed right now, Mrs. Dupree. Perhaps it would be better if you came back to visit tomorrow?" Though it was phrased as a question, it was clearly an order, and the nurse was already leading Laurie away, not bothering to wait for a reply.

Michael slammed his fist angrily into the nearest object, a tree, and muttered under his breath, "Great. Just great. Well, there's no point coming back tomorrow because she's obviously not about to open up to me."

"You're the one who was so determined to help her!" Maria protested.

"Yeah? How am I supposed to help someone who panics every time she sees my face?"

"Wear a bag on your head," Maria suggested, smirking. Michael rolled his eyes and turned away from her, and she gave a frustrated sigh. "Maybe you should tell her the truth."

"No!" Michael and Nasedo-Meredith said in unison.

Maria rolled her eyes.

"Alright, I am going to get us signed out of here," Nasedo-Meredith said quickly, "and in the meantime, you," he gave Michael a hard look, "talk some sense into your girlfriend before she decides to blurt out the truth to every single person she meets."

And he walked away.

"You have to tell her the truth," Maria said firmly. "How else are you going to get her to trust you? You have to make a connection."

"Forget it," Michael answered.

"Look," Maria pressed, refusing to give p, "You want to know why she's calling out to you? You want to know what the trouble is? You want to know why you look like her Grandpa circa 1935? She's the key. So you have two choices. You can let her in on the whole alien conspiracy thing and hope that it shakes something loose from the dusty corners of her brain, or you can..." She trailed off, thinking for a moment, then shook her head. "No. You know what? That's not going to work, so look... You have that one option, okay?"

"No. No, what's my second option?" Michael demanded, curiously as to what she had been thinking and why she had changed her mind.

"You're not capable of it, I promise," Maria answered simply, shaking her head at him.

"Just say it," Michael snapped.

"Form an emotion bond with Laurie." She gave Michael a pointed look as he wrinkled his nose in distaste at that option, and continued, "Alright, fine. You don't like that answer? Then go show her the secret alien handshake, Space Boy."  
But he couldn't, and he knew that. It was too dangerous, both for himself and for Laurie. And that left only the second option, which he was less than thrilled about. But…

"Okay, fine. What kind of psychobabble Oprah junk do I have to tell her when we see her tomorrow?"

Maria sighed. "I can't put words in your mouth, Michael. It has to come from you. It's got to come from your…" she trailed off and regarded him, then corrected herself, "it's got to come from whatever organ you have standing in for your heart. Just… find a way to tell her that she can trust you. And make sure that she knows you are being completely honest about that."

Michael groaned.

"Relax," Maria said, "you have until tomorrow to figure out how to access your emotions. I'm sure you can do it. Well… not really sure. More like hopeful."

Michael opened his mouth to reply, and then froze. He reached out instinctively and clamped his hand down tightly over Maria's arm, pulling her towards him in a protective movement. She turned to look at the person who was now approaching, the person who had caused such a sudden shift in Michael's mood.

Her jaw dropped. "I… you… how…?"

"What are you doing here, Trevor?" Michael asked sharply.

The skin smiled sarcastically and folded his arms across his chest. "Nice to see you, too, brother."

* * *

"What are they?"

Max shook his head in mute amazement, unable to answer Liz's question. They stood side-by-side in front of her closet door, all thoughts of Kyle and the ransacked room forgotten. The iridescent blue of the crystals cast a faint, inhuman glow, pushing the shadows back against the surrounding walls.

"Are they… Czechoslovakian?" Liz continued, although at this point she was talking more to herself than to Max. She knew he couldn't possibly have the answers to this, but she still felt the need to say the words out loud. The scientist in her didn't want to stop asking questions.

And those crystals definitely deserved questions.

"How did they even _get_ here?" she murmured.

"I don't know," Max said hoarsely. "But they could be dangerous. We need to figure out a way to get rid off them before your parents notice."

Liz chewed her lip for a moment, thinking, then said, "They don't come into my room that frequently. And they certainly don't go looking through my closet. I think we have some time."

"Yeah… unless those things spread." Max closed the closet door and walked over to her desk chair, sitting down with a pensive expression. "This seems like the sort of thing Courtney or Nasedo would know."

Liz gave him a shrewd look, easily able to read between the lines. "But you don't want to tell either of them," she said slowly.

Max nodded. "It's just… I don't trust Nasedo, and I don't know yet about Courtney." He looked back at the closed door to her closet, and Liz crossed the room to sit on the edge of her bed. "It seems like we're always running to one of them for answers."

"We don't actually have anywhere else to go," Liz countered logically. She wasn't particularly fond of trusting Courtney, and she knew _exactly_ what Maria would say to that idea. But Courtney had saved both their lives in the past, and, whatever else they did or did not believe about the rebel skin, she did have knowledge that they did not.

Then there was the issue of Nasedo. She still felt uncomfortable when she thought about him. The others had started to begrudgingly trust him. Or, at least, not to distrust him quite so much. Even Maria didn't hate him as much as Liz thought she should.

And so the brunette human could not help but wonder if she was the only one who remembered that Nasedo had killed the real Sean and impersonated him for _months_, lying to the aliens – and Maria – in an effort to get close to them. Was she the only one who was constantly wondering just how many people the shape-shifter had killed? Yes, he had saved their lives as well, risking his own in the process, but was that enough to overlook everything else he had done?

For reasons she could not entirely explain, she trusted Courtney far more than Nasedo.

Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe they were both trustworthy. Maybe neither of them were. Either way, Max obviously wanted her thoughts on the matter, and this _had_ happened in her room.

With a sigh, she said, "I would rather ask Courtney than Nasedo. And we do need answers."

Max nodded glumly. "Alright, I'll see if I can track her down. In the meantime," he slanted another look at the closet, "you might want to stay away from your closet. Maybe stay away from your entire room."

* * *

Finding Courtney turned out to be quite a challenge. Unlike Nasedo, she didn't seem to have the ability to just instinctively _know_ when they needed her. Max hadn't honestly expected her to just magically appear, but he was also at somewhat of a loss as to how exactly he was supposed to get in touch with her. And, unfortunately, with Michael and Maria out of town, Alex and Isabel spending some _quality_ time together, Tess not speaking to him, and Liz keeping an eye on the crystals to make sure they didn't take over the rest of her house, Max didn't really have anyone to turn to for advice.

So he did the only thing he could think of. He called the mayor.

The secretary put him through almost instantly, and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly the mayor had told her in regards to the two strange teenagers that had just shown up at his office. But she seemed to think he was important, and he was grateful that he didn't have to argue with her to get through to the mayor.

"Mr. Evans. This is a surprise. What can I do for you?"

Max hesitated. He didn't want to say that he needed help, because that gave the mayor an advantage, told the mayor that he had information Max was not privy to. He didn't want to say he needed a favor, because that implied that he might actually return the favor one day, and he wasn't so sure about that.

He opted instead to say casually, "How frequently does Courtney get in touch with you?"

"Usually she doesn't. I'm the one who calls her. Unless something grave has happened or she is reporting back from a mission. Why? Do you need to speak to her?"

"I would like to, if it is possible. I don't want to ruin her cover, though."

There was a faint pause from the other end of the line, then the mayor said, "She is in a tricky position. She might have regained Nicolas' trust at the moment, but he will grow suspicious if he finds out you are contacting her. Is it perhaps anything I can help you with?"

Max snorted. He might not fully trust Courtney, but he certainly trusted her more than he did the mayor.

"No," he said firmly, "I really need to talk to her about it."

The answer obviously displeased the mayor, but after a moment, he said, "Alright. I will pass along your message."

"Thank you," Max replied before hanging up the phone.

He hoped Courtney got back to him quickly. He couldn't quite explain it, but the crystals left him uneasy, with a foreboding feeling in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

"What do you mean? Why isn't Maria here? Where is she?" Mr. Turner demanded irately, glaring at the luckless Alex. "When will she be back?"

"I don't know," Alex answered, faltering under the director's stern gaze. "I… uh… soon?"

The older man ran a hand through his hair and looked away from Alex. "First Courtney Banks, now Maria DeLuca? Why is my entire cast _leaving_?"

"Oh, well… Maria's not gone," Alex rushed to say quickly as Mr. Turner's expression grew glum. "I mean, she isn't as gone as Courtney is. Because Courtney is _really_ gone. I mean, not like _dead_. Courtney is… well, I mean she just… transferred schools, right? That's what everyone is saying, anyway. Because her Mom moved somewhere else. But Maria's mother is still here, and Maria isn't going to leave school. She's here, she's just not…" he trailed off and gestured around him, "well, she's not here in the sense of actually being _here_. But she's around. Somewhere. You know?"

Mr. Turner gave him a blank stare.

Alex sighed heavily. "I don't know where Maria is," he said, repeating his early words, "and I don't know when she will be back."

"We have two nights of this show left," Mr. Turner said grumpily. "I'll use her understudy for tonight – though the girl is a complete waste – but when you speak to Ms. DeLuca next, tell her if she isn't here for closing night, she can forget about getting any extra credit."

"I'll tell her," Alex called out as the director turned and walked away, approaching the dark-haired disaster that was Maria's understudy.

Alex frowned, thinking hard. He doubted Maria would care much about losing the extra credit. They hadn't joined the play solely for that. The three of them had joined it also because they wanted to spend some quality, alien-free time together. And it had worked… for the most part.

But not Maria was off in Santa Fe with Michael, and even if the loss of the extra credit was not a big deal, Alex knew that the substitution of the understudy in for Maria would be a problem… because Amy was planning on seeing the closing night of the show. And she would notice if her daughter wasn't there.

But would Maria and Michael make it back in time?

A squeal burst into Alex's thoughts, and he turned to look over at the source of the noise. Maria's understudy was flouncing about, obviously thrilled that she had the sudden, unexpected opportunity to play Desdemona. Mr. Turner said something else to her, and she nodded eagerly, then began to scan the room, looking for someone.

Her gaze eventually fell on whoever was standing behind Alex, and he turned to follow her line of vision.

It was Liz.

"Hey, what's going on?" Liz asked.

"I had to tell Mr. Turner that Maria wasn't going to be back for a while. At least, not for the show tonight," Alex replied. "He's not pleased."

Liz wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, I can imagine. He just lost Courtney, also."

The rest of the conversation was interrupted by the high-pitched, "You're Liz Parker, right?" Liz and Alex turned, and the girl continued without taking a breath, "I'm Katherine. It's spelled with an 'K' not a 'C.' I'm filling in for Maria DeLuca. Mr. Turner told me to come to you and could point me in the direction of all the things I need. Like a costume and makeup and everything."

"Oh… sure… okay, Katherine," Liz said, looking a little thrown by the other girl's enthusiasm.

"With a K," Katherine added. "Make sure it is Katherine with a K."

Liz sent a bemused, and slightly exasperated, look at Alex, and he responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"This is going to be so great," Katherine continued to gush. "Do you ever just feel as though you were _meant_ for something? I was meant for this role. It's just perfect for me. So perfect. Don't you think?"

Her voice was starting to give Alex a headache.

"Passion. Love. Innocence. Loyalty. And Tragedy. You know, the kind with a capital T. Not just tragedy, but… _Tragedy_!" And she flung her hands out to the sides as to somehow emphasize her point.

"Maria might be back tomorrow," Alex said, his loyalty to his friend leading him to be just a little bit annoyed that Katherine was acting as though she would have this part forever. "She might be here for closing night."

Katherine stopped, her mouth falling open in overly-dramatic, abject horror. "How could you say such a thing?" she cried, scandalized.

"Because it's true," Alex said, folding his arms over his chest.

Liz, ever the diplomat, jumped in and said quickly, "Katherine… with a K," the other girl beamed, "why don't you go to the green room and take a look at the dresses hanging there? I'll get the costumer to give you a hand and figure out if we need to do any last minute alterations."

"Oh, _wonderful_!" she exclaimed, her previous anger at Alex completely forgotten. "Isn't this all going to be simply divine?" And she hurried away.

For a moment, Alex had a mental image of her standing on the stage, declaring to a packed audience, _"I am Desdemona! With a D! And full of Tragedy with a capital T!"_

He pushed the uncharitable thought away quickly, however, and turned to Liz. "I really hope Maria gets back before tomorrow night or Ms. DeLuca might end up killing her. Or, more likely, Michael."

Liz nodded, looking worried. "Yeah. I don't like this." She bit her lip, thinking, then said, "So… how is your day going?"

Alex shrugged. "Spent some time with Isabel. It was nice. How about you?"

"Um… my room got ransacked. Then Max threatened Kyle and Tess got mad at him. Oh, and we discovered weirdly-glowing blue alien-crystals spreading along the walls of my closet."

"Oh." Alex digested that all for a moment, then said casually, "So you've had a more exciting day than I have?"

* * *

"Kyle. Kyle… Kyle, don't. I am your girlfriend, don't you _dare_ walk away from me!"

Kyle turned back to face Trudy, his expression reflecting his growing displeasure. He valued their relationship too much to completely disregard her, particularly when she used _that_ tone. But he didn't want to listen to her either, didn't want to hear any of what she had to say.

She was _still_ defending Tess and Isabel.

Of course, she didn't know exactly what was going on. Because no one had ever bothered to tell her. Because, like him, she had been kept in the dark. Would she still be defending her friends if she knew the truth? If she knew who… and _what_… they really were?

"I told you I don't want to talk about it," he snapped angrily.

"You have to talk about it," Trudy countered, running a hand through her brown hair as she drew closer to him. "For God's sake, Kyle, you can't keep acting like this doesn't affect the rest of us." She drew a shaky breath, then said, "Tess is one of my best friends. And I hate… I hate feeling like you want me to choose between you and here. I don't even know why you are so mad at her!"

"I'm not asking you to choose…" Kyle protested, but Trudy cut him off angrily.

"Of course you are. You can't be in the same room with Tess. You storm away every time you see her. You make snide comments, you roll your eyes when she joins us at lunch. And you treat Isabel even worse. You're forcing us into this– what _this_ is – by the way you're acting. By the fact that you can't even be _civil_ to them."

"You don't get it," Kyle muttered defensively.

"Then explain it to me," Trudy challenged. "Explain it to me, because I am trying _really_ hard to understand."

"I _can't_," Kyle retorted, throwing his arms in the air in exasperation.

"Why not?" Trudy demanded, hurt showing clearly in her expression. "I'm your girlfriend. Shouldn't you be able to tell me anything?"

She'd broken up with him during the previous year when it became obvious that he was still obsessed with Liz, still hurt over Liz's infatuation with Max. He'd been angry, livid, and had gone to Homecoming with Pam Troy to get even. She'd reacted emotionally, and had eventually ended up with Jason Chor as a result. Then Kyle had ended up punching Jason, and everything had gone downhill from there…

But now they were together again. Now they were happy. And now she was looking at him, a question in her eyes. Wanting an explanation. Wanting to know why he couldn't tell her something that was obviously so important to him. Something that was affecting both of them.

Kyle stopped, brow furrowed as he contemplated her question. He hadn't really stopped to think about it before, but now that he pondered the issue, he wondered why he was so adamant not to tell her what was happening. At least that way she would understand his side, she would get his point of view…

And then he remembered the end of last year. Then he remembered the bits and pieces of his past events that slowly assembled into a hazy picture. A picture once covered by Tess' mind-warp, now slowly breaking free.

He remembered the flash of white, the feeling of terror, the look in Tess' eyes when she had told him about the FBI, about Pierce, about the white room.

He trusted Trudy. And he was furious with Tess. But still… he couldn't reveal the secret. He couldn't take the chance that the wrong people would hear. He might hate Tess…

…but he didn't actually want her to come to harm.

"Trudy…" he licked his dry lips, "I can't tell you, because it isn't my secret to tell."

Trudy looked as though she was about to argue, but then she sighed and gave a slight nod instead. "Fine," she murmured tiredly, and she didn't press the subject.

But he had a feeling that this wasn't over yet.

* * *

By the time Courtney finally arrived, the sun had long since set over the distant horizon, and Max was alone in his room, worried about Liz. Worried about leaving her alone in a room containing an alien substance. But there was little he could do, because Jeff and Nancy Parker would most certainly _not_ allow their little girl to spend the night at her boyfriend's house.

And Maria was still gone, meaning that Liz couldn't even claim to be spending the night at the DeLuca's house.

But at least she had promised not to sleep in her room. Her parents went to bed early, early enough that they probably wouldn't even notice if Liz spent the night of the sofa. Which seemed far better than leaving her alone with those… things.

The tap of nails against his window caught his attention, and he crossed his room to see Courtney hovering outside. He pulled the window open, stepping back so that she could climb through.

But she didn't. Instead, she said in an annoyed voice, "If you keep contacting me, I will never succeed at convincing Nicolas that I am on his side."

He folded his arms over his chest. "You're supposedly good at what you do. I'm sure you'll manage," he drawled.

She glared at him, but asked, "Well? What did you need?"

"Blue, iridescent crystals. Glowing. Kind of pulsating, too. Found them in Liz's room. What can you tell me about that?"

He had expected Courtney to huff or roll her eyes or mutter something about how little he knew of alien life. He had expected her to make some comment about his lack of memory. He had expected her to explain, in a lofty and conceited manner, what the crystals were, all the while mocking him.

What he had not expected was for her face to drain of all color and her eyes to go wide with shock.

"_What_?" she demanded hoarsely.

Max narrowed his eyes. "You know what they are?" he asked cautiously. She had to know, otherwise there was no explanation for her sudden fear. And he did not like it, did not like the way she was staring at him in complete horror.

"They're in Liz's room?" Courtney repeated. She drew a slow breath, then said, "Have they spread? Have you seen them anywhere else?"

Max shook his head wordlessly, then demanded, "What _are_ they?"

She sagged against the side of the house as she replied, "They're a parasite of sorts. They were used to… well, it's complicated. Basically, when making a human-alien hybrid, you need something that will bridge the gap between the two species and allow for the exchange of DNA to take place. These parasites were used for that."

Max considered this, then asked slowly, "So… they were used to _make_ us?"

"Yes," Courtney answered. "I don't know that much about them, I was never good with this kind of science. It is very advanced, and I…" she trailed off and shrugged. "Never mind. The important thing is that they're here. On Earth. And that is _not_ good."

"Why? Why isn't it good?" Max asked worriedly.

Courtney met his gaze and answered bluntly, "Because they have the ability to destroy the entire planet."

* * *

Next Chapter: Of Family, Friends, and Foes

Due: Sun 10/4


	69. Of Family, Friends, and Foes

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Of Family, Friends, and Foes

"What are you doing here?" Michael repeated hoarsely.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing," Trevor answered with a casual shrug of his shoulders. "Checking yourself into a mental hospital? I don't disagree with you – you _are_ crazy – but I'm not sure that this is the best option."

Michael gave his alien-brother a blank look. He was joking, Trevor was actually _joking_ right now?

"You trapped Michael in an alternate reality while Nicolas tried to kill all of us, and then you spy on us while we visit Santa Fe… and you're amused?" Maria asked incredulously. "You're making jokes? You think this is _funny_?"

Trevor's eyes narrowed and he said in a suddenly glacial tone, "For the record, I was trying to protect Michael from Nicolas. You can hardly fault me for that."

"And what about everyone else? Max, Isabel? Maria?" Michael snapped, his tone hard and unyielding. "Do you really think I would have thanked you if they had died?"

"I wasn't seeking your gratitude," Trevor answered. "I just wanted you to be alive at the end of the day."

"Because we're family?" Michael said, folding his arms over his chest. "Well, guess what, Trevor - Max and Isabel are my family also. And I didn't want them to die."

"It's a war," Trevor answered calmly, his eyes moving to Maria and then focusing again on Michael. "People are going to die."

"And you would rather it be Max?" Michael asked, the anger boiling within him, threatening to explode. He knew it was dangerous – they were in public, and he could hardly afford to let his emotions run wild. If he inadvertently used his gifts as an outlet for his fury at Trevor's words… he didn't even want to think about what could happen.

"I won't deny that I would rather see Khivar on the throne than Zan," Trevor answered honestly.

Michael felt Maria's hand slide onto his arm, tightening until her fingers dug into his skin. She gave him a warning glance, a silent look reminding him not to lose control. Not now, not here.

"We're not even… we don't want this war," Maria said quietly, looking over at Trevor. "Khivar is the one who started it. Khivar is the one killed them all once, and is now trying to do it again."

"How can you side with him?" Michael asked, the raw sense of betrayal burning in the back of his eyes and along his throat.

Trevor seemed completely unruffled by the question as he replied, "I back the side I believe is right. Zan was never right. Ever. Obviously I regret what happened, but… You are here again. You are no longer dead."

"And Khivar is okay with that? With you wanting to protect Michael?" Maria hissed, one eyebrow lifted in a challenge.

For the first time, Michael saw something shift in Trevor's eyes. A reluctance, maybe. Or some kind of worry. It was gone almost as soon as it had come, and when he spoke it was with the same calm, collected tone, but Michael knew he had not imagined that tiniest reflection of unease.

"He will. Khivar understands the ties of brotherhood. He has a brother, of course, and he cares greatly for Nicolas. That cannot be denied."

There was a silence, then Michael asked again, "What are you doing here?"

"Following you," Trevor replied instantly. Michael and Maria exchanged worried looks, and he continued, "Do you really think Nicolas wouldn't be keeping an eye on you? Just because he is still planning his next move does not mean he is going to leave you alone. He was quite curious when you and your darling little human left Roswell." He gave Maria a contemptuous glare, and she stiffened, but he continued before she could interject a comment, "He asked me to follow you. And I did. But I still don't understand why you are here."

"And you think we're going to tell you?" Michael asked, almost laughing at the absurdity of it. "So you can run back and tell Nicolas?"

Trevor smiled. "You don't have to tell me," he said softly, "I _will_ figure it out." He looked around thoughtfully, then said, "But if you tell me, perhaps we can work out some sort of deal?"

Michael frowned, eyebrows coming together in worry. "Deal?" he echoed, not liking where this conversation was headed. "What do you mean?"

At his side, Maria shifted her weight back and forth, her movements reflecting her own anxiety. He suddenly wished she wasn't there, because Trevor apparently had no qualms about hurting her, and he couldn't let that happen. He had to protect her… protect all of them. Max, Isabel, and Tess also.

But some little part of him was wanting to know why he wasn't as concerned with protecting Trevor as well. He might not know the skin well enough, and they were certainly on opposite sides of this fight… but they _were_ family. Didn't that count for something?

Trevor sighed. "Look, I know you're here for a reason. And whatever it is, it obviously matters enough to you that you would drive all the way to Santa Fe and wander around a mental institution looking form something. Or someone." He paused, regarding them, and then gave a faint smile and a firm nod. "It is a _someone_, isn't it? Someone here matters to you."

Michael said nothing, lips tightly sealed. He didn't know if Nicolas would be interested in Laurie, but he had a feeling that revealing the truth about her identity to the skins would be a very, very bad idea.

"Tell me why you're here, who you are looking for," Trevor said. "If it isn't anything related to our war, then I will lie to Nicolas about it. I will prevent him from coming here and destroying whoever it is that you care about."

Michael continued to remain silent, wary and watchful.

Trevor expelled a frustrated breath. "Michael, don't you get it? Nicolas wants to destroy you, all of you. And he's not going to care how he does it. He tried with Kyle Valenti, and that didn't work out exactly the way he wanted, but it worked well enough. He sees now how easy it is to drive a wedge in between all the different members of your weird little group. Do you really think he's going to attack you? You can defend yourself, you are a threat. Don't you see that if he really wants to hurt you, he'll go after all the people who can't protect themselves…?"

He looked over at Maria for a moment, and Michael bit back the urge to punch him in the face for even _implying_ that Maria was in danger.

Maria found her voice quickly and growled, "You still side with him, knowing how low he will stoop?"

Trevor rolled his eyes. "I told you, human, this is a war. People die. And Nicolas wants to win it. We all do, no matter what. Antar can't survive another fifty years of this. It has to end."

"It will end," Michael answered coldly, stoically. "With Khivar's death.

Trevor shook his head and looked away. "Who is here, Michael?" he pleaded, and Michael heard desperation in the skin's voice. "Who are you trying to protect? Tell me. I can't help you if I don't know what is going on!"

"Why should I believe that you want to help me?" Michael questioned.

Trevor sighed. "Is it so hard to believe that I don't want you to get hurt?"

"Oh, I believe _that_," Michael spat his answer. "You've made it abundantly clear that you want to protect me… and to hell with all the people _I_ care about." He hesitated, took a breath to calm himself. "But now you are trying to protect someone else, a girl you don't even know. And that seems… out-of-character."

Trevor groaned impatiently. "If Nicolas attacks whoever is here, will you come to her defense? Will you rush to save her without any regard for your own wellbeing?"

Michael didn't answer, but he didn't have to. The very fact that he and Maria had left Roswell and gone on this wild-goose-chase for answers without any idea of exactly who Laurie was or why she was in danger was enough to tell Michael, Maria, and Trevor that this person mattered to him. A lot.

Maybe he didn't know why he cared about Laurie. Was it the fact that they were family – or, at least, that they shared some similar DNA – that made Michael feel so determined to help her? Or was it because he had been the first to see her, to recognize that she was in trouble? She had called out specifically to him.

The reason didn't really matter, he supposed. He _was_ here, and he had every intention of protecting Laurie from anything and everything.

So Trevor was right – he would risk his life for Laurie.

And the hybrid General, the blonde waitress, and the skin all knew it.

"Do you get it now?" Trevor said softly.

Michael looked over at Maria, but she shook her head at him, conveying her own distrust for the skin. He couldn't blame her, he felt the same way himself. But what other choice did they have? If Nicolas found out…

"He's lying," Maria whispered. "He's just going to go run back and tell his fearless skin leader, and then we'll _all_ be in danger."

Trevor shrugged, seeming to realize that neither one truly believed him at the moment. "If you change your mind," he said quietly, "I'll be around." And he turned and walked away, leaving a thoroughly bewildered Michael to stare after him in silence.

* * *

"Wow. Well, I didn't expect _this_," Maria said as she glanced around the estate with an appreciative whistle. The house looked more like a mansion than like any normal home, and it was surrounded by sprawling grounds. A high gate enclosed the entire area and Michael and Maria found themselves at the security entrance, staring stunned at a the guard's booth and the surly man inside.

"Me, neither," Michael agreed.

The conversation with Trevor had left them both uneasy, and unfortunately Nasedo had caught a glimpse of the skin as he left and so they couldn't even keep it a secret from the shape-shifter. Nasedo had wanted to go after Trevor and attack – Michael assumed that also meant _kill_ – the skin as was his usual way of dealing with problems. Michael had quickly stopped that idea, but Maria had suggested logically that Nasedo keep an eye on Trevor, just to make sure that the skin didn't do any harm to Laurie.

And Michael had made it very clear that he expected Trevor to be in one piece when he and Maria returned from seeking out Meredith Dupree.

"So… what now?" Maria asked, glancing quickly at her boyfriend. "Just walk in and demand answers?"

"Yes," Michael answered. "Something like that."

Maria clicked her tongue impatiently as Michael walked towards the guard, but didn't contradict the statement. She didn't particularly like the idea of entering into the house of people they did not know, not without some sort of plan. But Michael seemed determined, and it wasn't like she had any better ideas.

"I am here to see Meredith Dupree," Michael announced to the bored guard.

The guard raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

"Michael Guerin, and that's Maria," he answered, jerking his head back towards Maria. "We're friend's of Laurie's."

The guard frowned, but picked up the phone and made a quick call to the main house. Michael could hear nothing of what he said, but at the end of it, the guard hung up the phone and gestured for Michael and Maria to proceed.

They passed through the gate and headed up the long path to the house, where they were met almost immediately by a maid. "This way," she said softly, her eyes settling on Michael with an almost frightened look, and then she lead them into the house.

It was spectacular. Every room they passed was lavishly decorated and furnished, and everything appeared to be kept in the most pristine condition. They were ushered into a large, circular room with a mini-bar, two sofas and a home entertainment system, and windows that looked out over a sparkling blue pool.

"Wait here, please," the maid said, her words polite though her tone lacked any emotion. She withdrew in silence, and Michael and Maria looked around, still amazed.

"This is…" Maria started.

"Yeah," Michael agreed.

"Totally," Maria murmured, shaking her head.

"Can I help you?" a voice said, and Michael and Maria turned to see a well-dressed man entered the room, a smile on his lips and a cold look in his eyes. He stopped abruptly when he caught sight of Michael, his mouth dropping open for a moment, then the emotionless façade was back and he folded his arms over his chest.

"Who are you?" Maria demanded quickly, surprised by the man's appearance. She had been expecting Meredith.

He lifted an eyebrow at her. "I was going to ask you the same thing. After all, _you_ are the strangers in _my_ home."

Michael gave Maria a worried look. As far as he knew, this was Meredith Dupree's home, so why was this strange man claiming it as his own? Was the situation more complicated than he realized?

Before either could answer, however, a new voice floated into the room, "Bobby, you do remember that we have that function later this afternoon, don't you? I mean, you really cannot be trotting around the polo ground for the entire day and then expect me to do all the…"

A tall, elegant woman entered the room, and stopped almost the moment she caught sight of Michael. Her mouth dropped open, and her eyes darted over to Bobby with a questioning look. He answered her with a half-shrug, and when she looked back at Michael, her gaze was guarded.

"Ms. Dupree?" Michael said, glancing at her. "I'm Michael Guerin. I'm here to talk to you about Laurie."

Meredith gave a faint nod, eyes widening ever so slightly. "Please… take a seat…" she said, gesturing towards the sofa.

The two teenagers did so, but Michael held a finger to his lips, gesturing for Maria to remain silent, and then strained to listen to the whispered conversation passing between Meredith and the man she had addressed as Bobby.

"Spooky," Bobby hissed. "It's just… spooky."

"Hardly. Typical, is more like it. My father-in-law always did have a wandering eye. I caught him staring at _me_, on several occasions," was Meredith's reply.

"You know what he's here for, Mere," Bobby muttered in a warning tone.

Meredith sighed heavily, then said in a louder voice, "Well, I do love surprises." Walking around the sofas, she took a seat on the edge of an armchair pushed back against the wall and gazed at Michael. "You said you were here to talk about my step-daughter?"

Michael nodded. He really had no idea how to proceed, but still… he couldn't learn anything from Laurie, not until she trusted him, which meant that Meredith might be there only clue as to what exactly was wrong. And they were running out of time, especially with Trevor here, looking around, trying to find answers.

It was Maria who spoke up. "We're concerned about her. She seems to think she is in danger."

"Are you from Pinecrest Psychiatric Hospital?" Bobby interested skeptically.

Seizing that opportunity, Michael said quickly, "Yes, we are."

Bobby snorted, but Meredith said softly to Bobby, "They did say they would send social workers to speak to us if they thought there was anything wrong." She looked over at Michael with a frown, and then said, "Aren't you a little young to be one of their employees?"

"I'm older than I look," Michael answered, "but yes, I am young. And I might be knew at this, but I can tell when someone really is in trouble. And I am concerned about Laurie."

Maria watched the reaction to that statement with interest. Meredith's eyes clouded over, and worry passed briefly through her expression. Real, honest worry, and not the kind that was linked to self-preservation, not the kind that would indicate that she had done something wrong and was trying to hide it. No, she was worried about Laurie.

Bobby, on the other hand, cast a sharp look at Maria and rolled his eyes, huffing impatiently. "We're _all_ concerned about Laurie," he said, his tone making it clear that he did not think there was a point to this conversation, that it was really just a waste of his time. "That's why we put her at Pinecrest."

Meredith, however, asked, "What is wrong? Why are you concerned?"

"Laurie has been calling out for help," Michael explained. He didn't elaborate, knowing that he couldn't really explain what kind of calling the girl had been doing, not unless he wanted to go into a lengthy explanation of flashes and visions and reveal all their secrets.

Bobby crossed to Meredith's side and rested a hand on her shoulder. He whispered something to her, and she looked unsure and displeased. But Bobby was emphatic, and she sighed finally and nodded.

To Michael, she said, "Laurie is having paranoid delusions. Surely that is not a reason to come all the way over here? Isn't your staff trained to handle that sort of thing?"

"We're not convinced that she's paranoid," Maria interjected. "Or that these are delusions."

"Oh, now really!" Bobby snapped, "haven't you _met_ the girl? She's crazy. That's _why_ she's in your institution."

"Bobby!" Meredith said, a bit of censure in her tone.

The rest of the conversation was cut off by the appearance of the maid, who cleared her throat and said, "Mr. Daniels is on the phone, ma'am."

Meredith grimaced, looking a little flustered. "Oh, it's about the function tonight." She rose to her feet gracefully and said to Michael, "Excuse me one minute, please," then swept from the room.

Bobby watched her go, then turned sharply to Michael. From within the folds of his coat, he pulled out a checkbook and began scribbling in it. Once he was done, he rose and walked to the door of the room, and signaled something to someone who was waiting in the hallway.

When he reentered, he was followed by two guards.

Michael frowned, worried.

"Here," Bobby said, shoving the check towards Michael. "This is yours."

"What is it?" Maria asked, leaning across Michael to glance at the check. Her eyes went wide as she caught sight of the number, and she shared a brief look with Michael.

It was for fifty thousand dollars.

"And it is all you are going to get," Bobby continued firmly, folding his arms across his chest in an unyielding gesture. "You may look like Meredith's father-in-law, but we'll fight any further paternity and inheritance claims every step of the way."

"I'm not here to make an inheritance claim," Michael protested, shaking his head.

Maria elbowed him sharply in the side and said, "Wait. How big of an inheritance claim are we talking about here?"

Michael ignored her and continued, "I'm here because of Laurie. That's it."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "That story might have worked on my sister, but it won't work on me. What did you do? Browse through her medical files and discover that you look like her grandfather? And let me guess, that was what gave you the idea to see if you could get a little something from us? Well, it won't work. You are not getting your hands on any more of my money." To the guards, he said, "Please escort Mr. Guerin and his friend off the property."

The two guards stepped forward, their expression grim.

"No. Wait, what about Laurie?" Michael demanded, but the guards had already grabbed him and Maria by the arms and pulled them to their feet. Short of using his powers to stop them, there was little Michael could do, and the guards forcefully dragged them from the room.

As they were escorted from the room, Michael looked back over his shoulder, and caught Bobby's eye. Bobby did not flinch, did not look even slightly remorseful. Instead, he said simply, "Laurie is taken care of," and turned his back on the two teenagers.

Outside the gate, Michael slumped against the fence, frustrated. He was still holding the check in his hands, but he didn't want it. It didn't matter to him. Laurie was what mattered, and they were no closer to discovering the truth about her now than they were when they had started.

And it looked like they had made some enemies as well.

Maria, on the other hand, said thoughtfully, "You know, he called it _his_ money."

Michael looked over at her. "What?"

"Bobby. He said we weren't going to get our hands on any more of _his_ money. But it isn't his money. It's Laurie's. Or Meredith's. So why is he the one feeling territorial?"

"He's living off their money, and he doesn't want to part with any of it," Michael answered with a shrug. "And legally, he doesn't have to. There is enough evidence that Laurie belongs in an institution. Maybe she really does. Either way, Meredith will end up her guardian, probably for the rest of her life. So it will stay Meredith's money."

"But I get the feeling that Meredith actually cares a bit for Laurie. Bobby was the one who rushed us out of there."

Michael nodded in agreement. "If I could talk to Meredith alone… but it's obvious that she'll listen to Bobby instead of me. And he isn't going to change his mind on this any time soon." With a growl, he slammed his fist into the gate. "So what good would it do to talk to her, anyway?"

"You know… maybe we should come up with a way to change Bobby's mind for him," Maria said, a gleam in her eyes.

"How?"

"I think I might have an idea," Maria said with a wicked smile. "You figure out how to get Meredith on her own, and then figure out what you're going to say to her. I'm going to plan a little… surprise… for Bobby."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Isabel asked as she followed Max into the UFO Center. "I mean… I do like the idea of trying to phone home, but… I've never done anything like this before."

Max shrugged. "Courtney couldn't tell me anything else about them, but she said Larek worked with the scientists who created us, so he might have the answers. And if an alien parasite is going to destroy the world, I'd like to be able to stop it."

Isabel nodded reluctantly. "I know, I just… I thought we didn't trust Larek."

Max's expression darkened. He didn't trust Larek, not really. The memories of Larek's previous decision to side with the other worlds and attempt to force Max into a corner – twice – did not sit well with the hybrid king.

"We don't," he said. Then he added with a wry smile, "Of course, we don't really trust Courtney either. But I just don't think we have another option."

Isabel sighed and glanced around the UFO Center. It was empty, but the light in the back room was one, indicating that Brody was there. "So what do I do?" she asked softly, a little sarcastically. "Just walk up to him and tell him I want to try to use his mind as a telephone?"

Max rolled his eyes. "Look, I know Brody's been trying to remember stuff about his abduction. Tell him you have been studying hypnosis."

"And he'll believe that?" Isabel asked incredulously.

"Well, he believes in aliens," Max countered.

Isabel lifted one eyebrow and pointed out logically, "Yes, but aliens are _real_."

"That's not the point," Max huffed. "You're not actually going to hypnotize him anyway. All you have to do is make him believe that's what you're going to do."

The conversation was halted by the appearance of the man in question, who stepped out of the back room and gave Max and Isabel a confused look.

"Hey, Brody," Max said quickly, approaching his boss, "look, there's something I wanted to talk to you about…"

Max proceeded to explain, as best he could, the cover-story for using Brody to contact Larek, all the while trying to ignore the fact that he had no desire to actually speak with his one-time friend again. The Summit in New York had been enough to convince him that they would never be on the same side again. Not now.

Brody frowned as Max finished the explanation. "I've been put under hypnosis before," he said, looking over at Isabel. "It's never helped me remember anything about my experiences."

"This would be different," Isabel answered smoothly. "I'm… I have a gift. I'm a little… well, psychic, I guess you would say."

Brody almost laughed, the disbelief evident in his gaze. "Oh, come on…"

Isabel raised her eyebrows in a challenge. "You believe in aliens but you don't believe in psychic phenomena?" she asked quietly, daring him to contradict her.

"I've been abducted by aliens," Brody protested. "I _know_ they exist."

"I know my gift exists," Isabel countered.

"Aren't you at least curious?" Max asked.

Brody sighed, then gaze a slight shrug. "Okay, fine. So what do we do?"

Max stepped back and allowed Isabel to take over that part of the conversation, given that this was her area of expertise. He continued to watch Brody in silence, wondering if this would work, wondering how long it would take. Wondering if it would provide any answers.

"Okay, relax," Isabel prompted. "Close your eyes and clear your mind. Give me your hand, this won't hurt." She reached out to take his hand, her own eyes focusing on his expression.

"I just want to warn you," Brody said seriously as he closed his eyes, "the last time I was put through this, I was a very difficult subject. I just don't want you to be too disappointed when…"

It had almost instantaneously. Isabel and Brody's hands touched, and a crackle of electricity passed through them, then exploded, sending them both reeling backwards. Isabel collapsed to the ground, and Brody hit the far wall and slid forward with a resounding thud.

"Isabel!" Max raced to his sister's side. She moaned, lifting one hand to her forehead, and he dropped to his knees by her side, helping her sit up.

"You shouldn't have done that."

Max and Isabel both looked over at Brody, who had risen to his feet. He was staring at them, and something about his expression was just a little bit off.

"Brody?" Max asked worriedly as he and Isabel stood back up.

"No. Larek," the man replied. He looked down at his body for a moment, then said, "This host has not been prepared for communication. I cannot hold him for long. I have trouble keeping his heart beating." He glanced at Max. "What is it you want?"

"Parasitic blue crystals invaded our ecosystem," Max answered shortly. "Courtney said you might have the details on how to keep them from destroying everything."

Larek's eyes widened, and he asked in a new, shaper tone, "When you say parasite, do you mean the Gandarium from your ship?"

Max shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. They're blue, they look like crystals."

"Earth is in serious trouble. You need to leave, now."

"Yes, I gathered that from what Courtney said," Max snapped. "But I am not about to abandon this entire planet. Do you know how to stop these things from spreading or not?"  
"You don't understand," Larek protested. "The Gandarium are not to be trifled with. They infect human cells and break down the DNA. They will continue to do this, travelling from the host to anyone he or she comes in contact with. Plant, animal… they will destroy it all."

"I see," Max said. "But you still haven't told me how to get rid of them. And as far as I can tell, they haven't infected anyone yet."

Larek hesitated, considering this. Then he said, "Have you found the host?"

"The host?" Isabel questioned.

"The Gandarium are hive-like, with workers, drones...even a Queen. The Queen is the only one that can infect the host," Larek explained. "The host will be a human. Any human, it doesn't particularly matter. But the host will be looking for someone specific, someone who has a defect in their DNA."

"A defect?" Isabel prompted.

Larek nodded seriously. "A genetic flaw, something the person was born with. It's rare, only one if 50 million people have it. So not every human is suitable for hybridization. The genetic flaw allows for a mixture with alien DNA to actually survive… it is quite complicated and has to do with brain capacity."

"Then skip that part, I'm not interested in it," Max ordered tersely, waving away the explanation. "So… this host is looking for a human with a genetic flaw? Some random guy is being possessed by an alien parasite and hunting for a specific human?"

"Yes. And the host will leave Gandarium crystals wherever he or she has been. A trail, if you will. Once the target human is infected and the Queen mutates to a universal virus…"

"Wait, what?" Max interrupted, not sure he fully understood.

"Once the host finds and infects the human, the Gandarium will mutate into a universal virus. The human will infect anyone he or she comes into contact with, human or otherwise. All the crystals that have been left behind as a trail will mutate as well, and they will begin to infect anyone they come into contact with. All the infected people will continue to infect everyone they come into contact with. Eventually, every infected person on the planet will die."

Max paled. If the crystals in Liz's room mutated, they could kill her…

"How do we figure out who the host is after?"

Larek shrugged. "The person might know he or she is in danger long before the host finds them. The Gandarium affect the brain first, and anyone with that specific defect can usually sense their presence – even if the parasite is hundreds of miles away – but they won't know what it is they are sensing."

"So this person would know they are in danger, but not know why?" Max summed up, the beginning of an idea forming in his mind. "They'd probably think they were crazy… or other people would think they were crazy."

"You don't think… _Laurie_?" Isabel asked in a low whisper.

"She called out to Michael, needing help. Do you really think it is a coincidence that it happened at the same time these crystals started showing up?"

"But she is crazy. The records showed…"

"The records showed that she had emotional and mental problems. But she wasn't actually committed until just a little while ago. She wasn't declared _crazy_ until…" Max stopped, shook his head. They could discuss this revelation later, but right now needed to focus on the parasites.

And Earth's impending doom.

Turning to Larek, he said, "You still haven't answered my question. How do we stop the crystals?"

"If the host has not succeeded in infecting the target person, then there _is_ a way. Find the Queen and kill her, and the rest of the hive will die."

Isabel swallowed. "But if the Queen has infected the host, how do we kill her without killing the host?"

Larek shrugged. "I don't know." He turned away from Isabel, reaching a hand out to support himself against the wall. Then he looked at Max and said, "I'll have to return this body to its home or it won't survive. Zan… Max… good luck."

* * *

"Hey, Valenti, wait up!" Chris called out, hurrying after his friend.

Kyle paused, expression darkening as Chris approached him. "What do you want?" he asked sharply, lifting his eyes towards the sky. The morning had turned out to be damp and gray, and a little drizzle of rain fell on them. He didn't really like standing out in the rain, and he had a feeling he wasn't going to like this conversation with Chris, either.

He liked Chris, most of the time. He was a good friend, always full of jokes, easy-going and rarely ever serious. Unfortunately, he was also Tess' boyfriend, which meant that he was most likely here to take his own turn at attempting to fix the sibling's fractured relationship.

Honestly, Kyle was a bit surprised it had taken him this long to start interfering.

Sure enough, Chris said with a pointed stare, "Do you really not know what I want?"

Kyle turned away from him and started walking. He'd been doing it a lot lately, because he really had no other option. Tess was usually at home, and he wanted to avoid her as best he could. But the Crashdown was also problematic, because Liz was usually there. And he couldn't hang out at his friends' houses without them bringing up Tess… so he had taken to wandering around the streets by himself.

Chris followed him, refusing to let the subject drop. "She's my girlfriend," he said, "and you're one of my best friends."

"Fascinating," Kyle deadpanned.

"Why are you so angry at her?" Chris demanded, grabbing Kyle's arm and yanking him around forcefully. "Why are you treating her like this?"

Kyle pulled his arm out of Chris' grasp and replied fiercely, "Why do you care?"

"Did you miss the part where she is my girlfriend and you are one of my best friends?" Chris retorted sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "How can you _not_ care?"

Eyes narrowed dangerously, Kyle asked, "What makes you think I don't care? What makes you think this is any easier for me than it is for her?"

"Because you're the one being a jerk, and Tess would work this out with you if you would just _let_ her." Chris stepped in front of Kyle, arms folded across his chest, almost daring the other football jock to attempt stepping past him.

Kyle, for his part, both looked and felt about ready to punch Chris. He took a slow breath, calming his temper, and said, "Why does everyone insist on acting as though Tess is the victim? You don't even know _what's_ wrong."

"You're right," Chris said, "I don't. Because you won't say a damn thing about it." He looked away for a moment, collecting his thoughts, then said, "Whatever it was that Tess did, I will believe that it was bad. Because I know you, and I know you wouldn't get this upset at her without just cause. But I also know Tess, and I know that whatever her reasons for doing this horrible thing… they certainly were not to hurt you. She would never intentionally cause you pain, and if you don't know that by now, then I don't have a clue where you have been for the last almost eleven years."

And he turned and walked away, leaving Kyle to mull over his own conflicted thoughts.

* * *

Isabel walked wearily into her room and flopped down on the bed, exhausted. The events of the past couple days had left her drained of all energy, and the conversation with Larek had done little to ease her fears. The fact that the entire planet could soon be destroyed by an alien parasite they were partially responsible for introducing into the ecosystem was terrifying… and made her feel remarkably guilty.

After all, not many people could say they were responsible for destroying Earth.

She closed her eyes and used her powers to turn off the light, feeling far too lazy to get back up and cross the room to the light switch. All she needed was a nice, twenty minute nap. Just twenty minutes to relax, to let the stress of the day fade…

She rolled onto her side and let her eyes open briefly. As they did so, she realized that the room was still partially light. Far lighter than it should have been, given that the shades were closed…

Rolling off the bed, she landed on her feet and looked around, nervous. The light was a glow, an eerie, iridescent blue…

Coming from underneath her bed.

She dropped to all fours and peered in between the legs of the bed, and found herself staring at a mass of blue crystals growing along the underside of the bed-frame.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Hunt

Due: Sun 10/11


	70. The Hunt

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Seventy: The Hunt

"If the parasites were on the ship, then the only way they could have gotten out was during the crash. Right?" Max said slowly, staring at the map that Alex had spread out on the table. As Alex nodded in assent, he continued, "Alright, so we're fairly certain the crash took place at Pulhman Ranch."

"Fairly certain?" Alex asked sharply, tilting his head to look at Max.

"Well, it isn't like we've found the downed spacecraft," Max replied. "But based on the map Max found at the UFO Center last year, and my conversation with Nasedo in Frazier Woods…" He trailed off and shook her head. "Still doesn't explain how they managed to spread so far."

"Someone must have gone to the crash site, or at least near it," Isabel reasoned. "Obviously not close enough, or we would have heard about what they found. If they found anything alien, it wouldn't have been kept quiet."

"So someone went out to Pulhman Ranch, was infected by the Queen, and is now trying to hunt down Laurie?" Max groaned wearily and sank onto a chair.

"Who's Laurie?"

Max and Isabel both glanced over the blonde skin, semi-annoyed by her presence. But Courtney had shown up and refused to leave them alone, and given what they were currently up against, he supposed he couldn't really blame her for her persistent concern.

They were gathered at the Evans' house. Isabel's discovery of the crystals in her room had worried Max enough for him to call a meeting, and since their parents were both currently out running errands or at work, there was no one to overhear the conversation.

"The crazy girl from Michael's vision," Isabel said finally, almost dismissively, as she gave Courtney an unreadable look. She turned back to Max, and said, "Whoever is infected by the Queen… they're close. Larek said the crystals can often be found in places the infected host has been. Does that mean…?"

"The host was in your room," Alex breathed, looking appalled.

"And mine," Liz murmured, chewing her lip worriedly.

"But that doesn't make any sense," Max protested. "Mom and Dad would have noticed if some random guy broke into our house. And I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Parker would have…"

"Not necessarily," Isabel countered logically. "Dad works all day, and you and I are at school. All anyone would have to do would be to wait for Mom to leave, to run a few errands or something…" She shivered, uneasy and anxious.

"And with my parents… there weren't crystals in the rest of the house," Liz said thoughtfully, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "So someone might have just gotten into my room through the window… my parents would never know."

"But why are they targeting us? Is the host is after Laurie, why isn't he or she trying to find her?"

"Maybe they are," Courtney answered. "Right now, you guys are the best connection to her." She shrugged, then added after a moment's consideration, "Anyway, at this point I think it is probably a good thing that no one else has been targeted. If anyone else sees the crystals… well, that is going to be a challenge to cover up."

"Yeah." Isabel had to agree with that point, even if she did so begrudgingly. Turning to Max, she asked, "So what do we do?"

Max sighed. "The crystals are in Pulhman Ranch. They might have spread into Frazier Woods. We go back out there and find out how many of these crystals are there."

"You want us to walk into a lair of parasitic alien creatures that are trying to destroy the planet?" Alex asked incredulously. He turned appealingly to Isabel and Liz, "You guys think this is a bad idea, right?"

Isabel didn't answer, looking unsure, but Liz spoke up in agreement, "He's got a point, Max. I don't like this."

"There were crystals in your room," Max argued, "and in Isabel's. Larek said that once the Queen manages to infect the target – Laurie – all the crystals will basically attack us. We have to stop this. We're all in danger if we don't."

"Yes… but walking _into_ the danger?" Alex repeated, growing rapidly more worried about his friend's sanity. "How does that make sense?"

"Because we can't find the host," Courtney answered sharply. "We don't even know where to start looking. But we do know where the crystals are."

"Right," Alex said softly. "Crystals that we can't actually destroy without first destroying the Queen… which we can't find because we don't know how to locate the host." He paused, looking from Courtney to Max, then switching his gaze to Isabel. "And remind me again why this is a good idea?"

"Because if we find the crystals, we might somehow be able to use them to find the Queen. There's got to be some sort of trail… something," Isabel murmured, her voice firm and determined. "It's the only clue we've got, and we need to start somewhere."

"Yes, but…"

"Do you have a better idea?" Max demanded hotly, his temper bubbling quite close to the surface as his eyes narrowed. He knew Alex was only trying to look out for their safety – and with good reason – but his continual protests were less than helpful. He didn't know how much time they had, but it wasn't a lot. As soon as the host figured out where Laurie was…

He didn't even want to think about what would happen then.

Alex ran a hand through his hair, but gave up with a defeated frown, "Not really."

"Alright then," Max said, rising back to his feet. "Let's get started."

* * *

Brody was used to working late nights, but he didn't always like it. Contrary to what many people thought of him, he didn't enjoy his work enough to make it worth the time it took him away from his daughter. But he believed in what he was doing, he believed it could someday save Sydney, and maybe even other children, and so that made it worthwhile.

Still… his daughter was at home, asleep in her bed, and it was the nanny who had tucked her in and read her a bedtime story.

And that made Brody grumpy.

He shuffled around the UFO Center, yawning. With any luck, he would be done in the next hour and could get a decent night's sleep. The machines were still running in the backroom, but since he was no closer to figuring out why he could no longer pick up the change in energy he had detected before, perhaps he would even take off tomorrow and spend the day with Sydney.

He glanced at one of the exhibits, noting that it was slightly out of place. He pulled the table back a few feet and straightened the poster that detailed recent findings involving the electro-physical changes found in areas that had recently experienced some kind of supposed supernatural phenomenon… and narrowed his eyes as his hands touched something smooth and cold.

He glanced behind the poster.

And found himself staring at a tiny cluster of marble-sized iridescent blue crystals stuck to the surface of the table.

* * *

The stage was lit with a red glow, a lighting effect that gave it an eerie, almost creepy, aura. The set showed a bedroom, complete with an ornately designed bed, a large desk, two chests, and a fireplace. There was something unsettling about the scene, as though an uneasy sense of foreboding lingered in the air.

It was the setting for the final scene of the play when Desdemona, dead by her beloved Othello's hand, lay lifelessly on the bed while her grief-stricken husband sought to kill himself and join her.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that particular scene.

"What is going on?" Mr. Turner seethed as he entered the sound and lighting booth, glaring at the three students who sat behind the control. "We're supposed to be meeting Desdemona for the first time. She is about to come onto the stage and profess her love for Othello. The lighting should be bright and cheerful! She isn't dead yet."

"Hey, man," one of the students said, raising his hands in a calming gesture, "chill."

"Chill?" Mr. Turner echoed, raising his eyebrows. "Would you like to explain to me how this happened?" And he gestured with one hand towards the stage where Katherine had just entered.

"I dunno," another student spoke up. "Whitman handled all the controls and whatnot. It got set on the wrong loop, I guess. But we don't know how to make the lights change." He looked out at the stage. "This is kind of cool, though."

"Cool?" Mr. Turner threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "They're supposed to be meeting in a council chamber. Why is does the stage look like Desdemona's bedroom?"

"Hey, that's not our fault," the first student said firmly. "Set crew was supposed to manage that."

"Why didn't Liz get it changed before the show started?" Mr. Turner bemoaned, looking through the window of the lighting booth at the audience that filled almost every seat.

"Parker? I don't think she's here."

"What?" Mr. Turner practically shouted. "Then where is she?"

"I dunno."

"Oh, for the love of God!" He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Alright. Listen. You three, figure out how to change the lighting. I don't want the entire play to look like a death scene." He looked up at the stage and grimaced. "I'll talk to the stage crew."

On stage, the overly-excited Katherine had started talking, throwing herself forward and grasping Nate's hands. "My noble father," she cried enthusiastically, addressing the student who supposed to be playing her father, "I do here perceive a divided duty. To you I am bound for life and education…" she took a step forward, "my life and education do both learn me how to respect you; you are the lord of duty. I am hitherto your daughter…"

She turned away from him then, her movements sudden and almost petulant, like a child that had been deprived of her favorite toy.

"But here is my _husband_." She was still holding Nate's hands, and she pulled him towards her. He wasn't prepared for the move, given that it was not in their stage directions, and he stumbled forward, only barely managing to keep himself standing.

He frowned at her, eyes warning her not to do anything sudden or unexpected.

She seemed entirely oblivious.

"And so much duty as my mother showed to you," she cried, throwing her arms around Nate's neck, and twisting so that she was still looking at her pretend father, "preferring _you_ before _her_ father, so much I _challenge_ that I may _profess_ due to the Moor my lord."

"You're not even accenting the right words," her father hissed under his breath.

"Just say your lines, Tony," Nate whispered, rolling his eyes as he detangled himself from Katherine's embrace.

Tony glared at both of them, but raised his voice and said to the audience, "God be with you! I am done, please it your Grace, on to state affairs." And he turned his back on Katherine as though to show his despair at the fact that his daughter had run off with someone.

As Tony walked away from the two supposed lovers, he glanced at the students who were milling about in the wings, watching the scene with amusement. No one seemed to notice just how incredibly off everything was… except Mr. Turner.

The English teacher pushed his way close to the stage. He couldn't find Liz anywhere, and had been forced to accept the fact that she had not shown up for closing night. And, apparently, his set crew was far too incompetent to run this without her. They hadn't even managed to put out the right set for the opening scene.

Which was why the Duke of Venice was apparently holding a meeting in Desdemona's bedroom.

And he was not the only one who had noticed that.

"Why is the council meeting in Desdemona and Othello's bedroom?" a woman in the audience whispered, turning with a puzzled look to her husband.

"I don't know," her husband answered. "Perhaps it is a new reading of the script? Maybe they're trying for something avant-garde?"

The woman clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Well, I find it quite ridiculous. Who ever heard of the Duke of Venice meeting with his advisors in a girl's bedroom?"

The lighting on the stage flickered and turned a sudden bright yellow, illuminating almost every corner of the stage. The red was gone, as was the strange sensation of upcoming tragedy, but the yellow was almost too harsh and nearly blinding in its intensity.

"Oh! Why are they emphasizing this scene? What is going on?" the woman muttered, displeased.

On stage, Katherine flung an arm dramatically across her eyes to shield herself from the glare of the lights. Tny blinked several times, and Nate looked a little disoriented.

The Duke of Venice, played by a stoic and rather emotionless sophomore, continued his lines without any feeling at all, apparently not even noticing the change in lighting. "To mourn a mischief that is past and gone," he declared, "is the next way to draw new mischief on."

Katherine began nodding vigorously, and grabbed Tony's hands. "Listen to him, Father," she begged softly.

"That's not your line," Tony whispered furiously, withdrawing his hands from her grasp. "Just follow the script, Katherine."

"It's Katherine with a K," she answered softly, though her tone was icy and annoyed, "and I'm _trying_ to act naturally. I'm _trying_ to feel the _emotion_, to go with my _instinct_. I'm _trying_ to be _convincing_."

Mr. Turner rolled his eyes as he looked away from the disastrous performance and glanced surreptitiously from between the curtain and the wall, his gaze passing over the parents in the audience and landing on the lighting booth. He'd asked them to fix this, and apparently they had just decided to make it worse.

Not that Katherine was really helping.

Why did Maria had to suddenly disappear? Katherine was embellishing her lines, acting entirely out of character… he groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

This was going to be a long night.

The lights flickered again before the entire stage was plunged into darkness. The darkness lasted only a few seconds, and then a few faint green lights cast a soft glow on the stage, giving it the look of twilight.

The actors all looked about, now thoroughly bewildered and stunned by the repeated change of lighting.

Nate was the first to recover.

"Most humbly therefore bending to your state, I crave fit disposition for my wife. Due reference of place and exhibition, with such accommodation and besort as levels with her breeding," he declared, beseeching the others present to provide for Desdemona in his absence.

"If you please, be at her father's," Tony answered with a shrug, a wry smile on his lips. Shakespeare, he had decided, had no concept of girls if he had any of his characters actually suggesting that a newlywed teenage girl stay at her father's house.

"I'll not have it so," Tony declared.

"Nor I," replied Nate.

"_Nor_ _I!_" Kate said loudly, throwing her arms out in a wide circle. "I would _not_ there reside, to put my _father_ in _impatient_ thoughts by being in his _eye_."

In the audience, Amy DeLuca studied Katherine with a worried and hurt stare. Her eyes travelled down to the playbill in her hand. Why was Maria's role being played by her understudy?

Where was her daughter?

* * *

"So… we're wandering blindly through the woods, in the middle of the night, looking for alien crystals," Alex said with a fake cheerfulness. "Sounds like fun!"

"Alex," Isabel admonished, giving him a stern glare, "you're not helping."

Alex lifted an eyebrow sardonically and replied, "Hey, I'm here, aren't I? Instead of at school for the closing night of _Othello_ where I _should_ be." He crossed his arms over his chest and added, "And given that neither Maria nor Liz are there, I think Mr. Turner _might_ be a little displeased."

"There are parasitic alien crystals trying to destroy the planet," Isabel countered. "I'm not afraid of an English teacher. Not right now, anyway."

It was dark, and they had to squint to see through the intercrossing tree branches. Occasionally, the brambles would snare Isabel's clothes are cut across Alex's arms, causing one or the other to jump. The faint glow of moonlight filtered through the leaves above them, illuminating the overgrown forest floor at their feet.

Isabel held up the flashlight she was holding, angling the light in front of them to try to see better. Alex paused and took a sip of water, his eyes scanning the area around them until he noticed with a sinking feeling that they were completely alone.

"Uh… Isabel?"

"What?" she said, exasperated. "What is it now?"

"Weren't… weren't Max and Liz and Courtney supposed to be not so far behind us?"

Isabel started and whipped around, moving the flashlight frantically. "Max!" she called out as soon as she had confirmed Alex's question. "Liz! Guys? Max!"

The five of them had come as a group, but Max and Liz had dropped back after a few minutes of walking. They had been talking in hushed whispers, and Alex hadn't really wanted to interrupt them, given that, judging from the blush that kept creeping up Liz's neck and into her face, they were probably talking about something _personal_. Courtney, too, had lingered behind, though not particularly close to Max and Liz. Every time Alex had caught her expression, she had looked rather disgusted by whatever the hybrid king and the brunette waitress had been saying.

And now all three of them were gone.

"Max!" Isabel called again, pushing through the tree branches, Alex stumbling after her. "Liz!"

No answer.

Alex looked at the map he was holding. "If we retrace our steps, we'll probably come across them," he said soothingly, hoping he was right. "I'm sure they were just walking slower than we were, and lost sight of us."

Isabel didn't look convinced, but she nodded all the same. "Alright. Fine. Come on, let's go."

And she started walking briskly.

"Uh… Izzy? We came from that way," Alex said, gesturing in the opposite direction.

Isabel frowned and shook her head. "No, we didn't," she retorted. "We came from this way," and she pointed towards the direction she had been going. "We turned around to look for Max and Liz. So this is the right way. This is the way we came."

"No, it's not," Alex argued firmly. "We turned left, so now we want to be going back to the right to retrace our steps. I'm the one with the map." And he held up the wrinkled paper map for emphasis.

"Okay, but you're still wrong," Isabel declared, hands on her hips. She took a few steps away from him, towards the direction she was sure they were supposed to be going…

And suddenly the ground gave way beneath her feet.

She cried out, throwing both of her hands forward to catch herself as she fell to her knees. The flashlight tumbled from her grip just as the earth below her seemed to practically open up, splitting like a fracture in the ground. The flashlight rolled out of her reach, spinning down the sloping ground, and a moment later she was falling also, tumbling into some kind of pit.

Above her, she heard Alex cry out her name.

She hit the ground with a resounding thud, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to catch her breath. The rock beneath her was smooth and worn down as though rain or water had washed over it in the past. She blinked and opened her eyes, trying to push herself into a sitting position.

The flashlight was near her hands. She reached for it, noting that the bulb had broken and it was now useless. Frustrated, she pushed it aside.

And then she realized that, even without the flashlight, even though it was night and she was several feet below the earth with only a slim opening above her to let in the moonlight, she could still see clearly. Because everything was illuminated by a faint glow.

A _blue_ glow.

She looked up, her eyes widening in shock. She was in an underground cave of sorts, and the walls were all spotted with clusters of the Gandarium crystals. They had spread out onto some of the floor as well, and almost completely covered the ceiling.

"Isabel?"

She turned towards the sound of Alex's voice and saw that he had lowered himself into the cave through the small opening above her and was attempting to climb down the stone wall. But as he reached out with one hand to find a grip on the wall, his fingers brushed a crystal cluster and it moved, turning into a strange liquid-like gel.

"Oh!"

His hand slid, and he lost his balance, falling backwards and landing heavily at Isabel's side.

She reached over to him. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah," he muttered, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "I was just coming to make sure you were alright…" He stopped talking as his eyes traveled upwards and he caught sight of the crystals everywhere. "Oh… _wow_."

"Yeah," Isabel murmured.

"Jackpot, baby! Yeah! Alex Whitman, ladies and gentlemen." He climbed a bit unsteadily to his feet and took an awkward bow, causing Isabel to hide a smirk behind one hand. "I have found the nest!" he declared triumphantly.

"You found?" Isabel repeated incredulously. "I'm the one who fell into the freaking hole! Don't I get any credit?"

Alex at least had the good sense to look contrite. "Of course you get credit," he said quickly, consolingly. "Anyway, we should probably find Max and Liz and tell them that the hunt is over. I think we've found enough crystals." He paused, then asked curiously, "What do you think alien crystals are going for on eBay?"

Isabel laughed and swatted his arm as she rose to her feet as well. "Alright, Columbus. You've claimed the land for the Queen of Spain. What do you say we go find the others?"

But just as she had finished the suggestion, the crystals above them began to pulsate, and then suddenly the ones nearest the hole spread into a thin layer and seeped out on all sides, effectively covering their only means out of the cave.

"Oh… not good."

* * *

"Find anything?" Max called out anxiously as he peered through the gloom of the forest.

"Just a whole bunch of trees," was Courtney's response. "I don't see Alex or Isabel anywhere."

Liz sighed and ran a hand through her hair, stepping closer to Max. "Are you sure we haven't just been walking in circles? Everything looks the same."

"Try calling Isabel's cell phone," Courtney suggested.

"This is a little creepy," Liz commented as Max withdrew his cell phone from his jacket pocket. "And cold. Couldn't the crystals have come out in the summer when its warmer?"

Max shot her a bemused look and said, "Next time we're facing the end of the world, I'll make sure to request it happen at a more convenient time." He looked down at his cell phone and flipped it open, ready to call Isabel, when it started ringing in his hand.

The caller ID registered Isabel's cell phone.

"Isabel? Where are you? Is Alex with you? Are you alright?" Max asked in a rush.

"_Yeah… uh, I'm fine. Alex is with me. Max… we're in the nest."_

"You're what?" Max demanded, unsure he had heard her correctly. "What do you mean? How are you…"

"_It's an underground cave. I fell into it, and then Alex climbed in after me, and then the crystals kind of… closed the opening. We're… sort-of trapped in the nest."_

"You're stuck in an underground cave that also happens to contain the next of parasitic, end-of-the-world-causing, alien crystals?"

"_Um… yeah."_

"Why did you go into the cave?" Max asked in disbelief.

"_It's not like I went in purposefully. I fell. The ground just opened up underneath me."_

He could tell by the irate tone of Isabel's voice that she was not happy with the situation. He turned towards Liz and Courtney, both of whom were staring at him with wide, horrified eyes. "Can't you just blast the crystals?" he asked hopefully.

"_Do you really think I haven't thought to try that already? I'm not an idiot, Max. Our powers don't seem to work on the crystals. I can't do anything to them."_

"Uh… okay. Well…" Max floundered for a moment, having no idea at all what to tell her. "Just… hang in there. We'll try to find you and then… we'll figure something out. Somehow."

"_You sound so confident."_

There was definite sarcasm in her answer.

"Hang in there," he said again.

"_Just hurry up, Max. Eventually we will run out of air." _

He could hear the fear in her voice, even though she tried to squash it. He forced himself to push aside his own panic, to not dwell on the fact that his sister was trapped with a whole bunch of potentially deadly alien parasites and a rapidly depleting oxygen supply.

"Uh… breath shallow," he offered.

"_Breathe shallow? That's your advice? God, you're pathetic."_

"Well, look on the bright side," he said in a tone of forced calm, "at least we've found the nest. The hunt is over, we were successful."

"_Yeah, easy for you to say. You're not trapped in a cave."_

* * *

"Do you always make a point of leaving your house at ten o'clock at night?"

Meredith Dupree paused, one hand resting on her car door, and lifted her eyes to glance at Michael. "Do I want to know how you managed to get past the guard at the gate and enter my property undetected?" she asked, one hand sliding towards her purse.

"Probably not," Michael answered with a wry grin. He looked down at her hands, then up to her icy expression and said, "Mace? Pepper spray? Whatever it is you are reaching for, you don't need it. I'm not here to hurt you."

"Where is your friend, Mr. Guerin?" Meredith asked quietly. "Is she stalking Bobby the way you are apparently stalking me?"

Michael inclined his head. "She has her own plans for the evening, but they don't concern this conversation. I have no interest in your brother. Although he seems to have quite the interest in me."

"Oh?" She raised one eyebrow laconically.

He extended his hand, the check held between his fingers. She took it from him with a confused expression, and he said, "It isn't every day that someone gives me that significant a sum of money as a reward for going away. Or, I suppose, more as a bribe to keep my nose out of your step-daughter's life."

She glanced at the number on the check, and for a moment he saw the shock register on her face. It was gone as soon as it had come, however, and she looked at him with a hard expression. "And what exactly is your interest in my step-daughter?"

"I was entirely truthful with you, Mrs. Dupree, when I said that I was concerned for her wellbeing," Michael answered. "And I was hoping to be able to talk to you about that privately." He looked up at the house, and asked, "Did your brother tell you that he had your guards _escort_ Maria and I from the premises?"

She didn't answer, but Michael could tell from the way her eyes flickered uneasily away from him that she had not known the truth – but she might have suspected.

"Bobby is merely trying to protect me," she said evenly. "After all… your story is rather preposterous." She studied his face for a moment, then added, "And I will not let you use your resemblance to my father-in-law as a means of blackmailing me."

"You can have the money back," Michael answered just as coolly, nodding to the check in her hand. "I never wanted it."

She pocketed the check. "I'm meeting some friends," she said finally. "A girls' night out, if you will. I don't have time to talk."

Michael sighed heavily. "Mrs. Dupree… Meredith… this is important. _Laurie_ is important. Don't you know that?"

For the first time, Michael saw real, honest emotion reflected in Meredith's eyes as she answered sharply, "Don't preach to me, Mr. Guerin. You're not the one who has been taking care of Laurie for the past eight years."

"And let me guess, you got tired of it. So you decided to dump her in a mental institution. Which, conveniently, leaves you with access to all her money. Should I be suspicious that you had her declared mentally unstable less than a week before her eighteenth birthday?"

"How dare you…?"

"That way you didn't have to give up the money as you would have had she been fully competent and functional," Michael pressed on, heedless of the rage simmering in Meredith's eyes. "She was a great big check for you, and you couldn't let that go. Imagine everything you would have to give up without that money. So you just… _disposed_… of Laurie, because really, she didn't matter…"

In one step, Meredith had closed the space between them and slapped him, her hand hitting the side of his face with enough force to make his neck snap back. He winced in pain, both slightly impressed and incredibly surprised by the pure fury emanating from the woman before him.

"I _love_ Laurie," Meredith spat.

"Then why did you send her away?" Michael demanded, lifting one hand to gingerly touch the side of his cheek.

"Her hair."

Michael blinked. "What?"

Meredith stepped backwards, away from him, and wrapped her arms around herself. "When I married her father… you see, I never wanted children. Laurie was… I guess when I married her father, I saw her as an unfortunate side-effect I would just have to live with. I tried my best, I really did. After all, her mother had left when she was two, and hadn't even bothered to stay in touch with her own daughter and… every child should have a mother. Unfortunately, all Laurie got was me. Yet another person who didn't really want her."

She leaned back against the car and looked up at the house. For a moment, Michael wasn't sure if she would continue, but then she licked her lips and started speaking again, slowly, as though carefully choosing the right words.

"As a child, she was often depressed. Her psychiatrists – and believe me, her father and I paid for the very best – all thought it was because of the divorce. Even though her mother left when she was two, the divorce dragged on for a long time after that. It was messy, and they fought all the time in court, but her mother never came to see Laurie. So… although she had time to try to wrangle as much money as possible from her ex-husband… Laurie just wasn't important. And I think Laurie knew that."

"That would lead to depression," Michael muttered, his mind wandering momentarily to Hank. But he pushed those thoughts away, not wanting to dwell on the past.

"It was hard to connect to her. She was eight when her father and I started dating and ten when we married, and by then she'd already managed to swing into full-blown depression quite frequently. She was never suicidal, but it didn't stop us from worrying. Her father died two years after we married, and that's when the paranoia hit. Then the listlessness, the lack of attention span… By her teens, she'd had almost every mental disorder diagnosis you could think of, and nothing we tried really helped."

"But her father didn't have her committed," Michael argued, and he couldn't quite keep the accusation out of his tone.

Meredith gave a bitter laugh in reply. "No, he didn't. He was convinced that he could handle it. He could take care of her. Since her mother had pretty much abandoned her… he didn't want her to think that he was doing the same. But then he died…" her tone became dark, angry, "and I was left with a paranoid, depressed, unreachable teenager I had never wanted in the first place."

"You resented it," Michael said.

She nodded. "God, yes. I couldn't invite people over because I didn't know how she would respond to their presence, but I couldn't go visit my friends because I couldn't leave Laurie alone. She was always getting in the way and I… I wanted my life. The one I'd had before… I used to have a social life, I used to go to the theater and the ballet. I used to go to cocktail parties and lectures and fancy dinners."

"And heaven forbid a child ruin it for you," Michael said sarcastically.

"Yes." Meredith swallowed and ran a hand through her hair with a frustrated look in her eyes. "It was so… she just got in the way all the time, and I… I _hated_ it. But … I _did_ care about her. I _did_ love her in my own way. And… I did try my best. I really did. I wouldn't… You don't walk away from children. And, whether I wanted it or not, Laurie was mine now. Legally, of course, but also… she didn't have anyone else."

"She's still yours," Michael pointed out softly.

"I know," Meredith answered. "And… I am still trying to do my best by her."

"By sending her away?"

"She started pulling out her hair," Meredith answered. "About a week ago… she told me she had these dreams. She was being chased by something. Sometimes it was a man. But sometimes… she told me she saw crystals in her sleep. Blue crystals. She told me she was being targeted by aliens. I thought it was the paranoia again… it comes and goes, and I know how to handle that. But it was worse than I had expected. She wouldn't leave her room, wouldn't talk to anyone but me. And then… I started finding clumps of hair. Her hair. And I knew…"

"Knew what?" Michael prompted when Meredith trailed off with a bittersweet look in her eyes.

"Her father always justified not sending her to a mental hospital because she wasn't hurting herself. Not physically, anyway. Even with everything else that she had to deal with… she never did any of those things that you hear about. Cutting, burning… that sort of thing. But now she was pulling out her hair. And once she started scratching her arms in her sleep. She told me she was trying to get the crystals out… And I thought… what happens next? What happens if instead of pulling out her hair or scratching herself, she… she… What happens when she moves on to something more permanent? More dangerous? She needed help. More than I could offer."

"So you had her committed?"

"I talked to Bobby about it, and we both agreed it was the right thing to do." Meredith chewed her lip for a moment, then said, "It's a good hospital. The best in the state. It's close, so I can visit her every week. Some weeks more than once. It… it's a good place. They take care of her there."

Michael nodded, unable to deny that. It had seemed like a good place, and Laurie had seemed safe.

But she'd also cried out to him for help.

And Michael honestly didn't know how to respond to Meredith. She was cold and selfish and he could see the relief she felt every time she thought about the fact that Laurie was no longer her responsibility. He could see how much she enjoyed living this life, being free of her troublesome step-daughter for the first time in eight years. She was spoiled, she was accustomed to nice things, and she certainly was not the warm and caring mother that Laurie needed.

But he could also see that she was trying to do her best for her step-daughter.

Finally, he said, "You might have Laurie's best interests at heart, but do you really think Bobby does?"

Meredith flinched at the implied insult in those words, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "You don't know anything about my brother," she said icily.

Michael hesitated, then inclined his head. "Maybe not," he agreed.

And then he remembered the way Laurie's eyes had automatically moved to Meredith-Nasedo when luckless girl had been confronted by Michael, by the exact image of her deceased grandfather. She had looked towards the person she thought was her stepmother… for guidance. For understanding.

For protection.

"But I know something about Laurie. I know that she trusts you." Michael scratched his eyebrow thoughtfully, and pressed on, "And I know she is in trouble. Bobby might not care… but you do."

"What do you want from me?" Meredith asked quietly, almost inaudibly.

On, in that moment, Michael knew exactly what he wanted. "Come with me tomorrow," he said. "Come with me while I talk to Laurie. Just… hear us both out. That's all I'm asking."

Meredith nodded. "Fine," she said in a clipped tone. "Now, if you will excuse me…" And she turned back to her car.

Michael watched her climb into her car, then he walked slowly towards the gate, wondering how Maria was fairing with her _project_ of the evening.

Before he could spend much time dwelling on that, however, his phone rang, and he reached for it, worrying flaring instantly when he saw that it was Max calling.

"Maxwell?"

"_Michael. Are you okay? Maria?"_

"Yeah, we're fine," Michael said. They'd barely been gone for two days, it seemed off that Max would start panicking. But it was clear that he was worried about something… So Michael elaborated with a wry irony to his words, "We discovered that Laurie's grandfather was my human host. It's where I got half of my DNA… the human half, obviously. And now we're trying to convince her step-mother to help us spring Laurie from the mental hospital and get rid of her freak of an uncle. Guy named Bobby. Gives me the creeps. Oh, and Bobby gave me several thousand dollars. But I returned it all to Meredith. Hope you don't mind. Oh… and Nasedo and Trevor both showed up."

There was a slightly stunned silence from the other end of the phone.

Michael grinned. "Think you can top that?"

"_We discovered a species of alien parasitic crystals have escaped from our downed spacecraft during the crash. They're currently threatening to end the world. They're a hive-like set of creatures, so the Queen has probably infected some unsuspecting host and is currently trying to find and infect Laurie. Which we think is why she started calling out for help. Oh, and to figure this all out, we had to ask Courtney for help. And summoned Larek into Brody's body. Oh, and did I mentioned that Alex and Isabel are currently trapped _in_ the actual hive of these apocalyptic alien crystals?"_

"Oh… well… okay."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Host

Due: 10/25 (a bit of a delay until the next chapter, but real life has gotten a little out of control for me…)


	71. The Host

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Seventy-One: The Host

Bobby tossed the remote casually from hand to hand and glanced at the television. Meredith had left for the evening, and most of the staff had gone to bed now that their services were not required. He was alone, and he enjoyed the peace and quiet.

He reached for a handful of French fries and trained his eyes on the football game playing across the screen. Meredith was the one who enjoyed all the social gatherings and galas, but as far as Bobby was concerned, there was nothing better than a football game and some snack food.

"Hello, Uncle Bobby."

He started, his eyes moving instinctively towards the voice. He could recognize it so easily, and the realization that she was somehow _here_ sent shivers down his spine.

"Laurie?"

She was standing in the doorway to the room. She came closer, a few steps at a time, a smile on her lips. "Did you miss me?"

He rose shakily to his feet. "How are you here? I thought… you're supposed to be at Pinecrest." His hands moved over the back of the chair he had been sitting on, and he clenched the fabric of the cushion.

"I left," she answered with a shrug. "I missed you and Meredith. Is that a crime?"

He drew a slow breath, forcing himself to remain calm, and said softly, "Laurie, sweetheart… you're at Pinecrest for a reason. They're going to help you get better."

"Get better?" Laurie echoed, shaking her head with a faintly puzzled expression in her eyes. "But there was never anything wrong with me." Then her voice hardened, and she added in an accusatory manner, "But there was always something wrong with _you_, wasn't there?"

"Laurie!"

"You never cared about my wellbeing," Laurie continued, walking forward briskly until she was standing only a few feet away from Bobby. "You only cared about my money. You wanted it for yourself, didn't you?" Bobby said nothing, just stared at her blankly, and she pressed coldly, "Didn't you? _Answer me_."

"That's not true," Bobby protested. It had taken him a few minutes to get over his initial shock, but now that the surprise of her presence was gone, now that he had accepted the fact that she was here, he fell easily into his usual calm, calculating mindset. "You don't know what you're saying."

"Trust me, I know _exactly_ what I'm saying," Laurie answered. She reached out, her fingers brushing over the top of his hand. "Was it your idea? Or Meredith's? Which one of you first realized that if you had me committed, you'd get to keep everything?"

He pulled his hand away from her, then reached up and caught her by the arms, "Laurie, we would never do that to you," he said in a soothing voice. "We would never hurt you. I thought you knew that. I thought you knew us."

Laurie snorted. "I know you," she answered, "far better than I ever wanted to." She looked down at her arms, at the way his fingers wrapped tightly around the skin right above her elbows, and said, "I'm not going back there."

Bobby sighed heavily and pulled her towards the sofa. "Laurie, you need to listen to me. I know you're upset, I know you're scared… I know you're hurting. But that's why we sent you to that place. They can help you. They can protect you."

"From what?" she demanded.

"From yourself," he answered. "Please, sit down. Let me call someone to come get you."

"Oh, you mean like the security guards?" Laurie asked as she sank onto the sofa. Her eyes were frosty as she continued, "Are you going to have them lead me out of here the way you had them remove Michael and Maria?"

She folded her arms over her chest, and Bobby drew back from her, surprise etched into the lines of his face. "You know them? You knew they were here?" he questioned, a little suspicious, a little incredulous.

"I asked them to come," Laurie answered. "I thought you would help me." She lifted one eyebrow at him, a challenge of sorts. "I thought you would care. But you didn't, did you? Instead, you forced them out of the house. Thought you could pay them off. And let me guess, you had to wait until Meredith was out of the room because you knew she would never allow it. You knew she might actually want to hear them out, to make sure I was alright. You knew she _cared_."

"I care, too," Bobby answered, moving towards the phone.

Laurie laughed bitterly. "Do you really think anyone is going to believe that?" she sneered. He paused and looked at her, and she said, "Go ahead, call someone." Her eyes moved momentarily to the phone, then she focused on his face. "I've got a few of my own stories to tell, Bobby."

For a moment, worry flashed through his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked finally, attempting a would-be casual voice.

Laurie rolled her eyes. "What do you think I mean?" she answered coolly.

Bobby ran a hand through his hair. "Laurie, look. You're… you're sick. You might not feel ill, but you are. Trust me. And you need help. That's why you're at Pinecrest. That's why Meredith and I sent you there."

She smirked. "Is it? Really?" She pursed her lips as she considered him for a moment, then she said, "And do you think anyone will believe you?"

This wasn't the Laurie he was used to. His step-niece had always been shy, even before the paranoia hit. But in recent months, she'd become almost reclusive. She would never meet anyone's gaze, and would only initiate conversations with Meredith. She was constantly a mess, falling apart in all the wrong places as Meredith tried frantically to keep her together.

This Laurie… this confident woman who spoke with a mocking voice and a perpetually icy grin… this was not someone he recognized, not someone he knew how to handle.

"We all know how much you got out of this arrangement," Laurie said with a feral look in her eyes. "And won't a judge be interested in that?"

"A judge? Laurie, what do you think you're going to do? Go to trial?" Bobby said, rolling his eyes at her.

"Of course I can," Laurie answered simply. "The Americans with Disabilities Act. It protects people like me. It protects us from people like _you_. And trust me when I tell you that there will be quite a few people lining up to hear what I have to say."

"You _belong_ at Pinecrest."

"And it's just an added bonus that you get your hands on my money." Laurie paused, considering him thoughtfully, then she rose to her feet. "What do you want to bet that I can make life _very_ unpleasant for you? When I'm done telling my stories…"

"You don't have anything to tell!" Bobby hissed, face flushing red as he glared at her. "No one is going to believe you. You're crazy, don't you get that? Don't you understand? They will all take my word over yours. _Always_."

"Even Meredith?" she murmured.

There was a silence, and Bobby looked away, unable to answer. It was as though he had suddenly realized that he'd gone too far, said too much. He hadn't meant to lose his temper, but he could not deny the fact that he was afraid. She was so different than the girl she had once been, and it seemed almost inconceivable that she could have changed this drastically in only a handful of days.

She stepped closer to him, close enough that he could see the flecks of color in her eyes and feel her breath as she whispered, "You're shaking. Nervous? Or is it just a guilty conscious?"

"You don't have anything on me, Laurie," he answered firmly. "You don't have proof."

She laughed lightly, but her eyes remained dark. "We'll see," she answered, her words a promise. "We'll see." And then she walked from the room.

* * *

Laurie emerged from the shadows surrounding the gate that enclosed the property and glanced towards the blonde perched on the edge of the curb at the end of the driveway. "It's done."

Maria nodded slowly. "How did he take it?"

"He's rattled. Very much so. And… there's something else."

Maria's eyes narrowed in interest. "Oh?" she asked curiously.

A simple nod as an answer, then, "Something happened between Bobby and his step-niece. She has something on him. I don't know what it is, but… she's got leverage. And he's scared that she's going to use it."

Maria grinned. "Really? I bet that will come in handy later on." She glanced down at the phone she held in her hands. Her expression was unreadable as she sighed and said, more to herself than to her companion, "My mother has called twice now. She's knows something's wrong."

"You'll deal with it when you get back to Roswell. You can't do anything about it now."

Maria frowned, but had to nod in agreement with that comment. She looked towards the street, then said, "Meredith left about twenty minutes ago. Michael thinks he might have gotten through to her a bit."

"Where is Michael?"

"I'm right here," Michael replied, joining Maria near the sidewalk. He glanced quickly around, then said, "Coast is clear. You can change."

The supposed Laurie nodded, and swiftly shifted shapes, becoming a nondescript brunette man. He walked forward until he was standing in front of Michael and Maria, his yellow-tinted eyes gleaming with the success of their plan.

"Let's go," Nasedo said calmly. "We'll see how this all plays out tomorrow."

Michael gave a faint smile as a reply. "Yes, we will," he said, and wrapped his arm around Maria's shoulders. "And I've got a feeling it's going to be a very _interesting_ day."

* * *

Amy put down the phone and rubbed her temples wearily with one hand. She wanted to trust her daughter, she really did. But… she was a mother, and Maria was her only daughter, and… and she was _missing_.

Her cell phone wasn't turned off, which meant that either Maria hadn't heard it ring, or she had heard it but decided not to answer.

Or possibly she _couldn't_ answer.

She chewed her lip for a moment, thinking. Was it possible that Maria was in trouble? Some kind of legal trouble, maybe? Or worse? She'd heard Mr. Turner complaining about the fact that Liz and Alex hadn't been at closing night either… was she with them?

Was she with Michael?

Was she safe?

In the end, that was what really mattered. She didn't like the fact that her daughter had skipped classes, skipped a commitment to a production. She didn't like the fact that Maria might be with Michael right now, alone, just the two of them. She didn't like not being in control of her own daughter, she didn't like the fact that her ground rules were so often ignored.

But right now, all she wanted to know was that her daughter was safe.

She picked up the phone again, and this time dialed a different number. "Jim… it's Amy. I need your help with something…"

* * *

Tess grumbled to herself as she made her way through the forest, squinting into the dark. Being called out to the middle of the woods at eleven o'clock at night was not her idea of fun, but the panic in Max's voice had been real enough that she hadn't even hesitated before throwing on a coat and grabbing the car keys.

She was able to easily follow Max's directions and her own alien abilities, and it did not take long to find the others. Max and Liz were standing over an expanse of blue crystal, staring down at the ground as though it held all the answers. Courtney stood behind them, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"So… just so I am clear on all this," Tess said sarcastically as she came to a halt in front of Max and shrugged off her coat, letting it fall onto the ground, "you decided it would be a good idea to wander around the woods, in the middle of the night, searching for parasitic crystals that might just kill us all?"

Liz groaned. "You sound like Alex."

Tess raised her eyebrows at that, then said, "Well, it would appear as though the computer geek and I actually agree on something, then. You are an idiot. Both of you."

Liz huffed, but Max ignored the insult and continued to stare at the crystals. "They're running out of oxygen," he said grimly. "We've tried digging around the edge of the crystals, but its solid rock. We can't get anywhere. And I can't blast it."

"Our best bet might be to find the host," Courtney said, looking over at Max. "Maybe the only way to get them out of there is destroy the Queen."

"We don't know where the host is, we don't know how to get the Queen out of the host, and we don't know how to destroy the Queen," Max pointed out, shaking his head. "I don't like our odds on this one."

"Do you have another idea?" Courtney demanded, folding her arms over her chest. "Because I keep coming up blank."

"There has got to be another way to get to them," Max argued vehemently. "I'm not just going to leave them in that cave and go off on some wild-goose chase. It's a stupid idea. How could you even be suggesting it?"

Courtney threw her hands up in the air in frustration and said, "Oh, for the love of God. Half the reason you're so opposed to this idea is because it came from _me_." Max looked as though he was about to protest, and she snapped, "Admit it. You wouldn't be arguing if it was Liz who was suggesting this."

Max faltered, unable to truthfully deny her words, but still not willing to give in completely. Finally, he said in frustration, "Isabel's down there."

"And so is Alex," Liz murmured, looking exhausted and scared.

"Maybe we should split up," Tess suggested with a contemplative look for Courtney. "Max, you and Liz can go try to figure out who the host it. Courtney and I will stay here and attempt to get to Isabel and Alex somehow."

"But we don't know how to find the host," Max answered, his words sharper than he had intended. He did not like the feeling of helplessness that was currently lingering over everything, did not like the fact that he was standing above ground while his sister and her boyfriend were trapped in a cave filled with crystals that might kill them.

"We could talk to my parents," Liz suggested, sounding less than sure about her plan but not really having anything else to offer. "Maybe they did see who went into my room."

Max considered this for a moment, then finally gave a nod. "I guess it could work." He didn't like it, didn't like that their plan seemed to be resting on almost nothing. They had no information about the host, and Larek hadn't been able to help them with that.

But what other choice did they have?

"So we agree?" Courtney said, glancing around. With an exasperated sigh, she muttered, "Any why am I not surprised that you accepted the idea when Tess and Liz suggested it, and not when I did?"

Max ignored her. "Okay, well… I warned Michael that the host might be after Laurie," he said thoughtfully, "but it sounded like he had his own set of problems, so let's see if we can figure this out before the host makes it to Santa Fe."

"Amy called Jim," Tess remarked casually, moving away from the crystals and walking in a circle, eyeing the ground thoughtfully, looking for any obvious signs that might indicate a weakness in the rocks. "They were talking as I left. She wants to know where Maria is."

Liz chewed her lip for a moment, not really wanting to ask the question that came to mind. After the whole debacle involving Copper Summit, they had all seen just how angry Tess could get over Jim being asked to lie to his girlfriend, and yet… she had to know.

"What did the Sheriff tell her?"

Tess shrugged. "I don't know. They were still talking when I left." Her words were laced with a faint bitterness, but she was too worried about Isabel to waste any time yelling at the others for putting her adopted father in this position… again.

Liz and Max exchanged a glance, and then Max said, "I guess the easiest way out of this mess would be to find the Queen and destroy it. Liz, call Alex and fill him in on the plan."

Liz nodded and reached for her cell phone. Max watched her for a moment, then turned his attention back to Courtney and Tess. He did not like the idea of leaving Tess alone with Courtney. There was very little about this plan he liked, but right now it was the fact that he was going to walk away and leave Tess behind with a rebel skin he still did not fully trust that was grating on his nerves.

He hesitated, then stepped closer to Tess and said in a soft voice, too low for Courtney to hear, "If she tries anything, attack first and ask questions later."

Tess answered with a sardonic smile, "Don't worry, Max. I can take care of myself."

As he and Liz walked away from Tess and Courtney, Max reflected that Tess _could_ take care of herself… but it didn't make it any easier to leave her behind.

Liz slid her hand into his, correctly interpreting the silence that had fallen between them. "Tess will be fine. And so will Isabel and Alex. You'll see." She said the words with a conviction and confidence she did not feel, and Max offered a diffident smile in return.

Part of it was his own personality, his need to be absolutely sure that all of his family members were safe. The other part of it he assumed was related to the lingering aspects of Zan, to the fact that a king should not walk away and leave anyone – least of all his past wife and sister – at the mercy of…

Of what? What was Courtney? He truly doubted that she was the enemy, but he couldn't yet bring himself to think of her as an ally. He didn't know what she was, and not knowing was unbearably worrisome.

* * *

He was still dwelling on these thoughts when they reached the car, and still dwelling on them even later when they parked the car in front of Liz's house. It was eleven o'clock at night, and he had no idea what exactly he was going to say if Mr. and Mrs. Parker asked him where he had been and why he had dragged their daughter out into the woods this late at night.

Liz had the same thought, and she said aloud, "So, I think we should skip over the part about the forest. Say we were just hanging out at the park or something. They're less likely to be upset about that."

Max had the feeling they would still be upset, but he nodded and followed Liz's lead. But walking behind her into her parents' house felt a lot like walking straight into the lion's den.

And sure enough…

"What do you mean you were at the park? Elizabeth Parker, do you have any idea what time it is? Running about with your boyfriend in the middle of the night, doing God only knows what…"

"We raised you to be more responsible than that."

"And you! Max, we like you, we really do. But how can we trust you with our daughter after this…?"

"What _were_ you two doing? And why are you covered in dirt?"

Max looked down at his hands, abruptly realizing that they _were_ covered in dirt. They'd been attempting to dig around the crystals, and he hadn't even bothered to wash his hands before coming here. And Mr. and Mrs. Parker were staring at him, waiting for an answer, waiting for an explanation as to why he had their daughter out this late without their knowledge… and had apparently been rolling around in the dirt.

It was getting more awkward by the moment.

"Uh…"

Liz was flushed a dark red. She caught Max's gaze and gave a tiny shrug, indication that she really didn't know what the right answer would be.

Mrs. Parker turned to her husband. "I'm starting to think Philip was right."

Mr. Parker pursed his lips and considered this, his gaze still resting on Max. Finally, he nodded slowly and gave a heavy sigh.

"What do you mean?" Liz asked, eyebrows raised.

Mrs. Parker folded placed her hands on her hips and said, "Max's father stopped by a few days ago. He wanted to talk about your relationship with Max. He and Diane are concerned you two are getting far too serious. Lizzie, you're only in high school."

Max frowned and looked over at Liz. "Mrs. Parker, I love your daughter. I'm sorry we were out so late, and I'm sorry I didn't check with you before hand. But… I love her. You have to believe that."

Perhaps the sincerity in his gaze and his words eased some of Mrs. Parker's concerns. Or perhaps it was Liz's own expression, the adoring smile she sent back to Max at his comment, that helped her parents calm themselves. Either way, it was a much more levelheaded Mrs. Parker who eventually responded to Max's emphatic statement of love.

"Max, I don't doubt that you care very deeply for her. But we are her parents. And you are both still teenagers. Which means…"

"We need to follow your rules?" Liz cut in before her mother could finish the sentence. "We know, Mom. And we're sorry for tonight. I promise, it won't happen again."

That was, of course, a complete lie. Liz knew she would drop everything and ignore her parents wishes in a heartbeat if Max or anyone else in the group was in trouble. Which, given all their enemies, was bound to continue happening.

Still… she didn't want to upset her parents. And she wanted them to know that she did love them and she did respect their authority. Really.

She was just very concerned about the possible end of the world.

"Good," Mrs. Parker said and her husband nodded in agreement. "So… why are you covered in dirt?"

"We were planting flowers," Max replied. It was the first thought that came to mind, and Liz gave him an incredulous look as though to ask if he couldn't come up with something better than that. But what was he supposed to say?

Mr. Parker's eyebrows raised to his hairline. "Planting flowers?" he echoed in disbelief. Then his gaze narrowed and he demanded hoarsely, "Is that a euphemism for something?"

"What? No! God, Dad, of course not," Liz protested, looking horrified. The last thing she wanted was to be grilled on the intimacy of her relationship with Max by her father. Particularly not with Max standing right there.

Mr. Parker looked as though he was about to ask more questions, but Mrs. Parker rested a hand on his shoulder and said in a murmur, "I think that's probably enough, Jeff. We can talk about this in the morning." To the two teenagers, she said, "Lizzie, I think it's time for you to go to bed. And Max, you should go home."

"Uh… okay," Max agreed, knowing better than to argue. Turning to Liz, he tilted his head to the side and silently conveyed what he hoped was a clear message that he would meet her later in the alley outside her bedroom window, and said aloud, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Liz replied, kissing him on the side of the cheek.

"You should ask your parents about your room," Max added, hoping that Liz would come up with a good way to phrase the question they needed answered.

Liz nodded, and Max said goodnight to the two irate parents, then excused himself from the room.

As he left the house, he head Liz ask, "Mom… did you see anyone in my room? I mean, did anyone stop by in the past couple days looking for me? Or anything like that?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

Liz glanced at the door, watching as it swung shut and Max disappeared from view. Then she turned to her mother and explained, "It's just that I noticed that a couple of things were missing. It was weird. I don't think I much was taken, nothing valuable. More like a prank, I guess. A joke. Probably someone from school. I was just curious."

Mrs. Parker considered this for a moment, then said, "Well, Courtney Banks was here to finish up the paperwork regarding leaving her job. I'm sure Alex and Maria stopped by several times, and same with Max and Isabel. Amy DeLuca was here two days ago. There's a new couple that moved in down the street, Nigel and Kim Condotta. They stopped by to introduce themselves. A few people also came by to pick up applications to fill Courtney's position. Jenny Allen, Patricia Davidson… and one other girl, I don't remember her name. She goes to your school… I believe she's in your grade. Um… oh, right. Pam Troy. Oh, and that odd fellow from the UFO Center… Brody Davis, right? He and your father really hit it off, didn't you?"

She turned towards her husband, who nodded and said, "Nice guy. Bit strange, but what can you expect? Always orders the same thing. The Galaxy Sub with Pepper Jack. He loves Pepper Jack. He stopped by to personally thank me for making the Galaxy Sub."

Liz almost laughed at the image of the eccentric Brody showing up at their door to thank her father for the creation of his favorite sandwich.

"That's all I can think of, sweetie," Mrs. Parker said after a moment. "Of course, there were a lot of people in the Crashdown, but those are the only ones who came into the house."

"Okay. Well, it could have been one of them. Thanks, Mom," Liz said, and walked past her parents towards the stairs that lead up to her bedroom.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Max watched as Liz silently joined him in the alley, glancing around nervously.

"I think my parents went to bed," she said under her breath. "We're good to go. But if I get caught, I'm going to be grounded until I'm sixty."

Max slid his hand over hers and squeezed her fingers lightly. "Then let's not get caught." Liz smiled at that, and Max asked, "Did you learn anything?"

"Courtney, Alex and Maria, Amy DeLuca, a new couple that moved onto the block, two college students and Pam Troy, all three of them wanting a job, and Brody."

Max blinked, and said skeptically, "Pam Troy wanted a job? Somehow, that seems remarkably unlikely."

"Yeah. More likely, she's just trying to stir up trouble. What do you want to bet she's going to start a rumor that Courtney had to skip town because she was caught stealing from my parents or something like that?" Liz said with a slightly disgusted look on her face.

Max nodded. "Why did Brody stop by?"

Liz's lips quirked into a grin. "To thank my father for creating the Galaxy Sub with Pepper Jack."

Max couldn't help chuckling at that. "This town has some very odd people in it." Then he sobered and said, "Well, it gives us a place to start. I think we can rule out Brody, Isabel would have known if he was being possessed when she connected with him to talk to Larek."

"Pam Troy?"

"She's been at school. And she's popular enough that if she had started acting strange, someone would have noticed," Max answered, shaking his head. "She's annoying, but not much else. Do we know anything about the two college students?"

Liz shook her head. "Not really. Then there is the couple that moved in on our street."

"Okay, so the four of them seem like likely candidates," Max mused. "Who else did you say?"

"Alex and Maria, but I think we would have noticed if something happened to either of them. And then Amy DeLuca and Courtney."

"Courtney?" Max repeated thoughtfully.

"She's helping us destroy them," Liz pointed out logically, even though she didn't particularly like defending the other girl. "And she knows about Laurie. If she was infected by the Queen, she would have taken off already. She'd probably be in Santa Fe as we speak."

Max couldn't argue with the logic in that. He rubbed the back of his head absently as he thought. "Ms. DeLuca?"

Liz didn't say anything. It was a possibility, but she did not even want to consider it. If something had happened to Maria's mother…

Any further discussion of the subject was cut off by the sudden ringing of Max's cell phone. He pulled it out of his pocket, expecting it to be Isabel or maybe Michael, and was surprised to find Brody calling him.

"That's weird," he muttered under his breath, then he flipped open the phone and said, "Hi, Brody. What's going on?"

"_You have got to see this. Are you awake? Can you slip away from your parents for a few minutes?"_

Brody's voice was nearly frantic with excitement, his words rushed together, and Max was instantly altert. "Uh… sure. Why? What's going on?" he asked, gesturing for Liz to lean closer to the phone so that she, too, could hear the conversation.

"_It's got to be something alien. They're… some kind of crystal, I think. I ran a couple tests, and they resemble a waterborne parasite we have around here. Except they are definitely not from Earth. The ion ratio on them is off the charts, and they have an unusual electro-chemical gradient I've never seen before. And their magnetic field is unusual as well…"_

Liz's eyes widened.

"What do they look like?" Max asked, his heart plummeting into his chest.

"_Blue crystals. You have to see them, Max. Do you know what this means? Proof that aliens exist. Real proof. They're hard to contain, though. When I put them into any kind of airtight jar, they die pretty quickly. I think they can only survive for a minute or so without oxygen."_

"I guess we know how to kill the Queen," Liz whispered.

Max nodded to her, then said into the phone, "Where did you find them?"

"_In the UFO Center. Max, you have got to get over here."_

"Yeah, I'm on my way. Uh… do you have any idea how they got there?"

"_Not a clue."_

"Okay. I'll see you in a bit." After he hung up the phone, he looked over at Liz and said, "Isabel's room, your room, and the UFO Center. What do those places have in common?"

Liz wasn't able to offer any answer, so they walked quickly towards Max's car, which he had parked a couple blocks away so that Mr. and Mrs. Parker wouldn't see him come back for Liz. It was cold, and Liz's teeth started chattering, but she had a feeling that the cool air wasn't the only thing making her shiver. Who was the host? Where were they?

And how was she going to find them?

And then it hit her, an idea slamming into her with such force that she actually stepped backwards, her breath leaving her for a moment.

"Liz?"

Max was gazing at her in obvious concern, and she knew that what she was about to say would only make him more worried, more terrified.

"Max… your father has been suspicious of you, right? Trying to figure out what secret you've been keeping?"

"Yeah. So?"

Liz licked her dry lips. "You told me that Brody had said he was at the UFO Center a few days ago, looking for you. Right when Isabel had the dream about Laurie and you and Michael had the meeting with the mayor. And my parents said he was over a couple days ago. And… it wouldn't be that difficult for him to just walk into Isabel's room…"

"You don't think…?" Max started, and then trailed off because he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

"He's suspicious. He's investigating you. Max… do you think he's suspicious enough to have looked through your room? Do you have any mention of Polhman Ranch in your room? That map that we got from the UFO Center last year, or some notes from your research about the four square symbol, or a book, maybe? Could he have… could he have found something that made him go out there?"

Max sagged into himself as the impact of her questions hit him. Was his father suspicious enough to go out to Polhman Ranch?

"Yes," he whispered, horrified.

* * *

Author's note: Just a reminder to all my readers – Philip found the map from the UFO Center in Max's room in the chapter _Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop_. He went out to Pohlman Ranch in _Wipe Out_. And he went to the UFO Center to talk to Brody (where he acted very uncomfortable and nervous) in _Crazy_.

Next Chapter: The Hive Queen

Due: Sun 11/1


	72. The Hive Queen

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: No Michael or Maria in this one. The next chapter will take us back to Santa Fe and wrap up the Laurie story-line, but this one focuses only on the pod squad and the humans still currently in Roswell.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Two: The Hive Queen

The forest was silent, save for the repeated sounds of shovels hitting the dirt. Even in the gloom of the night, however, the air seemed to carry a frantic intensity to it, as though even it could tell that the two girls were terrified. It had been a long time since they had started digging. How much longer would it be until they got through?

Would the others even be alive?

Not for the first time, Tess looked up from her shovel and let her gaze sweep around her, peering into the trees. Courtney frowned at her companion, a wariness in her eyes.

"Tess? What is it?"

"Nothing," Tess answered, and turned her attention back to her shovel. "Keep digging. I don't know how much oxygen they have left."

Courtney obeyed the request to keep digging, but she did not let the subject drop. "If you think something is out there…"

"I don't," Tess answered sharply, not even bothering to look at the rebel skin. Her shovel hit more rocks, and she turned the angle slightly, hoping she could enlarge the hole. Sending a silent prayer to whoever might be listening that Max and Liz figured something out, and quickly, she pressed on with her digging.

Courtney sighed. "Look, I know you don't trust me. And I guess I can't really blame you for that, but… I am trying to help. And if you think something is out there…"

"We're being watched," Tess answered, interrupting Courtney. Her voice was low, low enough that only Courtney would be able to hear, but her words were hard and underlined with something that sounded quite a bit like worry.

Courtney did not even blink an eye. Tess could only assume that years of working as a spy had trained her how to keep a blank face, because she answered in a perfectly even tone, "How long?"

"About twenty minutes," Tess answered just as calmly. She was about to say something more when her cell phone rang. Dropping her shovel, she pulled the phone out of her coat pocket and glanced at the caller ID.

Kyle.

That brought nothing but overwhelming concern, because Kyle hadn't spoken to her for days now. If he was calling her, did that mean he was in trouble? Had something happened to him? Or to Jim?

She snapped open the phone. "Kyle? Is everything alright?"

"_Yeah, it's fine. Tess, look… I was just hoping we could talk."_

Tess was torn between elation at the fact that he had apparently decided to remember that she was his sister, and exasperation at just how bad his timing was. "Now's not a good time, Kyle," she said. "Can we talk tomorrow?"

"_Now's not a good time?"_ he mimicked, and she could hear the disbelief in his voice. _"Is this payback for me taking so long to talk to you?"_

"What? No!" Tess answered, pulling the phone away from her ear to glare at it as though that would somehow transport the emotion to Kyle. "I'm just… busy. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Unless, of course, the world ended tomorrow. Or they ended up burying Isabel and Alex.

Not wanting to dwell on those depressing thoughts, she continued, "I'll see you soon."

"_Tess…"_ Kyle started, but it was clear from the tone of his voice that he was going to continue arguing with her, and every moment she was on the phone was a moment she wasn't digging, so she did the only thing she really could.

She hung up the phone.

She continued to dig in silence, and Courtney said nothing. For a while, all that could be heard was the wind in the trees and the two shovels hitting the dirt.

Then Courtney asked, "Are we still being watched?"

Tess hesitated, then shook her head. "I don't feel it anymore. Maybe I'm just paranoid."

"But maybe you're not," Courtney murmured.

* * *

"She was not one of them."

Jared looked at his companion, and sighed. "No, she was not. She was a skin." They continued walking through the woods, leaving the two girls behind. "I wonder who she was, though. Any thoughts, Kristalia?"

Kristalia frowned. "What was Ava doing with a skin in the middle of the woods, this late at night? Why were they digging?" Letting out a huff of frustration, she added, "We should have gotten closer. Perhaps heard what they were speaking about."

"And risk getting seen?" Jared countered. "Not worth it. We have found Zan, Ava, and Vilandra. Only one more."

"But we haven't found Rath. And the skins had obviously found them all. I don't like waiting, not when the enemy moves so close."

"You are the one who told me that we could not rush this," Jared countered. "You are the one who continually says that until we locate all four…"

"And I stand by that," the woman said sharply, angrily. "Until we find Rath, we will make no moves. The Four Square is not complete without him." She paused, then added bitterly, "Still, I do not like this. That girl is a problem. An unknown, a variable. I do not like unknowns."

* * *

Time came to a sudden, screeching halt.

Only moments before, Max and Liz had come crashing into the Evans' house, nearly tearing the door off the hinges. Liz could barely keep up with the frantic Max, who scrambled around the first floor, checking every room for his father. Then he took the stairs two at a time, heading for the second floor.

His room was the first he came to, and the scene that met his eyes turned his blood cold.

He'd held on to some kind of hope, a tiny flickering light a fire in his chest, that the assumption was wrong. That his father had not been involved. It was all circumstantial evidence and they didn't have any real proof, so maybe… maybe it was a mistake.

But Philip Evans stood in the middle of the room, staring blankly at his surroundings. The room had been nearly torn apart, the bedspread pulled onto the floor, a chair turned over, books scattered across the floor, clothing pulled out of the dresser and dumped in piles. Diane Evans stood opposite him, near the window. Her eyes were wide with confusion and fear.

Philip was holding a broken lamp in one hand, the shattered pieces of porcelain on the ground at his feet, the sharp edges pointed outwards, almost like a weapon.

Max and Liz both froze in the doorway.

"Dad?"

The one, tentative word broke the still silence, but Philip's eyes showed no recognition as he looked over at Max. He took a faltering step, then froze, drawing back. Whatever thoughts flashed through his mind caused him to look in confusion over at Diane, then back to his son and Liz. It was as though he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there.

"Philip… what are you… how did you…?" Diane's stuttering, choked words filled the air for a moment, and then she moved towards her husband.

Philip swung around to face her again, and Max remembered Larek's warning that the host would do anything necessary to find the intended target.

Laurie.

Which meant that if his mother tried to stop Philip, she would be in danger.

"Mom, don't," Max warned, at the same time reaching out and pushing Liz back with one hand. The brunette waitress opened her mouth to protest, but he turned away from her without listening to her words. He didn't care how much she wanted to help, he was not going to let her put herself in harm's way. Not when it was his own father who was possessed.

"Max?" Diane looked over at her son, bewilderment reflected in her gaze. "Your father… I don't know what happened to him…"

"Stay away from him Mom," Max said quietly, his tone firm and unyielding. He had no idea how he would manage this, given that he didn't want to use his powers in front of his mother. But he also doubted he could get her from the room, and that would complicate matters.

Diane frowned, giving her son a suspicious look. "Do you know what's going on, Max?"

Instead of answering the question, he asked his own, "Do you know if Dad has been to Pohlman Ranch?"

The look of complete surprise, followed swiftly by fear, on Diane's face was enough to answer the question, and Max felt his heart momentarily stop beating. There it was, the answer that he hadn't wanted, the truth he could no longer avoid.

His parents' had been investigating him, he'd known that all along, but the fear had always been that the investigation would put himself, Isabel, Michael, and Tess in danger. He hadn't realized just how much danger it would put _them_ in.

"Why? Max, what's at Pohlman Ranch? What happened to your father?"

Max didn't answer.

"Where is she?" Philip asked, the first word he had spoken since Max's appearance. His voice was hoarse and unrecognizable, and his wide eyes focused on Max with a fierce intensity.

"Who? Who is he talking about?" Diane demanded.

Still holding the lamp with one hand, Philip grabbed a few papers from Max's desk and waved them around in the air. Max barely caught sight of them, but he saw enough to know that they were the notes from Sherriff Valenti about Laurie. He'd taken them back to his room after Michael and Maria had left to track down the supposedly-crazy girl, intent on reading over them again. But then everything with the crystals had happened, and he'd forgotten about them.

Until now.

"Max, do something!" Liz hissed in a low tone.

At the same time, Diane said furiously, "Max, what is going on? Answer me!"

Then Philip dropped the papers back onto the bed and took a threatening step towards Max, swinging the lamp. Max moved backwards, trying his best to get out of the way of the jagged edges of the broken lamp.

"Max," Liz said again, desperation in her voice, "those papers will lead him straight to Laurie. And to Michael and Maria."

Max knew that, and he also knew that the Queen currently residing in his father's body was the key to freeing Isabel and Alex, to preventing his sister from suffocating to death in that cave. But all they knew was that the Queen could not survive without oxygen, and he was not about to suffocate his own father.

Philip jumped forward suddenly, thrusting the lamp towards Max, who reacted on instinct and did the only thing he could to keep himself from being stabbed in the stomach by his father's makeshift weapon. He conjured a shield, a shimmering blue wall of energy, and the lamp shattered against it, pieces falling harmlessly to the floor.

"Oh my God…" Diane breathed, horrified. "What _are_ you?"

Max didn't answer. He focused all his attention on his father, noting that the older man's eyes had turned completely black. Behind him, he could hear Liz's breathing hitch as she gazed at the scene, and knew she was frantically trying to come up with a solution.

"Max, what is going on?" Diane demanded again, moving towards him.

Philip swung to face her.

"Mom, don't! Stay away from him," Max ordered, dropping the shield and stepping in between his parents. The fear had turned his veins to ice, and now all he could think about was how entirely impossible it would be to keep his mother and his father safe, and still keep his secret.

"Not until you tell me what is going on," Diane snapped. "What are you and what has happened to your father?"

"Please, Mom," Max said, and now he was truly begging. "I know I've lied to you about countless other things, but you need to trust me now. You need to trust that I want your safety – Dad's safety – more than anything else in the world. _Please_."

He looked at her, and maybe she saw the truth of that statement shinning in his eyes, or maybe she just remembered that he was her son, that they were family, and that she had always trusted that he loved her and Philip… Whatever the reason for her decision, she gave a wary nod and stepped back, pressing herself against the wall.

"Max, can you pull the oxygen out of his lungs?" Liz asked abruptly.

He stared at her. "_What_?"

"Can you use your gifts to… to suck the oxygen out of your father's lungs?"

"That will kill him."

"No, it won't." Liz frowned as she turned her attention back to Philip, who was growing more and more impatient and enraged at being ignored. "We don't have time… I don't have time to explain this to you, but I have an idea. Just… trust me."

Max stared at her, and then slowly nodded. He did trust Liz, and if she said this would work…

Pushing away his doubts and hesitations, he turned towards his father and raised a hand, concentrating his gifts and dragging the air from his father's lungs. He'd never done anything like this before, and it felt strange, different. He had to struggle, had to envision exactly what he wanted to have happen to make it happen, but then…

Philip cried out, a gurgling, strangled sounds, and sank to his knees, hands moving to his throat.

"Philip!" Diane screamed. "Max, stop it!" She ran towards him, and out of the corner of his eye, Max saw Liz intercept Diane and grab her, pulling her away from Max.

"Mrs. Evans, it's okay. He's going to be fine," Liz said with a confidence that Max hoped was genuine.

"Liz?" Max asked worriedly. His father had fallen to the ground and was shaking, almost as though he was about to have a seizure. His eyes were rolling around frantically in his head, and his hands still clenched and unclenched at his throat, as though he was trying to catch the oxygen before it departed from his partially open mouth.

"Keep going," Liz said tensely.

"Why? What's going to happen?" Max asked, trying and failing to keep the panic out of his voice.

And then, quite suddenly, Philip was encased in a blue light, and an iridescent blue jellyfish-like creature seemed to materialize in the air above him. It's long tentacles swung back and forth as it rose towards the ceiling, and though it had no face of any kind, though there was no expression to decipher, Max had the distinct expression that it was furious.

"That," Liz said in triumph. "That is what is supposed to happen. Let your father go now."

Max didn't need to be told twice. He dropped his hand, and Philip took a few gasping breaths before passing out sprawled on the floor. There was a thud from behind him, and Max turned to see his mother collapse to the floor as well, having fainted.

"Trap the thing in your closet," Liz said quickly. "You can suck all the oxygen out of the closet, and keep going until it dies. If Brody is right about the oxygen depletion… this should kill it."

Max obliged. Using his gifts, he yanked open the closet door and then telekinetically threw the crystal Queen in among his nice shirts and slacks, before slamming the door shut. Draining the oxygen from the closet proved to be a lot easier than trying to drain it from a person's lungs, and it was only a matter of time before they heard the Queen slamming into the walls, obviously trying to escape.

There was a final, high-pitched screech, a heavy smash as the door shook… and then silence.

Max slowly walked over to the closet and opened the door.

"Did it work?" Liz asked anxiously.

"The Queen is gone," Max answered, finding no sign of the alien parasite. "Call Alex or Isabel and find out if they can get out of the cave." Liz nodded, but before she could so so, he asked sharply, "Hey, how did you know the Queen would come out of my father?"

Liz shrugged. "Basic science. A parasite will abandon it's host if it thinks that the host is dying. Since the Queen can't live without oxygen, tricking it into thinking that your father was going to suffocate to death would cause it to abandon that body and look for a new one."

"Oh... well, I'm glad it worked," Max murmured under his breath, his eyes moving back to his father's unconscious form. The steady rise and fall of his chest was a good sign, a sign that he was alive and breathing, but now... now he had seen the truth. Both he and Diane had seen Max use his gifts...

And Max had no idea what to do about it.

* * *

"February made me shiver, with every paper I'd deliver… Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn't take one more step."

Isabel closed her eyes for a moment and listened to the sound of Alex's voice echoing in the cave. The air felt warm, although that could have easily been her own paranoid mind playing tricks on her. She chewed her lip and swallowed back the urge to say something, to initiate some kind of conversation.

What would she say?

"I can't remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride, but something touched me deep inside… the day the music died."

Isabel groaned and looked over at Alex. "Do you really have to sing that?"

"American Pie is a classic," Alex protested, and began to sing again. "So bye, bye Miss American Pie, drove my Chevy to the levee, but the levee was dry. Them good ol' boys were drinking whiskey and rye, and singing this'll be the day that I die. This'll be the day that I die…"

"Yes, I can see why singing a song about death is exactly what you would want to do while we're trapped in a cave that might actually become our grave," Isabel snapped. She pulled herself to her feet and walked away from Alex, staring up at the crystals above them.

"We won't die here," Alex said confidently.

Isabel glanced at him, wondering if he actually believed those words, or if he was only saying them for her benefit. "Somehow, this is not how I pictured it," she murmured quietly, shaking her head.

"It was a hell of a ride, though," Alex answered in a teasing tone. "I mean, think about it. Not only did I meet aliens, but I started dating one, and now I'm going to get killed by them."

Isabel lifted an eyebrow at him, a little concerned. "You're getting delirious," she said.

"I'm just trying to keep things light," Alex protested. "I mean… there isn't a whole lot we can do right now besides sit here and wait for Max to get us out of here. I just think we shouldn't… you know… lose hope."

For a moment, Isabel thought she might argue with him. She certainly opened her mouth to say something hard and pessimistic, but then, quite suddenly, she found all the anger draining away, and she ended up simply sliding to the ground again, pulling her knees into chest.

"I'm sorry we dragged you into this," she murmured.

Alex crawled to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned her head against his shoulder and stared up at the ceiling, at the blue crystals that glowed eerily in the space above them.

"I'm not sorry," Alex said quietly.

She twisted to look at him. "How can you not be sorry? You could die in this cave, killed by parasitic alien crystals."

The comment sounded so bizarre, even to her own ears, that Isabel could not help the smile that tugged at her lips. Alex was grinning, and the absurdity of the situation hit her again, the force of the realization nearly taking her breath away. It was almost comedic.

Then Alex looked down at the ground and started idly scratching circles into the dirt. "Think of all the things I would have missed out on, if I hadn't known about all this. I got to meet real aliens. I got to find out that we aren't alone in the universe, that there are things out there that normal people can't even begin to imagine, I just… I guess I just think it is worth all the danger and the intrigue."

"Even if you die?"

"Yeah." Alex nodded and smiled at her, then looked back down at the dirt. He brushed his hand over the ground, erasing the designs. "Even if I die."

Isabel blinked back a few stray tears at the simple sweetness of those words, and said tiredly, but with a hint of amusement in her tone, "Now I know for sure that you're delusional."

Alex laughed. "Think about it. I've got my friends, and this amazing secret, and… and you. Why would I want to change that?"

She pulled away from him entirely and gave him a long, searching look. He met her gaze without flinching, as though he was patiently waiting to see what she would find.

"Alex, I…" She started, then stopped, realizing she needed to summon more courage for what she was about to say. _I love you_. The three words lingered on the tip of her tongue, then she licked her dry lips and took a deep, steadying breath. "I…"

"Oh!" Alex let out an exclamation and scrambled to his feet as iridescent blue liquid dripped down onto his shoulder. Looking up at the ceiling, he said in awe, "I think they're dying."

"What?"

"The crystals! Look, they're dying. They're fading away, melting. I can see the sky!"

And sure enough, all around them the crystals were turning into liquid and dripping to the bottom of the cave. The hole above them opened, and they could feel the cool breeze of the night air and hear the sound of shovels hitting the ground.

"We're free!" Alex exclaimed happily.

"Alex? Isabel?" Tess' voice came floating to them, and then a moment later her face appeared above them, looking down into the cave. "Oh, thank God," she breathed, relief flooding her voice. "Come on, let's get you both out of there."

Alex turned back to Isabel. "Sorry, you were saying something before the crystals started to die. I interrupted you."

Isabel looked at him, then looked up at Tess, and at Courtney who had joined the hybrid Queen and was extending her own hand into the cave, ready to help them from the underground prison that had almost claimed their lives.

"It's not important," she said, and she and Alex scrambled from the cave.

* * *

"If you just mind-warp them…"

"No."

"Tess…"

"I said _no_."

The relief and gratitude Max felt at the death of the Queen and Isabel's escape from the cave was slowly disappearing, replaced by frustration at Tess. She was stubbornly refusing to even consider the possibility of mind-warping his parents, and his arguments only seemed to anger her.

"Tess, I had to suffocate my own father," Max hissed in exasperation. "My mother watched me do that. They both saw me use my gifts. What do you want me to do?"

"Max, you can't seriously think this is a good idea," Tess protested, hands on her hips as she glared at him. "You saw what happened to Kyle. It's too dangerous…"

"The mind-warp for Kyle was much more extensive," Isabel said softly, looking back and forth between her brother and the irate blonde. "And, besides, he only ended up in danger because he got sucked into an alternate dimension. This is safer. You know this is safer."

It was an odd turn of events. Usually it was Tess who wanted to proceed with the mind-warp, who believed in doing anything necessary to keep their secret safe. Usually it was Isabel who was always reluctant to agree, to allow someone to mess with her parents' minds. But the situation was reversed now, and the unyielding look in Tess' eyes was enough to tell everyone else in the room that she was not backing down.

Not when the memories of Kyle's brush with death were still so recent, still so raw.

Max looked away from Tess, his eyes turning towards the door that lead into his parents' room. He and Alex had managed to move both parents into their bed, assuming that Tess could mind-warp them into thinking it was all just a dream.

It was supposed to be over. They had stopped the parasites, saved the word… it was supposed to be done, finished.

Tess turned away from Max and walked over to take a seat on the sofa. The Evans' living room was silent, the air filled with tension and worry. Alex and Liz were both perched on chairs, and Courtney was leaning back against the furthest wall. Max had started pacing again, the rhythmic thud of his shoes on the floor the only sound that could be heard.

Finally, Tess said, "Have Isabel dream-walk them. Her powers will work just as well as mine, and it's a lot less likely she'll end up killing them."

"It doesn't work like that," Isabel countered. "You _know_ it doesn't work like that. Maybe I can convince them of the truth, but maybe I can't. And then… then they'll know our secret. Do you really want that?"

Tess hesitated, looking somewhat torn. But then she drew an uneasy breath and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm just not willing to take that risk. You're going to have to find another way."

Max groaned and paused in his pacing long enough to slam his hand against the wall in frustration. He understood Tess' hesitations, and after what had happened, he, too, had qualms about playing with anyone's mind. But he just didn't see another way. Isabel was right, her gifts weren't guaranteed to work well enough for this, and it was a small mind-warp, one that was unlikely to cause any lasting damage.

And, though it was selfish of him to think this way, he also did not particularly want them to have any memory of the night, even if they only thought of it as a dream. He had attacked his own father, nearly killed him. And yes, it had been in an effort to save his life, but it didn't change anything. It didn't change the fact that his father would _remember_ it, that his mother would remember _seeing_ it… even if they thought it was a dream.

"Clean up your room," Tess said quietly. "You can use your gifts to put the broken lamp and everything else back together. If there is no evidence, your parents will believe that it was just a dream."

Max expelled a short breath, but there was nothing else he could say, no other retort that would change Tess' mind, and eventually she simply rose to her feet and walked from the house, leaving a silence in her wake.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Ties That Bind

Due: Sun 11/8


	73. The Ties That Bind

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Three: The Ties That Bind

_Philip's eyes were wide as he struggled for breath, hands clenching tightly at his throat. His eyes were wide, almost horrified, and he kept gurgling, kept trying to say something. Diane could not understand a single word, and she felt the tears stream down her cheeks. Her own son was doing this to them._

"_Hi, Mom," a voice said cheerfully, and Isabel came into view, stepping in front of her mother._

_Diane started, drew back from her. "Isabel?"_

"_Were you expecting someone else?" she asked with a light laugh._

_Diane blinked, startled. How could Isabel be standing there with a smile, so oblivious to what was happening all around them?_

_Isabel lifted a hand and waved it casually at the window. The glass suddenly shattered, bursting backwards and falling to the ground below._

_Diane jumped._

"_What?" Isabel asked. "It was hot. I just thought we could get some cool air." She frowned, and asked, "Are you cold? Sorry." And she waved her hand, causing the glass to fly up into the air and remold itself into the windowpane._

_Suddenly they weren't standing in the bedroom anymore. They were in the kitchen, Isabel sitting at the table and Max rummaging through the refrigerator. Philip was reading a newspaper while leaning against the counter, and Diane was standing over the stove._

_She looked down at the spatula in her hand, then at the scrambled eggs in the frying pan._

"_Max, can you pass me the orange juice, please?" Philip asked, looking up from his newspaper._

"_Sure, Dad," Max said, wiggling his fingers at the bottle of juice. It floated out of the refrigerator and across the kitchen, hovering in midair in front of Philip. _

_He grabbed it and unscrewed the top, then beckoned with his own hand, watching casually as a glass lifted itself from the drying rack and floated to him._

_Diane gaped._

"_I'm going to have to stay late at work tonight," Philip said, taking a sip of juice, "so don't hold dinner for me."_

"_I'm going to go to the Crashdown for dinner," Max announced, looking up. "Michael and I are going."_

_Isabel rolled her eyes. "And let me guess, Liz is working tonight?"_

_It was night, and they were outside. The desert stretched out all around them, disappearing into the distance. The rocky landscape rose and fell, faintly outlined under the stars. Diane shivered, cold and confused. Where was she?_

_She was alone, neither Philip nor her children were with her._

_Something moved in the darkness. She caught sight of it in her peripheral vision, but every time she turned, trying to fully see the thing, it was gone. She was left with the distinct impression of being stalked, like a prey aware but unable to locate its predator._

"_Mom?"_

_Isabel's voice called out to her, laced with concern. It seemed to come from all directions, so much so that she did not know which way to turn. Tentatively, she called out, "Isabel? Where are you?"_

"_Mom? Mom, can you hear me?"_

"_Isabel!" Diane cried, abruptly afraid for her daughter. "Are you alright? Is something wrong? Isabel!"_

_Something grabbed her by the shoulders, and she heard Philip's voice, "Diane? Diane… wake up."_

Eyes forcing themselves open, Diane found herself sitting straight up in bed. Philip was next to her, his expression a mixture of exhaustion and worry. In the doorway of the room stood Isabel, a bathrobe wrapped tightly around her, hair pulled up in a messy bun. Behind Isabel hovered Max, amber eyes shadowed by dark circles, indication that he had been sleeping only moments before.

"Diane? You were screaming," Philip murmured, one arm wrapping gently around her shoulders. "Are you alright?"

She blinked twice. She didn't remember going to bed, but she didn't remember much of anything. The dream was at the forefront of her mind, driving away all other thoughts. It had been so vivid, so real… But how could any of it be real? Philip was here, alive and well at her side, and the idea that her children were supernatural killers was laughable.

In a hoarse voice, she asked, "Did I wake you all up?"

"I woke up because of your screaming," Isabel said. With a sheepish smile, she added, "I woke up Max on my way over here. I thought we were being attacked or something, and…"

"And her brilliant plan involved dragging me into danger, also," Max grumbled, rolling his eyes at her.

Defensively, Isabel replied, "What? I thought Mom was hurt. We were going to rescue her."

Diane shook her head and said sternly, "I agree with Max, Isabel. You'd do well to follow his example."

"Sleep through your screaming?" Isabel quipped.

It was Diane's turn to roll her eyes as she replied, "No. If you hear your father or I being attacked, call 911 and then run the other way. Your safety comes first."

As she said the words, another statement floated through her mind, echoing in Max's voice.

"_Please, Mom, I know I've lied to you about countless other things, but you need to trust me now. You need to trust that I want your safety – Dad's safety – more than anything else in the world. Please."_

The dream felt so real.

"Liz isn't here, is she?" Diane asked cautiously.

Max lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Liz? No, of course not. It's four in the morning, Mom. She's at her house, probably sleeping."

Liz had been there, in the dream. Liz had known what was going on, had not seemed at all surprised by the powers Max had displayed. In fact, hadn't she been the one to tell Max to strangle his father?

"Mom?" Max asked, taking a step towards her and Diane could not help the instinctual fear that ran through her veins as she automatically pulled back from him. He looked first confused, and then hurt, and a sharp, jarring pain twisted in her stomach, a feeling of guilt.

"I'm fine," she said with a forced smile. "It was just a bad dream. I'm sorry I woke you all."

It was just a dream. It had to be just a dream, because anything else wouldn't make sense. And yet… if it was just a dream, why couldn't she separate it from reality in her mind? What did she feel fear when she looked at her children?

* * *

In the hallway, Isabel murmured, "She bought it."

Max nodded, then said slowly, "But she was afraid. Of me."

"The fear is still there, Max, and I can't make that go away," Isabel replied apologetically. "But she'll think it's just a dream, and eventually it will fade. Besides, there's nothing to make her think it was anything other than a dream. Your room is completely put back together. If she calls the Parkers, they'll tell her Liz was in her room, sleeping. It's fine."

She said the words emphatically, though there was an underlying tone of unease.

Max nodded again, though he looked less than convinced.

* * *

"Kyle? Got a minute?"

Kyle looked up from where he sat at his desk, not bothering to hide his annoyance at the interruption. "What do you want, Tess?" he asked in a hiss.

"Just to talk," Tess answered.

"Oh, now you want to talk?" Kyle said bitterly, sarcastically, "now that it is convenient for you?"

"Look, last night… you just… we were in the middle of something," Tess replied somewhat defensively. "You weren't in any danger last night. You weren't… it wasn't like you were going to die. I had to focus on Isabel because she… she was in danger."

Something flickered in Kyle's gaze, and he asked in a newer, sharper tone, "Is she alright?"

Tess nodded. "Yeah. Crisis averted. She'll be fine." That might have been a bit of an overstatement, given that Tess had no idea how Isabel and Max had decided to handle the issue with their parents. For all she knew, right at this very moment they might be telling their parents the truth, and then everything might end up being a lot less than fine.

But she wasn't going to dwell on that.

She pulled absently at one curl, twisting the strands of hair between her fingers.

"Oh. Good." Kyle reverted back to his bored tone and gazed at Tess with an expressionless stare.

Tess hesitated, then said, "You have to know that I never meant to hurt you."

Kyle opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. He seemed to actually be considering the conversation, and Tess could only hope that his silence meant he was honestly thinking about her point. But when he spoke, his words did little to ease her concern.

"Of course I know that you would never have intentionally hurt me… if you could avoid it. But we both know that I don't always come first. Or even close to first."

Tess nodded, unable to deny the answer. Despite all the times that her desire to do what was best for Kyle and Jim had gotten her into trouble with the other three aliens, she did not pretend to avoid the truth – when it really came down to it, she would put the other three first. Not because she cared about them anymore than Kyle, but because with them, it was almost always a life-threatening situation.

She wasn't sure that Kyle would… or even could… understand that.

Aloud, she said, "They're my family, too, Kyle, no matter how much I might wish I had nothing to do with them," she replied, her final words layered with sarcasm. "I care about what happens to them. I have to. Unfortunately."

"You could have told me the truth. I mean… told me, and then _not_ erased my memory."

"I was trying to keep you safe," Tess said in exasperation. "I just… I did what I thought was right."

An eyebrow lifted, Kyle challenged, "Do you still think you were right?"

Tess paused, surprised by the question, by her own hesitancy in answering. She wished she knew the right words, the ones that might finally get him to understand, to see it from her point of view. But she didn't know what those words were, and given that she had lied to him for so long, she figured that now, at least, she owed him the truth.

"Do you still think that you were right?" Kyle repeated.

"I think that we're all still alive," she said bluntly. "And there were a lot of times in the past year-and-a-half that I wasn't sure it would turn out this way. I don't know, Kyle. I'd like to say that if I could do it all over, I would make different choices, _better_ choices… but I don't know… We're all still alive. And that matters more than anything else ever could."

Kyle didn't answer, and there wasn't a whole lot else Tess could say, so after a moment of silence, she turned and left the room.

* * *

This time, Laurie did not look to startled to see Michael, though there was a wariness in her eyes. She moved closer to Meredith, but her gaze lingered on Michael, then snapped over to Maria.

"Meredith?" Laurie whispered, her voice hoarse, questioning. "Who… how…?"

Meredith frowned and shot Michael an accusing stare. "You told me you worked here," she said in a low voice. "You told me that you knew my step-daughter through the hospital."

Michael scratched his eyebrow absently and said slowly, choosing his words carefully, "I was telling the truth with everything else I said." He could see the distrust in Meredith's eyes, and he supposed he couldn't blame her. He had lied to her in an attempt to get her to listen to him, and now that she could see the lies for what they were, she didn't have much of a reason to trust him.

"Grandpa did that," Laurie said abruptly. "He scratched his eyebrow like that."

Michael self-consciously dropped his hand to his side, looking a little uncomfortable.

"But you're not my Grandpa, are you?" she continued, giving him a shrewd look. Michael couldn't help but think that she sounded far more sane than most of the people he knew, even if she was diagnosed as crazy.

"No," he agreed reluctantly, "I'm not."

"Who are you?"

"Michael Guerin," Michael answered immediately. "Maria and I are from Roswell."

"Oh." She chewed her lip for a moment, then looked at Meredith. "I've never been to Roswell."

"Laurie," Michael said tentatively, "we were wondering if you… if you could tell us about your dreams. The… uh… the ones involving crystals."

The response was almost not what he had expected. Laurie pulled back from him, taking a few involuntary steps backwards. Her eyes widened in something like horror, and she said, "What? Why? Who _are_ you?"

"Laurie, calm down," Meredith said quickly, placing a hand on Laurie's arm. With a fierce glare for Michael, she said, "I told you about her dreams. Why do you want to know more?" To Laurie, she said quietly, "You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to."

Maria interjected quickly, "We just want to know…"

"You think I'm crazy," Laurie said, shaking her head repeatedly, blonde hair falling over her eyes. She pushed the strands aside impatiently, but she would not look Michael directly in the eyes. "You think this is just some paranoid delusion. You think…"

"That is not what we think," Michael said firmly. "Laurie, I'm asking you this because I want to know. Because… because I don't think you're crazy for it."

Maria slanted a look at her boyfriend, and he read the concern in her eyes. He knew as well as she did that they could not afford to explain to either Laurie or Meredith exactly _why_ the crystals were important, and they were treading dangerous water with these questions. He didn't want to make anyone suspicious.

"Everyone thinks I'm crazy," Laurie answered, not really listening to Michael's words. She was shaking, as was her voice, as she added, "Everyone. Meredith… Bobby… even my Dad thought that."

"Bobby is your uncle, right?" Michael said casually. "Tell me about him?"

Meredith's eyes narrowed dangerously and Laurie continued to shake her head. "There is no reason to talk about this," Meredith said coolly.

Michael groaned inwardly and wondered again why he had asked her to come with him for this conversation. At the time, he had thought that perhaps she would hear something important, something that could help Laurie. But she seemed to be doing everything possible to prevent this conversation from covering any of the important topics, and he couldn't help but wonder if she was trying to protect Laurie… or herself.

Laurie tore herself away from Meredith and took a few stumbling steps away from the others. "I need… space…" she gasped, and took another several steps until she was nearly out of hearing range.

"Let her go, give her space to calm down," Meredith said. She looked away from them, towards the buildings that surrounded the garden. There were a few nurses moving about, and several other staff members and visitors talking quietly to other patients. She started playing with her hair as she watched them.

Michael glanced past her at Laurie, then whispered to Maria, "Distract Meredith."

Maria nodded once, and said sharply to Meredith, "Nice place. Guess it is worth all the money to keep Laurie out of your life. No annoying step-daughters to worry about."

Splotches of color appeared on Meredith's cheeks as she spun angrily to face Maria and snapped, "As I explained to your friend last night, it is not that simple, and you don't have a clue what you're talking about."

"Oh?" Maria pressed, and Meredith's eyes were filled with simmering anger.

Michael waited until he was sure that Maria had fully engaged Meredith in conversation before slipping away. He approached Laurie quietly, then cleared his throat to announce his presence. She turned to face him in surprise, and he held his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"I come in peace."

She wrapped her arms around herself and said, "I still don't know who you are."

"I'm a friend," Michael answered. "I'm just trying to help you."

"Why should I believe you?" she demanded.

Instead of answering the question – because, really, what answer could he give? – he asked again, "Can you tell me about your dreams?"

She gave him a hard look, then pulled back sharply. Drawing a breath, she asked, "Why do you care? Gonna analyze my dreams like the therapist does?"

"No," Michael said, the slightest touch of irritation in his voice. He was getting frustrated by her shyness, by the way she kept slinking away from him. She glanced once or twice at Meredith, who was still arguing with Maria, and Michael absently scratched his eyebrow again.

Laurie started.

Michael dropped his hand quickly and expelled a breath. "Laurie… do you think you're in trouble?"

"You still haven't told me why you want to know all this," Laurie muttered under her breath. "And I don't need another shrink. Certainly not one your age."

Michael frowned at her comment, but didn't argue the point. Instead, he said, "You were crying out for help. You were scared, Laurie, and I… I'm just trying to make it better."

Laurie was staring at him as though she had never seen him before, as though she couldn't quite comprehend what he was saying. He looked back at her, his expression as open and honest as he could make it, and silently prayed that she would open up and start talking.

But the amazement faded from her eyes, and shutters dropped quickly over them. In a dark tone, she said, "I know what happens. I tell you what I dreamt last night, and you stick me full of sedatives."

"Did you dream about the crystals?" Michael asked eagerly.

Laurie looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, then she bit her lip and shook her head repeatedly, refusing to answer the question.

Michael ran a hand through his hair and thought back to his previous conversation with Maria, to her suggestion that he figure out some way to form an emotional connection with Laurie. He didn't know what he could say to her, he didn't know what would get her to trust him. But he had to try something, so he took a deep breath and said the first words that came to mind.

"Look, Laurie, I know a lot of people think you're pretty crazy. But the truth is, I've got some idea of what you've been through, and given all that, you seem pretty normal to me. At least, not any crazier than the rest of us. And I don't know what you are to me. A cousin, maybe, or something like that. But, see… here's the thing. I've got a lot of faults." He jerked his head towards Maria and said with a wry smile, "And that one over there, she can list them off for you if you want later on, but… but the one thing I am is loyal. For whatever reason, you mean something to me. I don't know exactly, I don't think I can explain it, and even if I could, I don't know if you would believe me. But I'm not hear to trick you. I'm not trying to psychoanalyze you. I just… I want to help, and I will not turn my back on you. Okay?"

Laurie slowly lifted her eyes to meet his gaze and said, "They exploded. All the crystals. But… it was bad. There was this boy, about your age, and he was strangling someone. I didn't really get a clear look at what was happening, but then the crystals… there was this flash of blue, and then they were gone."

Michael made a mental note to call Max as soon as possible, and then prompted, "They're all gone? All the crystals?"

"Yeah." She ran hers hands over her arms, staring at the faint white crisscross of scars that remained after all the times she had tried to dig her nails into her own skin, to scratch out the crystals. "Yeah, there all gone. But this boy… I think he was scared. Or upset. I don't really… I don't know." She continued to chew on her bottom lip, then said almost defiantly, "That's all I got to say."

"I'm glad there gone," Michael said after a moment of thought. "I'm glad they can't hurt you… or anyone else… anymore."

Laurie shrugged. "Yeah, I guess its good." She looked uncomfortable for a moment, then added, "Meredith will think I'm getting even more crazy, though. Bobby will make sure she thinks that."

"You don't really like Bobby, do you?"

Wide eyes shifted almost immediately, dropping their focus to the ground. "He… he's glad I'm crazy, I think. Always wanted me out of the house."

"What do you mean?" Michael pressed.

Laurie was looking more and more uncomfortable as the conversation progressed, and her voice had dropped to a faint whisper. "He used to do stuff. He'd… um… he'd move things around in my room so I couldn't find them. But he'd put them back before my step-mother came up so that she would think I was just crazy. Or sometimes he used to play this tape of all these voices when Meredith wasn't around, and I didn't know he was doing it so I thought I was hearing things. When I finally caught him, he hid the tape and I knew I couldn't tell Meredith because she wouldn't believe me. Or… once or twice he took things of Meredith's and put them in my room, and when she went looking for them I told her I didn't have them… and then she'd find them and I couldn't remember how they'd even gotten there… it took me a while to realize he was… it was Bobby all along."

"Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "Not physically. But he used to tell me all the time that Meredith was gonna get rid of me. I guess he finally made that prediction come true." She licked her lips and swallowed uneasily. "I didn't know he was behind those things for so long, I thought… I really did think I was… you know… loony."

"Bobby would never have done anything like that!"

Both Michael and Laurie spun towards the sound of the voice, and found an irate Meredith glowering at them. Maria stood at her side, clearly having been unable to delay the older woman for any longer, and her mouth was hanging open at Laurie's words.

"Why would Laurie lie about it?" Michael demanded when it became apparent that Laurie was not going to defend herself. It was as though the girl couldn't speak, she kept opening and closing her mouth silently, fearful and confused.

"She's… she's crazy. She's misunderstanding, misremembering what happened. But I know my brother, and he wouldn't… he wouldn't…"

"Like he didn't pay me fifty thousand dollars to leave and not come back?" Michael drawled.

Meredith faltered at the comment, but her gaze was still suspicious as she stared at Laurie. And Laurie, upset and bewildered by how everything could have turned that bad that quickly, began quickly moving away from them with shaky steps.

One of the nurses, apparently drawn by the commotion, appeared at Laurie's side and said warmly, "Perhaps we should end the visit for the day? What do you think, Laurie?"

"Yes, please," Laurie whispered in a barely audible voice, and sank back into the nurse's embrace, letting herself be lead away by the motherly woman dressed in white.

Meredith gave Michael one last, vicious stare, then turned sharply on her heel and stalked away.

* * *

"Remind me again why we're waiting?" Michael asked impatiently, staring at the house looming in front of them. His blood was boiling with anger at what Laurie had told them, at the way Meredith had reacted. He wanted to storm into the house and confront her, wanted to demand that she explain how she could have just left her step-daughter at the hospital after what had been revealed.

But Maria was adamant that they wait.

"Look, you said it yourself – Meredith does actually care about Laurie. We just need to give her a little time to think about what she heard. She's not going to be willing to listen if we just barge in their an attack her," Maria answered pointedly.

"How do you know?" Michael snapped.

Maria huffed, "Because I actually understand people's feelings, Michael. You might have the emotional maturity of a snail, but the rest of us don't."

Michael slammed his hands against the steering wheel of the car and said, "How do you know she isn't in there having her mind twisted by Bobby? We're wasting time."

"I've got a hunch," Maria answered calmly.

"What sort of hunch?" Michael pressed.

"The kind of hunch where you suspect something," Maria answered blankly, frowning at him. "What other kinds of hunches are there?"

"I _meant_ what do you suspect?"

"Meredith might be self-absorbed," Maria answered, "but she didn't strike me as particularly blind. I'll bet you anything she's known all along how Bobby felt about Laurie. I just don't think she thought he would actually act on his greed. Not like this, anyway."

"So what happens now? What are we waiting for?"

"She can see our car from the windows," Maria said with a smug smile. "We're waiting for her to come to us. Then we know she'll be ready to talk."

There was a silence for a moment, then Michael said, "Trevor didn't come back."

Maria, surprised by the change in topic, had to stop and consider the comment before she could respond. "No, he didn't," she agreed. "That's good, right?"

"Unless he took all the information he has and delivered it to Nicolas," Michael muttered.

Maria didn't say anything.

"Weird, though," Michael continued, murmuring the words under his breath so that Maria had to strain to hear them.

"What do you mean?"

"Max has Isabel, Tess has Kyle," Michael explained. "Me… I've got Trevor and Laurie. A traitor and a lunatic. Just seems a little… unfair, you know?"

Maria contemplated this for a moment, then shrugged. "Life isn't fair," she said, because how else was she supposed to respond? It was true, everything Michael had said, and pretending otherwise wasn't going to make it different.

Michael grumbled something inaudible under his breath.

With a sudden smirk, Maria commented dryly, "If it helps, though, Kyle hates Tess right now."

Michael replied with a wolfish grin, "You're right, that does make me feel better."

The rest of the conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Meredith, who pushed through the gate and marched down the driveway to their car. Michael rolled down the window eagerly, ready for whatever confrontation would follow.

He was not ready for the redness of Meredith's eyes or the faint scent of alcohol on her breath.

"You've been drinking," he said bluntly.

She looked at him, eyes hard. "It's true, what she said about Bobby."

It was not a question, but Michael answered it anyway, "Yeah, I'm guessing it is."

She ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the car. "I confronted Bobby about it. He denied it at first, but…" She trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"So now you know the truth," Maria said. "That's good, isn't it?"

"Good?" Meredith spat, words bitter. "Good? I just found out my brother was willing to go behind my back to torment by step-daughter, and this is supposed to be _good_?"

"Now you know the kind of person he is," Maria countered. "Now you know that he isn't worth your time."

"He's still my brother," Meredith retorted, voice shaking with emotion, with helplessness and pent-up anger. "Do you think I suddenly don't care about him, just because I've found out the truth? Do you think it makes him any less family?"

"Laurie is your family," Maria protested. "More than he is. He's a creep, and that's it."

Meredith bit her lip. "It isn't that simple."

"Yes, it is," Maria pushed, eyes narrowed. "Don't pretend like you didn't know all along that he was in this for the money. He's your brother, you had to know what kind of person he was. Now you finally have the proof, you have Laurie's word. How can you act like he is still family?"

"Yes, I can see that you have a really good understanding of emotions," Michael whispered sarcastically, giving Maria a look. She glowered in reply, but he ignored her. To Meredith, he said, "He's not a good person. Yes, he is still your brother, but he isn't one of the good guys."

"One of the good guys?" Meredith echoed. "What is this, a Disney movie? God, you have a really black and white view of the world."

Michael didn't reply to that comment, but instead continued, "You can't change what he did. You can't make his decisions for him. Just like you can't make Laurie's decisions for her. But you can change your own choices. You can make them better."

Meredith swallowed uneasily, then questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"What are you going to do about Laurie?"

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?"

"When are you going to get her out of that place?" Michael elaborated.

Meredith stared at him, temporarily speechless. Then she said, "I'm not."

"What? Why not?" Michael demanded furiously. "You know what Bobby did! Were you not listening to anything Laurie said?"

"Were you not listening to anything I told you last night?" Meredith countered. "She is crazy. Yeah, Bobby make it worse. But she… she was like that before. Before Bobby moved in. Before her father died."

"But she didn't start hurting herself until more recently," Michael answered firmly. "And you said you only had her committed because of that. What's the matter? Too afraid to lose your freedom? Don't want her back in the house because you'll have to start taking care of her again?"

"Why do you care?" Meredith demanded. "What is Laurie to you?"

"I don't know," Michael answered honestly. "But she's family. And I do care about her. I care what happens to her."

"I do, too," Meredith said tiredly. "But she needs help. And I can't give it to her. Maybe the doctors and nurses at that place can. They're good people, and it is a good place. Laurie's safe there. Safer than she was with me, anyway." The last was said with bitterness, an implicit referral to Bobby.

"Laurie needs you."

"She has me, regardless of where she is," Meredith answered determinedly. "And if you want, you can visit her, too. I don't care, as long as you're looking out for her. But she's my step-daughter, and I've known her for far longer than you have. So believe me when I say I know her better than you do, and I am just trying to keep her safe and get her healthy. If that's even possible."

Maria rested her hand gently on Michael's arm, silently telling him not to continue arguing. He glared at her, but lapsed into silence, and she turned her attention to Meredith. "Just tell me that you're thinking about Laurie. That you're trying to help her. That you're not… that you aren't turning your back on her."

Meredith expelled a breath slowly, then nodded. "I'm not turning my back on her. I won't, not ever. I promise you that."

* * *

Next Chapter: Wrap Up

Due: Sun 11/15


	74. Wrap Up

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Alright, we will have officially ended the whole Laurie-and-the-blue-crystals plot arc in this chapter. After this, I promise there will be a bit of fluff. Just so that our characters have a chance to breathe before the next disaster strikes.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Four: Wrap Up

This time, Michael met Laurie inside one of the white-washed buildings, sitting comfortably on a slightly overstuffed armchair while nurses floated around in the background. True to her word, Meredith had contacted Pinecrest and given permission for Michael to see Laurie whenever he wanted – provided Laurie was alright with it. Michael still was not happy with the entire situation, but he supposed it was the best he could hope for at the moment.

Laurie sat opposite him. She was holding a plastic cup filled with orange juice in one hand, and she absently traced one finger along the rim, moving it into a circle.

"Where's the other one?"

"Maria?" Michael shrugged. "She's not coming today." He had wanted to visit Laurie alone, not because he didn't trust Maria or didn't enjoy her presence, but because this was a conversation he simply had to have on his own.

Laurie nodded and didn't push the issue.

It was silent, except for the echoing sound of footsteps on the linoleum floor behind them as nurses, doctors, and patients passed by. Occasionally a nurse would come a few steps closer to them, listening in on the conversation just long enough to determine that Laurie was still safe and well, and then float back away to give the illusion of privacy.

The staff really seemed to care. It was a good place, Michael reflected a bit bitterly – Meredith had been telling the truth about that. Laurie was in good hands here.

He scratched his eyebrow and sighed.

"You remind me a lot of Grandpa," Laurie said quietly.

Michael started, then looked at her. "What was he like?"

"A lot like you," Laurie answered wistfully, her gaze unfocused as she seemed to dwell on some distant memories. "Hard to read, lived in his own head. But kind. I loved being around him when I was little." She bit her lip for a moment, then continued, "After he died, we paced up his stuff and kept it in boxes in the bomb shelter underneath the house. I used to go down there sometimes. You could still smell him in all that stuff. On his clothes, and in the books he read. Indian River Pipe Tobacco. That's what he smelled like."

"They say he was crazy," Michael offered tentatively, hoping the subject wouldn't frighten her.

Laurie gave him a searching look, then nodded. "Because of the aliens." At Michael's enquiring gaze, she elaborated, "Grandpa said they took him. He wouldn't talk about it. He'd just go sit in the bomb shelter and read for hours. It was his sanctuary. The older he got, the more he wanted to know about what really happened to him. So he started talking about it. Asking questions."

"Did he find anything?" Michael asked.

Laurie shook her head. "No, not really. Never got the answers he wanted." She looked sad for a moment as she thought about this, then she gaze a long sigh. "That was one of the things that made everyone think he was crazy. It's what I got from him. That, and some faulty genes."

Michael lifted an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Laurie licked her lips. "I wasn't supposed to know about it," she murmured. "Meredith kept it a secret, I think she was worried about what would happen if I found out… if I knew that it was genetic, that I couldn't escape it, that nothing was ever going to change… I might give up hope."

"What do you mean?"

"I've got a genetic defect. A recessive trait, only shows up every couple of generations. They think it's partially responsible for all this…" she gestured to the rest of the room, to the nurses and patients. "Grandpa had it, too. And look what happened to him."

Michael frowned. He didn't know exactly what happened to her grandfather, no one had ever explained it. But a suspicion was forming in his mind, a possibility that might make all the other pieces fall into line. A suspicion that painted a worrisome picture about Laurie's future.

"Your grandfather… he… um… he killed himself?"

Laurie didn't look particularly surprised that Michael had figured it out. She just nodded slowly, silently, a moody expression on her face.

But for Michael, things had started to make sense.

Laurie had inherited the same genetic defect that had plagued her grandfather. That was why her father and step-mother had been so concerned about the possibility of her starting to hurt herself, that was why Meredith had had her committed as soon as she showed signs of self-harm. What had really driven her grandfather over the edge was his inability to find answers about the abduction. What had sent Laurie spiraling out of control was her dreams about the crystals. But Meredith, who didn't believe in aliens, would have only seen two very similar situations, one repeating the other.

And she would have done anything necessary to stop Laurie from making the same mistakes…

And it also explained why, even now, Meredith was refusing to remove Laurie from the mental hospital. She believed Laurie to be suicidal… and she just didn't have the means to keep her safe.

"She cares," Laurie said. "She might never have been able to see Uncle Bobby for who he really was. And I know she never wanted me. But she does care, and I've always known that."

Michael swallowed uneasily and nodded. It seemed as though Laurie was in good hands after all.

Aloud, he said, "She kicked Bobby out of the house."

Laurie looked surprised. "She believes me?"

"Like you said, Laurie," Michael replied, "she really does care."

"She's his brother," Laurie pointed out. "She cares about him, too. And me, I'm just the crazy girl who causes too much trouble."

"Hey, listen to me," Michael said firmly, "you're not as crazy as everyone thinks. Yeah, you had problems, I know that. And maybe you do need things. Medications, doctors… but those dreams…" He took a deep breath, knowing he was about to enter rather problematic territory, and hoping he could get out of it without having to provide too many answers, "Those dreams were real."

Laurie narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

"Just like what happened to your grandfather was real."

"Even before the abduction, he was crazy. Schizophrenia, they say. And me, I was crazy, too. I think the doctor called it severe bi-polar presented with paranoia. Or something official sounding like that."

"Like I said, you have problems. But you're not as crazy as everyone thinks. And this is your life, Laurie. You have a right to live it, to try to make the best of it. now, look, I'm not what you would call an optimist. Life sucks. People suck. That's reality. But you're special. You're a good person and you deserve better than what you've gotten over the past few years. You deserve better than Bobby's manipulations. You deserve better than being locked up in this place, thinking those dreams were just paranoia. It's more than that. It's your life. This is _your_ life."

There was a complete silence as Laurie digested those words, her expression unreadable. She sank further back into the chair, arms wrapped defensively around herself. When she spoke, her voice was little more than a whisper.

"Why are you here, Michael? How did you know I was in trouble?"

He looked at her and shrugged. "I just did."

She didn't press the issue. Instead, she said with a slight smile, "Thank you. For coming."

Michael returned the smile with one of his own. "You're welcome."

* * *

It felt strange, walking out of the mental hospital with the knowledge that he had found another family member. Laurie, who for all her talk of being crazy, actually seemed relatively sane to him. Laurie, who could be his sister.

He'd promised to check in with her every now and then, to see how she was doing. And maybe she would get better. Maybe they could help her at the hospital, maybe she could figure out a way to move past all the hurtles she had faced and live her life.

He certainly hoped so.

"So… she's the granddaughter of your human half," a voice said. "I certainly didn't see _that_ coming."

Michael balled his hands into fists and turned to face the other alien. "Trevor. Are you going to run off and tell Nicolas?" Had he just managed to save Laurie from the crystals and Bobby only to lose her to the skins?

Trevor shrugged. "I don't really see a reason to. She's crazy, it isn't like she's a threat to us."

"She's not crazy," Michael snapped.

Trevor rolled his eyes. "Don't kid yourself, _brother_," he answered sarcastically, "she's as crazy as they come. Just like her grandfather. He never would have been picked if he was completely sane."

"What are you talking about?" Michael demanded.

Trevor folded his arms over his chest and said pointedly, "All of your powers come from your ability to use more than just the tiny part of your brain that humans use. Only, because you're half-human, your body would reject any attempt to access that part of the brain. In fact, your brain would be so confused by what was happening that you probably wouldn't have even survived the incubation period. You would never have hatched."

"So?"

"So the only way to get an alien's DNA to mix with a human's DNA and create a successful hybrid is to use a human that has access to more of his brain than the normal person."

"I don't get it."

Trevor threw up his arms in frustration. "That's because you're an idiot," he said coldly, huffing impatiently. Adopting the tone of someone explaining a simple math problem to a three-year-old, he continued, "Humans aren't supposed to use that much of their brain. From an evolutionary standpoint, they just haven't gotten to that point yet. If a person uses more of his brain than he should, he starts experiences negative side-effects because his mind doesn't know how to sort out all the extraneous information he is receiving. He gets delusions. Paranoia. Split-personalities. It's very rare, only a tiny fraction of a percent of people have this condition."

"So Laurie and her grandfather…"

"Both have access to a small percentage of their brain that lays dormant in normal humans. That is why they are crazy. That is also why Mr. Dupree was chosen to be your donor."

Michael thought about this for a moment, then asked, "So why are you here, Trevor?"

"I explained all that last time we met."

"And I refused to help you," Michael pointed out icily, anger creeping into his voice. "There was no reason for you to come back."

"When will you accept the fact that I am trying to keep you safe?" Trevor demanded.

Michael narrowed his eyes as he replied, "When will you accept the fact that I don't want your help? You don't even understand what is important to me."

He turned away from his brother and started walking towards the coffee shop across the street where he was supposed to meet Maria and Nasedo. He knew that Trevor was still watching him, could feel the skin's eyes burning into his back. But he did not turn around, did not look back.

Trevor watched him go, then shook his head slowly. "You're wrong, brother," he said softly. "I do understand what is important to you. Perhaps more than you do."

* * *

When Diane flinched away from Max, it took all his strength not to break down and tell her everything. She was standing next to the sink, and he had been reaching past her to fill his glass with water from the faucet. Their arms had accidentally bumped, and she had jumped.

He gave her a look and asked with concern, "Are you alright, Mom?"

"I'm fine," she answered briskly, brushing her hands against the apron she was wearing. She didn't meet his gaze, however, but instead focused on the water running from the tap. "You just startled me, that's all."

Max nodded and turned off the faucet. Taking his glass of water, he debated trying to press the topic. But Diane was pulling away from him, moving towards the refrigerator.

"Will you be home for dinner tonight?" she asked giving him a brief glance that seemed filled with trepidation.

He nodded. "Yeah, I was planning on it. I know Isabel has made plans with Alex, but I should be here."

"Not going to see Liz, then?" Diane asked, and Max couldn't help but wonder if he was imagining the almost anxious tone of voice. Did she want him to leave? Would she prefer to have him spend the evening at the Crashdown, away from her?

"Not tonight," he said slowly.

She nodded. "Alright, then."

He paused for a moment, weighing his options. He didn't want to keep bringing it up, didn't want to push her into a conversation she didn't want to have. Didn't want to ask the questions because he knew he might not like the answers. But still… he just couldn't stand there and do nothing while she looked at him like that.

Last year, when his parents had been suspicious, over the summer when they had been worried, this past fall when they had been disappointed… all those times, he had hated the way they would look at him, as though they didn't really know who he was anymore.

But the anguish caused by their expressions then was _nothing_ compared to what it felt like to have his mother look at him… with fear.

He had never wanted either of them to be afraid of him. They were his parents. Didn't they know that they meant everything to him?

"Are you sure you're alright, Mom?" he said finally, diffidently. "You've been acting strange all day."

He saw the indecision in her eyes, the fact that she clearly had no idea what to tell him. At last she answered in a strangled voice, "I'm fine, Max. Just didn't get enough sleep."

"Plus you had crazy dreams," Max added, wondering how she would respond. "Or is nightmare the more appropriate term?"

"Yeah, crazy nightmares…" she trailed off with a heavy sigh.

He left the kitchen, holding his glass of water in one hand and slowly clenching and unclenching the other as though the movement might offer some release from the tension he felt.

As far as he knew, his father remember nothing about any of this. Any action that had been controlled by the Queen was completely erased from his mind. He did not remember being strangled by his own son, he did not remember losing oxygen until he blacked out.

He did not fear Max.

Somehow, that was little comfort.

* * *

"My mother is afraid of Max."

Tess looked up, eyebrows lifted at Isabel's announcement. She was sitting at the kitchen table while Kyle rummaged through the refrigerator behind her and avoided her glance. Jim was there as well, standing by the window over the sink, apparently doing nothing.

"She thinks it is just a dream," Isabel continued, pulling out a chair and settling herself into it, staring across the table at Tess. "She thinks everything she saw is a dream, but it is still vivid enough for her to be afraid. Of Max. of her own _son_."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tess said dryly. "Is there any particular reason why you are telling me this?"

Slamming her palms onto the table, Isabel hissed, "How can you just sit there and do nothing? How can you act like this doesn't matter at all?"

"Why are you so vehemently for this idea?" Tess countered. "You hated it the last time I mind-warped your parents."

"But I gave in eventually, didn't I?" Isabel pointed out as a retort. "Because it was necessary."

"You're right," Tess agreed, "it _was_ necessary then. But you're the one who just said that your mother thinks this is all a dream. So how is it necessary now?" Leaning forward, she continued before Isabel had a chance to answer, "This isn't about protecting us anymore. We are safe, and she's not a threat. You only want me to mind-warp her so that she isn't afraid of you."

"Is it really so wrong to want my own mother not to fear Max or myself?"

Tess leaned back in her seat, arms folded across her chest. "It is if you are willing to take the risk of her dying."

Isabel let out a slow breath, dimly aware of the fact that Kyle and Jim had both abandoned any pretense of being distracted and were avidly listening to the conversation. But she didn't have the energy to worry about either of them right now, not after everything that had happened.

"My mother wouldn't die," she said after a moment. "Your mind-warp doesn't kill people."

"It nearly killed Kyle," Tess replied.

But Isabel shook her head. "No. What nearly killed Kyle was being sucked into an alternate reality. We both know that was the trigger for what happened to him."

"Nothing would have been triggered if I hadn't mind-warped him in the first place…"

"It was an extensive mind-warp. More than you would do on my mom…"

"I'm not doing anything to your mother!"

"Tess…"

Rising to her feet, Tess said firmly and with frustration and rage simmering in her eyes, "Isabel, I will tell you the same thing I told Kyle. We're all still alive. We're all still safe. As far as I'm concerned, that means we succeeded, and there is no incentive for me to do anything else."

And without another word, she turned and stalked from the room.

There was an awkward silence, then Isabel climbed to her feet as well. Glancing at Jim, she said softly, "Next to Max's ability to heal, Tess' mind-warp is the most useful gift we've got at our disposal. We'd all probably be dead if she didn't have that ability. Sooner or later, she's going to have to start using it again. I don't think we're going to be able to survive an encounter with the skins without her."

Jim tilted his head to the side and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because, right now, you might be the only person she's willing to listen to, and someone needs to get her to see the truth about this," Isabel answered bluntly. "Right now, her refusal to help us is hurting Max and leaving my mother terrified of her own family. And yeah, we are still alive, so I can forgive her for her fears. But if she doesn't get over this… and if we get hurt because of it…"

"Then you won't forgive her? Is that what you're trying to say," Kyle cut in curiously.

Isabel looked at him for a moment, then shook her head. "No. I'm saying that _she_ won't forgive herself."

* * *

"Home, sweet home," Maria declared triumphantly as she jumped out of the car. Michael slowly climbed from the driver's seat, looking moody and impassive. He'd been silent most of the drive back, and when Maria had asked if he was okay, his only reply had been a jerk of his shoulders, something akin to a shrug. She knew it wasn't Laurie that was bothering him, he had seemed alright with the circumstances as they had played out.

So she had no idea what could be bothering him this much.

She didn't press the issue, however, and she knew Michael was a little startled by her silence. After all, she was a little surprised by her own actions. Not pushing a subject was so out of character for her.

Michael tossed her the keys – it was her car after all. "I'm going to talk to Max," he said, "and then I'll call when we figure out about a group meeting or something."

Maria nodded. They had a lot to talk about, and she wasn't even entirely sure what had happened to everyone while they were gone. From the brief conversation Michael had had with Isabel during the drive home, she had ascertained that everything had turned out fairly well, but there were still a few lingering concerns.

At least no one had died, she reflected.

But perhaps she had spoken to soon, because at that moment the door to her house flew open and Amy DeLuca came storming down the steps. And if looks could kill, Michael would be a dead man.

"Maria DeLuca!"

Maria cringed and turned to face her furious mother. "Hi, Mom."

"You disappear. No note, no phone call, no explanation. I don't find out anything until I suddenly show up at closing night of your play, and you aren't there. A fact, I discover, you haven't even had the common decency to warn your director of prior to your disappearance. What were you _thinking_?"

"Mom, it's not what you think…"

"Where were you?" Amy continued, not letting her daughter get a sentence in edgewise. "A cheap motel? Las Vegas? Some crazy rave? What did you do?"

"Ms. DeLuca…" Michael tried to intervene.

Amy swung to face him with a furious glare. "And you! How dare you take my daughter away without any notice? Without even asking permission?" Turning to her daughter, she continued, "How dare you go with Michael when I specifically forbade you from spending time with him?"

"Mom, this isn't Michael's fault. He hasn't done anything wrong," Maria protested.

"Do you think I made these rules just for my own fun?" Amy snapped. "I'm trying to protect you."

"You don't need to protect me from Michael," Maria countered furiously. "He's _not_ going to hurt me."

"No, but apparently I do have to protect you from your own inability to think straight," Amy shot back, flushed with anger and fear. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was? To find out that my daughter was gone, and I had no idea where she was or why? Did you even think about how it would feel if I found out you were missing?"

"Mom…" Maria drew a breath, "I'm sorry. Believe me, I never meant to worry you. Or scare you. Or any of it. I just… we needed to get away for a bit and… and I'm sorry."

Amy seemed to deflate a little. But her voice was still strong, her words still angry, as she said, "Go inside, Maria. We'll talk about this later."

Maria acquiesced, walking around her mother and into the house.

Michael hesitated, then said, "I guess I'll just be going then."

Amy narrowed her eyes at him. "Not yet," she demanded. "You and I are going to have a little chat."

Michael appeared quite horrified by that idea, but there was no good way out of the conversation. He folded his arms over his chest, but the gesture that was supposed to look daring and defiant only ended up making him seem defensive.

"I called Jim," Amy said, "when I realized Maria was missing. I figured, he's the Sheriff, maybe he can help. You want to know what he said?"

Actually, Michael didn't really want to know what Valenti had said. He debated saying that, being honest, but judging by the look in Amy's eyes, that would not have gone over well.

He didn't have to answer, though. Amy pressed on, regardless of his silence. "He told me I should give you a chance. He told me that you are a good kid and you had a rough time with your foster father. He told me that you love my daughter and she loves you."

Michael swallowed, his throat abruptly dry. "That's true," he agreed. "I do care about Maria. A lot."

"You're going to be nice to her. Kind, caring, chivalrous. You're going to protect her. You will not encourage her to cut class, you will not convince her to throw away her future. You're going to keep her from getting tattoos, hooking up with junkies, or doing anything dangerous or unseemly. And you're going to tell me _before_ you and Maria take another romantic getaway. And, Michael… if you hurt her, I will hunt you down like the dog you are. Is that clear?"

Michael nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good," Amy said, and without another word, she turned and strode into the house, leaving a slightly stunned Michael standing on the sidewalk, staring after her.

* * *

Next Chapter: Interlude (part one)

Due: Sun 11/22


	75. Interlude part one

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: The next two chapters are going to jump us forward in time a bit. Pay attention to the time changes as we will be covering a lot of ground.

* * *

Interlude (part one)

They say time heals all wounds, but Max was starting to seriously doubt that. It had been nearly a week since what he was now referring to as _The Incident_, and his mother still had yet to relax in his presence. The others had tried to cheer him up, each in their own unique way, but it wasn't enough, not really.

Still, he supposed that it did help, knowing he had his friends' support.

And it was nice to have a moment to relax. Everything with Laurie had resolved itself fairly well, and the crystals were gone, the planet saved. He had no idea how long the break would be, and he planned to take advantage of it as best he could.

"I know I've told you this before, but I still need to say it again," a voice said, interrupting his thoughts, and Max looked up in time to see Tess slip into the booth across from him, smirking. "I just really want you to know how I feel about you." She slid her hand across the table, resting her fingers on his arm. "You're pathetic."

"What do you want, Tess?" he asked wearily, letting his gaze move past her and focus on the object of his affections as she moved about, taking orders.

"You mean besides for you to finally grow up and stop staring at Liz like a crazed stalker?"

Max sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand, tearing his gaze away from Liz. "Don't you have your own friends to annoy?"

"Well, yeah, but I actually _like_ them," came Tess' response.

"I'm surprised you're even willingly sitting across from me. I would have thought you wouldn't want to be seen in public with any of us," Max grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, I'm just killing time until Trudy and Isabel get here," Tess answered. "We're meeting to go shopping later in the afternoon. I think Trudy is still trying to fix my relationship with Kyle. She's apparently figured herself some kind of ridiculously annoying, platonic matchmaker."

"Well, always nice to know I can provide some form of entertainment for you," Max replied. "You've been hanging out around me so long that for a while there, I thought you were actually starting to like me."

"Oh, don't worry," Tess answered blithely, "that's never going to happen."

"So Isabel is speaking to you again?" Max asked after a momentary lapse in conversation.

"Um… it's really more like pointed glares," Tess said with a shrug. "Gives Trudy more to worry about, though. Now she's got multiple relationships to fix. I guess that probably just makes her happy. Like I said, the shopping thing was all her idea." Her gaze snapped past Max as the bells on the doors jingled, and she groaned. "And let the therapy hour being."

Max twisted in his seat and caught a glimpse of Isabel and Trudy laughing as they entered the diner. "I hope you have fun," he said, grinning as Tess climbed to her feet.

She shot him a look. "I hope you're miserable, Max."

As she left, Max rested his chin on the palm of one hand, elbow propped up on the table. Tawny eyes focused on Liz as he followed her movements and reflected, not for the first time, that perhaps he was acting a bit like a stalker.

Liz turned towards him and smiled, noting that he was alone again. Crossing the room, she dropped her notepad down on the table and asked, "What did Tess want?"

"Her usual. To insult me."

"Ah… well, I guess it is good to know that some things never change. No matter what." She studied his expression for a moment, looking for something in his gaze. Then she asked softly, "How's it going?"

He didn't answer. He couldn't answer, not really. He was still frustrated at Tess for putting him in this position, but he just didn't have the time or energy to take it out on her. He was too frazzled, too drained. His mother's suspicion was sapping his strength.

Liz slid into the seat across from him and took his hands in hers. "How's Brody?"

Max wrinkled his nose. The crystals that Brody had been so excited about had all turned into vapor and escaped the moment he had opened the jar again. The eccentric scientist had been more than just a little disappointed to lose his valuable evidence, and had complained to Max about it for hours.

It was apparently a government conspiracy. Of course, with Brody, almost everything was a government conspiracy.

"One more clue that slipped through his fingers," Max replied glumly. "He's not happy about it." He was relieved that their secret was still safe, that there was nothing that could lead Brody to the truth. But he also felt bad about it, about rejoicing when his boss was so frustrated. Brody was a good person.

"You know," Liz said suggestively, "I'm off in ten minutes, and I can think of a few things we could do to get your mind off your problems…"

* * *

Another week passed, and their lives continued as usual. No enemy aliens attacking, no FBI kidnappings. No sightings of Courtney, Trevor, or Nasedo. Only normal problems plagued them, problems every teenager faced. Suspicious parents, tension between siblings, frustration between friends… and annoyed bosses.

Brody had been in a lousy mood ever since the discovery that his crystals had disappeared, but today seemed especially difficult. The usually good-natured and eccentric man was short-tempered, and continually snapped at Max for the smallest things. By the end of his shift, the hybrid King was more than ready to escape.

But as soon as he was about to slip out the door, the source of Brody's bad mood appeared, and Max realized exactly what had set off the irate father.

Sydney entered the Center, clutching tightly to a stunning woman's hand. "Daddy!" she said happily as Brody looked up from his work. He grinned, and she rushed into his open arms.

Max turned to study the woman. She was tall and thin, with jet black hair and pale blue-gray eyes. Her cherry red lips were split into a smile that did not reach her eyes, and as she looked around the place, she said in a condescending drawl, "What a quaint little place you've got for yourself, Brody."

The man narrowed his eyes. "Thank you, Melissa," he said, "but I would hardly call it quaint."

She shrugged gracefully. "Suit yourself, dear. Roswell is certainly charming, but… well, it isn't Manhattan, is it?" To Sydney, she continued in a slightly warmer tone, "Wouldn't you like to see Manhattan, darling?"

"Oh, can I?" Sydney asked excitedly. Max figured she probably had no idea what Manhattan was, but she looked so thrilled at the prospect of spending time with this mysterious woman that even Brody was struggling with how to answer.

"We'll talk about it later," he said finally, ruffling his daughter's hair. To the woman, he added, "Her doctors don't think long plane rides are a good idea. Too much exposure to germs. You know she doesn't have enough of an immune system to take that risk."

The woman folded her arms across her chest and replied sharply, "Then you shouldn't have taken her to the middle of nowhere. What kind of life do you think she is going to have, growing up cut off from everything?"

"It was my decision to make," Brody answered.

"Of course," Melissa said smoothly, "and I am sure that you made it with Sydney's best interests at heart. Instead of based on your own obsession with aliens." She raised an eyebrow challengingly, daring Brody to counter her implied suggestion, and Max suddenly wished he could be anywhere at all besides stuck in this room, witnessing the argument.

Before he could leave, however, Brody turned to his daughter and said, "Sweetie, why don't you go play with Max for a moment while I talk to Mommy?"

Max did a double-take at the word _Mommy_ and turned his attention back to the woman. So this was Brody's ex? He was surprised that his boss would have ever gone out with someone who appeared to be so… materialistic. And clearly did not believe in aliens.

Sydney dutifully crossed to Max's side, yawning as she approached him. "Sleepy," she declared, wrapping her arms around his legs.

Melissa glanced once at her daughter, then turned back to Brody and said, "She had good doctors before. You didn't have to move."

"I had fully custody," Brody answered. "Something you didn't bother to argue against when we went to court. You seemed perfectly content to let me take full care of her."

"Don't pretend like you are the only one who does anything for her. Or have you forgotten who it was that volunteered to pay for 90 percent of her medical bills? And trust me, those are _not_ cheap." She sniffed and added, "And as for the custody issue, I certainly didn't suspect that you were going to take my daughter and move across the country. I never see her now and…"

"Even when we lived in the same state, you only saw her a handful of times a year," Brody protested, interrupting angrily. He paused abruptly and looked over at Sydney, who was watching the exchange with wide eyes. "I don't want to argue in front of her," he said finally. "Perhaps he should continue this conversation in the back room?"

Melissa nodded, and followed him out of the room.

A moment later, the door to the UFO Center opened again, and Michael, Maria, and Liz entered. Liz crossed instantly to Max's side and gave him a quick kiss, while Michael and Maria walked more slowly down the steps and looked around.

"Nap time," Sydney declared, sitting down on the floor, still holding onto Max's jeans. She began to play with the fabric around his shoes, completely oblivious to the others staring at her in amusement.

"Where's Brody?" Liz asked, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind one ear and smiling down at Sydney.

"He's arguing with Melissa… Sydney's mother."

Maria looked up, intrigued. "I didn't know Sydney had a mother."

Michael grinned and said dryly, "So no on ever explained the birds and the bees to you, huh? Everyone has a mother." But, then, tilting his head to the side, he said contemplatively, "Unless of course you were engineered from alien and human DNA. In which case I guess we could argue that you don't have a mother."

"Or you have two mothers," Liz countered. "A human and an alien one."

"Whatever, you're both missing the point," Maria said, waving her hand dismissively at their comments. "Why isn't this Melissa person a more frequent visitor?" Her gaze flickered to Sydney. "She does have a daughter here, after all."

"Yes, and speculating on their relationship is possibly not something we want to do in front of said daughter," Liz pointed out logically. To Max, she added, "You ready to go? We want to see this new movie…"

"Yeah, give me a few minutes," Max answered, even though his shift was already over. "I just want to wait until one of them comes back out to get Sydney." Looking down at the child who had now decided to drape herself over his shoes and was staring up at the ceiling with a look of wonder in her eyes, he added, "I don't want to leave her alone."

"Tired," Sydney announced. "Can I have hug?"

Max laughed and reached down, pulling her into a sitting position and giving her a hug. "Of course, sweetie."

"Careful, Liz, it looks like you've got competition," Maria warned teasingly.

"I'm not too worried," Liz answered with a laugh.

Sydney broke away from Max's hug and looked over at Liz. She blinked several times, obviously struggling to keep her eyes open. She looked exhausted, Max realized suddenly. He had no doubt that she had had a wonderful day, but all the excitement was now starting to take its toll.

"You're going to need some sleep, aren't you," he said.

Sydney nodded. "Mm… tired. Nap time. But Daddy sings lull'by for me." With a hopeful look, she asked, "Can you sing f'r me?"

Maria snickered.

Max sent her a threatening look, which she ignored, and so he said, "No, but I bet Maria could."

Sydney's entire face lit up and she launched herself away from Max, grabbing Maria's legs. "Can you? Pwease?" she begged, batting her eyelids winningly. Pulling Maria down onto the steps, she leaned her head against the teenager's side and murmured, "I listen good."

"Go ahead, Maria," Max said with a smirk. "I'm just going to take a last look at all our displays, make sure they look alright. Then we can catch the movie."

Maria glowered, but could not refuse Sydney's wistful gaze.

"Hush little baby, don't say a word…"

"She's hardly a baby," Michael interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"Michael, be quiet," Maria snapped irritably, "you're ruining the lullaby." Turning back to the sleepy Sydney, she continued to sing, "Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird."

"What's a mockingbird?" Michael asked, frowning. "Is it a bird that mocks you? Why would you buy an insulting bird for your kid?"

"It's a type of bird in the Mimidae family," Liz supplied with a yawn. "It's name derives from its ability to mimic the sounds of other birds, insects, and reptiles. Haven't you ever read To Kill a Mockingbird?"

Michael blinked. "Uh… is it about killing birds?"

Before Liz could answer, Maria sent her boyfriend and her best friend a pointed look, warning them to be quiet, and continued her soft singing.

"And if that mockingbird won't sing, Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring. And if that diamond ring turns brass, Daddy's going to buy you a looking glass."

"What's a looking glass?"

"It's a mirror, Michael."

"So why don't they just say mirror?"

"Because it doesn't have the right number of syllables in it," Liz answered, running a hand through her hair as she watched Max moving about the various display cases, straightening posters and rearranging articles. "Also, it doesn't rhyme with brass."

"I still think it is stupid," Michael declared, flopping down on the step next to Maria.

Liz shrugged and Maria continued to glare.

"And if that looking glass gets broke, Daddy's gonna buy you a billy goat."

"Goat and broke don't actually rhyme, you know."

"Shut up, Michael." The blonde human hummed for a moment, then continued, "And if that billy goat won't pull, Daddy's gonna buy you a cart a bull."

"Why would she want a cart and bull? Why wouldn't she just want a car?"

"Michael! You're not helping."

"So?"

Maria huffed, then turned her back entirely on her boyfriend and continued to sing, "And if that cart and bull turn over, Daddy's gonna buy you a dog named Rover."

"I like doggys," Sydney piped up tiredly, rubbing her eyes with one hand.

"Me, too, sweetie," Maria answered with a smile, gently running a hand over Sydney's hair. "And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Daddy's gonna buy you a horse and cart."

"You just bought her a bull and cart," Michael protested. "And that was pointless also. Why would you add to it by buying a horse and cart? Just get her a car already and be done with it."

"It's a lullaby, Michael," Liz admonished, "it doesn't have to make perfect sense."

"It doesn't make _any_ sense," Michael retorted, shaking his head. "I mean, all these things that Daddy keeps promising to buy? A diamond ring? She's just a kid, why would she want a diamond ring? And a goat? Why would anyone want a goat? I don't think its even legal to have goats in Roswell. At least not in the town itself. Maybe its okay out in the desert…"

"And if that horse and cart fall down," Maria continued valiantly, ignoring Michael's rambling arguments, "you'll still be the sweetest little baby in town."

"She's not a baby, you know. She's not even a toddler."

"Michael, shut up."

"That was pretty," Sydney said, her eyelids fluttering in an attempt to stay open as she slowly lost the battle against her body's exhaustion. "Can you sing another?"

"Somebody shoot me," Michael groaned, burying his head in his hands.

Maria slanted a look at him. "Careful what you wish for," she cautioned with a smirk, "because some of us might be more than happy to oblige."

* * *

"Alex."

No response.

"Alex Whitman."

Nothing.

"Hey, guy I'm dating."

Nada.

"Guy I _won't_ be dating if he doesn't start answering me."

Alex blinked and tore his gaze away from the computer screen for a moment. Glancing at his girlfriend, he muttered bewilderingly, "Did you say something?"

Isabel folded her arms across her chest and said pointedly, "You know, I don't actually like coming in second place to a computer program."

"This isn't just any computer program," Alex answered, looking aghast as though what she had said was practically sacrilegious. Turning his eyes back to the screen, he explained, "This is a deciphering program. It's based on a serious of binary codes that analyze languages for hidden patterns. It's like a high-tech code breaker, and the school actually managed to access a copy. Isn't that awesome? But we'll only get to use it for a week…"

Isabel rolled her eyes. "How come you don't get this excited when you're talking about spending time with me?"

With a wink, Alex answered, "Can you break codes?"

Isabel glowered, but at the same time a slight smile was tugging on her lips and in the end she couldn't keep from grinning. "You're so cute when you get excited," she teased, kissing him on the cheek.

Alex raised his eyebrows, then demanded, "How can you not get excited about this sort of thing? I mean, it's amazing."

"Because she's not a complete geek," a voice suggested, and Isabel swiveled in her seat to see Tess and Trudy standing behind her.

"Oh, hey," Isabel said with a frown. "What are you guys doing here?"

"It's lunch," Trudy said, nodding towards the clock on the wall opposite them. "I think the more relevant question is why are _you_ here working instead of eating like a normal person?" To Alex, she added dryly, "The program will still be there in thirty minutes."

"What is it?" Tess asked skeptically, gazing at all the numbers spiraling across the screen.

Enthusiastically, Alex explained, "It's a code breaker. Those numbers all represent patterns found in the code it is analyzing. The school has it on loan from the Museum of Technology in New York. It's a pretty neat program, although not nearly as comprehensive as the one at Las Cruces. We learned about it in my computer class yesterday. That one is amazing. It's got a seventeen-character string with multi-image, bilateral capabilities."

Trudy widened her eyes questioningly as she looked over at Isabel. "Was any of that English?"

Isabel shrugged. "If it was, I still didn't understand it." To Alex, she continued, "Come on, let's grab lunch."

Alex looked torn as he glanced back and forth between his girlfriend and the computer. The assignment he was working on had absorbed most of his attention for the past hour, and it was almost finished. But Trudy was right, it would still be here after lunch, and he could probably get out of his next period to finish it.

Sighing, he reached over and tapped a few keys on the keyboard, saving his work. Then he rose to his feet and allowed Isabel to usher him out of the computer lab.

"You know," Tess said after a moment of silence, "breaking codes is kind of cool. I mean, it is still incredibly geeky, but it is more cool than other geeky things."

Alex turned to her, unable to keep the surprise out of his expression. "Was that a compliment?"

Tess looked highly affronted as she answered, "Hey, I can be nice on occasion." Her comment was met with a disbelieving chuckle from Trudy and a smirk from Isabel. Folding her arms over her chest, she said defiantly, "I _can_ be nice." Then she hesitated, gaze becoming more serious, and turned to face the other three fully. "But if you tell anyone that, I will kill you."

"Don't worry, Tess," Trudy said, patting her friend on the arm, "your secret is safe with us."

"It's not like anyone would believe us, anyway," Isabel added under her breath, and both Trudy and Alex broke out into laughter.

* * *

_Tess tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear and watched the television screen. The babysitter was sitting at the table behind the sofa, working on her calculus homework. She was so absorbed in the assignment, she paid little attention to the young alien, which suited Tess just fine._

_There was a knock at the door, and Tess felt and inexplicable dread. The baby-sitter stood and flipped her red hair over one shoulder, then walked to the door. She pulled the chain lock open, and Tess had to fight the sudden urge to scream._

_Something was wrong._

_She saw a flash of something, of bodies, and then a glowing hand-print, silver and shiny. The sound of metal scraping against the road, shadows slipping away into the darkness, blood and shattered glass. And the handprint again, distinct and glowing with an unearthly light._

_Then the vision was gone, and three men were standing in the house, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as they stared down at the young blonde and her babysitter._

"_Tess?" the first man asked, crouching down next to her by the sofa and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Tess, sweetie, I've got some bad news…"_

_Tess looked at him, her blue eyes filled with heart wrenching fear. She nodded slowly and licked dry lips, forcing out two words. "I know."_

"Tess! Tess, wake up. It's just a dream."

Tess' eyes snapped open, the dream fading away as she found herself twisted in her sheets and blankets, a thin film of sweat on her neck and forehead. Her heart was beating frantically and her breath was uneven and strained. She had to blink several times to clear her vision, to see the rest of the darkened room and convince herself that she was not trapped in the past.

"Been a long time since you've woken up screaming," the voice continued.

She pushed herself up and turned towards the silhouette leaning over her. "Kyle?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" came the bemused answer.

She ran a hand through her hair and pulled away from him, leaning against the wall. "I'm fine," she said, expelling a slow breath. "Just a nightmare."

"About what?" Kyle asked, straightening.

The room was still dark, and she could not see his face well enough to read his expression. But she could feel his emotions flitting around the edges of her consciousness, and she reached her mind out tentatively to figure out exactly how he felt. His concern seemed genuine enough, though there was something under it, something darker and still angry. And hurt.

"The past," she said, and didn't elaborate. "But it's over. You should go back to sleep."

Kyle shrugged and moved away from her. For a moment, she thought he might actually leave without any argument. But instead, he paused at the door and looked back her. "You've had nightmares in the past, Tess, about a whole bunch of different things. But we both know there is only one thing that can make you wake up screaming."

She didn't answer. She was surprised he had even figured it out, though she supposed she shouldn't have been shocked about it. Kyle was often more perceptive than she gave him credit for, and she was his sister. He was bound to notice the pattern.

"The car accident," Kyle ventured cautiously, not really sure he wanted to know the answer to his question, "was that… alien-related?"

"Yes," Tess said bluntly.

"I'm sorry," Kyle offered, before slipping out the door and leaving Tess alone in her room.

"Yeah… me, too," she whispered into the darkness.

Outside the room, Kyle sank to the floor of the hallway, leaning against the closed door. It was three in the morning, and he was exhausted.

"Everything alright?"

Kyle looked up as his father appeared before him. "Yeah. Tess just had a nightmare."

"About?"

"Andrew and Jessica Harding."

Jim looked at the closed door and frowned. "Been a while since she's woken up screaming," he muttered to himself. Then he directed his attention back to Kyle and said, "You should go back to sleep. Don't you have a test tomorrow?"

Kyle shrugged. "Yeah, but it's fine. I don't mind staying up a little longer. That way if she has another nightmare I can… you know, wake her up before it gets bad."

"She's a big girl, she can take care of herself," Jim countered.

"Yeah… but she's my sister," Kyle said softly. "I just… I want to make sure she'll be okay."

* * *

"It's been three weeks," Max groaned, "and my Mom still isn't comfortable around me. I mean… it is better than it was, I guess, but still not… I just… I just don't want her to…"

Frustration was causing him to lose the ability to remain coherent, to put his thoughts into words that Liz might understand. He lapsed into silence, leaning back against the blanket they had spread out on the grass under the stars. Liz was lying on her side, facing him, her dark fair falling over her features.

"It will pass," Liz murmured. "She loves you, Max. She's your mother, she'll always love you."

"How do you know that?" Max questioned, turning his head to look at her. The air was cold, a definite chill that increased as the wind passed over them. Liz pulled at her sweater, eyes still fixed on him, and he pointed out, "She's afraid. I never thought my own mother could be afraid of me."

"So was Maria," Liz argued, "and Alex." She hesitated, thinking, then shook her head. "Well, Alex was mostly afraid because Tess planted all that fear in his mind. But Maria was terrified of all of you when she first found out, and now look at her. She got over her fear and realized just how amazing you… well, Michael, really… can be."

Max still wasn't sure, but he nodded anyway. Liz rolled over closer to him and rested her head on his chest, her hair spread out across shirt. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and continued to stare at the stars.

"How are Isabel and Tess getting along?" Liz questioned.

"Better now. Tess has apparently made an effort to be… civil… to Alex."

Liz raised her eyebrows in mock shock. "I didn't know she knew how to be civil," she remarked, and Max couldn't help but laugh.

"It's weird to think that I came from a place up there," Max whispered after a moment. "I wish I could remember more of it."

"Make it up," Liz suggested. Max lifted his head slightly and gave her a puzzled look, and she elaborated, "If you need to have a past to believe in, take what you already know and make the rest up."

"I wouldn't even know where to start," Max answered honestly. "I can't imagine what that life was like."

"I'll tell you," Liz offered. She pushed herself away from him and sat up, a thoughtful expression on her features. "Ask me what you want to know, and I'll make it up for you."

Max smiled slightly, then said, "Um… okay. What was it like when Isabel and I first met Michael?"

Liz was silent for a moment, then she said, "Well, he was a soldier in your army," Liz replied. "He wasn't the general yet, he was just a regular solider. And… there was a natural disaster near your palace. A… a forest fire. The army went out to help rescue people, and Michael… Rath… risked his life to save a grandmother and her three grandchildren. They were caught in the center of a particularly intense fire, and he got them out, but he inhaled a lot of smoke and had to be rushed to the hospital."

"That doesn't sound good," Max frowned, rolling over to his stomach and propping himself up on his elbows. "Couldn't you give us a better meeting?"

"It is a good meeting," Liz rushed to assure him. "I just haven't gotten to the good part yet." She chewed her lip for a moment, thinking, then continued, "He was a hero, of course, because of what he had done. And so you and Isabel decided he should get a medal of some kind, and you went to the hospital to meet him."

"And? Did we get along?"

Liz laughed, and replied, "You and Michael get along? Of course not. He was impatient, he didn't want to stay in the hospital. And you didn't like that, you said he was too rash. You wanted to make sure he would make a full recovery because it wouldn't be very seemly for his to pass out of exhaustion in the middle of the ceremony when you were giving him his medal."

"And then what happened?"

"You two were arguing," Liz explained, "and you were surprised that he actually had the nerve to stand up to you because you were the king and _nobody_ ignored you or what you were saying. But Michael did. And so you guys started yelling at each other, and Isabel had to step in and make peace."

"Like usual," Max commented, amused. "Did Isabel always play the peacemaker?"

"Mostly. You and Michael were always arguing, even though you started to become good friends. He'd come over to the palace when he wasn't away fighting in the army. He was a good man, and you saw that right away. You also saw that he wasn't afraid to stand up to you, to make you justify your decisions. And that was important. _Very_ important, because you were in charge of an entire planet and you had to make sure that you were doing the right thing. A lot of people would be affected by your decisions."

"What did Isabel think of him?"

"She liked him," Liz answered. "She worried about him when he was fighting and was only happy when he was safely back in the city."

"And what did Tess think of him?"

"Tess didn't like anyone," Liz answered immediately, and Max chuckled.

"Did she like me?"

"I guess," Liz said slowly, thinking. "I mean, you two got along. Whenever she got into arguments with anyone, you had to play the mediator. But she did like you. Sometimes."

"Did I like her?" Max pressed, a challenge in his tone, his expression clearly indicating his desire to know how she would address _that_ issue.

Liz grinned. "Well, you liked her a little bit. But you were really looking for someone else. Maybe someone a bit quieter than Tess. Not as abrasive. Someone a bit nerdy, as Tess would say. Someone who really liked science."

"Hmm… and did I find this person?"

"Not in that life," Liz confided in a conspiratorial whisper, "but in the next one… well, let's just say you got lucky."

"Did I? I suppose that means I found her in the next life."

"Yes," Liz said emphatically, leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips. "You found her."

* * *

Next Chapter: Interlude (part two)

Due: Sun 11/28


	76. Interlude part two

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: A lot of this is taken from the episode _Heat Wave_ (in Season One) so any dialogue that looks familiar may be from the show, and therefore does not belong to me.

* * *

Interlude (part two)

"This is just… I mean really, could it get anymore… pathetic and… and… _demeaning_…"

"It's just a movie, Isabel," Alex protested, looking at the cover of the video Isabel was holding. "And it's a classic," he muttered under his breath, a comment that only earned Isabel's ire. She slanted a glare at him, and he shrugged sheepishly. "Just a movie," he said again.

"Movies like this should be banned," Isabel sniffed, shaking her head. "Or, better yet, destroyed."

Alex cautiously reached out and pulled the video from Isabel's grasp before she could do any damage to it. "This is a video rental place," he said pointedly, "and they frown on you destroying their property. Besides… this really is a classic."

"They portray aliens as these freaky-looking, inhuman…"

"Well, of course they portray aliens as inhuman," Alex said with a slight smile, amused by Isabel's righteous indignation. "They _aren't_ humans. That's part of the definition of being alien." He tossed the video back and forth between his hands as he continued, "Have you even seen the movie? Aliens aren't portrayed as evil or anything like that. They're pretty decent people."

"Yes, but they look like… like… I don't know, but their so… _ugly_!" Isabel stammered finally.

Alex sighed and replaced the copy of _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_ on the shelf. It was one of his favorite movies, but apparently he wouldn't be admitting to _that_ any time soon, not unless he wanted Isabel to break up with him in a fit of irrational rage.

"How about this one, then?" Alex suggested, reaching for a video on the shelf opposite him. He held it up in front of Isabel, waiting for her reaction. He saw the annoyance that flashed through her eyes and knew immediately that this movie would be rejected as well.

"_Sabrina_? Really?" Isabel asked waspishly.

"It has Audrey Hepburn," Alex said defensively. He really didn't see how Isabel could protest this one. It truly was a classic, and not just in the science-fiction genre. With one of the most well-known and beloved American actresses of all time staring it, how could she object?

"I know, but the movie is so… I don't know, but she has to wait for the men to come save her. Don't you think that's just a little bit too… 1950s?"

Alex flipped over the movie and glanced quickly at the plot description. Scanning the words, he found what he was looking for and then lifted his gaze to Isabel. "Well, yes," he said dryly, tapping his finger on the back of the video box, "that's probably because it was made in the 1950s."

Isabel placed her hands on her hips and said firmly, "I want something where the woman saves the day. Instead of sitting around waiting for the man to come in and rescue her."

"Fine." Replacing the movie, Alex looked over the other titles before finally landing on what he hoped would be a possible video choice. Selecting the movie, he held it out to Isabel for her approval.

She wrinkled her nose, and Alex bit back the urge to groan.

"_Charlie's Angels_?" she asked suspiciously. "Is that because you actually want to watch the movie or because you just want to see Drew Barrymore in skimpy outfits?"

Alex frowned. "Have you considered the possibility that you're turning into Maria?"

"Hey!"

"Alright, what do you want to watch?" Alex asked with a resigned sigh. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

"Hey, how was your date with Isabel last night?" Liz asked cheerfully as she slid a plate of onion rings across the booth to Alex. "I tried calling you around ten but you hadn't gotten home yet."

"Really?" Maria asked, eyebrows raised suggestively. "What happened?"

"Nothing. It just took us an hour to pick out a movie, so we weren't done until late," Alex explained, rolling his eyes at Maria's question. "And keep your mind out of the gutter, will you?"

"Why did it take an hour?" Maria asked, reaching across the table to snag one of Alex's onion rings. Alex lightly slapped her hand, but the action had no effect. Maria simply grabbed a couple extra onion rings and gave Alex a challenging look as though daring him to try to stop her from eating his food.

He sighed.

"Isabel found fault with everything. Honestly, I swear I'm going to end up watching _Sesame Street_ with her at some point, because she'll have refused everything else."

"I never liked _Sesame Street_," Maria said thoughtfully. "I found Big Bird creepy." Liz stifled a smirk and exchanged bemused looks with Alex. Maria ignored her two friends' antics and asked instead, "Hey, Liz, why are you working this shift? I thought you had the day off."

"Yes, but one of the other waitresses got sick, and my Dad needed someone to fill in last minute. All I had planned was to spend the afternoon with Max, so…" She trailed off with a shrug.

"So that's why Max was moping this afternoon," Maria commented with a grin. "I wondered why he looked so glum. I guess I should have known it would be something like that."

"Something like what?" a new voice asked, and three sets of eyes turned towards the speaker.

"Oh, hey Trudy," Alex greeted. "Um… we're just talking about relationships. Nothing… important."

Trudy laughed, and replied teasingly, "Better not let Isabel here you say that."

Liz shifted uncomfortably, surprised at the other girl's presence. Though Trudy had always been nice to her, she still didn't make much a point of speaking to them unless Tess or Isabel were around. She quickly scanned the diner, but she already knew that the two hybrid girls were not there.

"So, Alex, there's this thing on Friday night. Kyle and I are going, and I think Tess and Chris also. We thought you and Isabel might want to come. And, well… I haven't seen Isabel yet, so I figured I'd ask you instead. You up for it?"

"Like a party?" Alex asked, looking surprised and interested.

"Yeah, it's at the old soap factory. It should be pretty wild," Trudy explained, grinning. "Sara and Jessica say they always have a great time at these things. I've only been to one or two, but they're pretty fun most of the time."

"Is that even legal?" Liz asked suspiciously.

Trudy shrugged, then blinked as though just realizing something. "Um… hey, if you and Max want to come… I'm sure that would be fine, too." To Alex, she continued, "Pass along the invite to Isabel, will you? Thanks. Later, guys."

Maria watched in annoyance as Trudy gave them one last smile and then slipped away, looking for an empty booth. In an aggravated tone, she demanded, "Hey, how come she didn't ask if Michael and I wanted to go to the party?"

Liz ignored the comment and instead gave Alex a searching stare. "It seems like Isabel's friends are being nicer to you." she murmured quietly.

Alex shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

The brunette waitress accepted this in silence, unsure what to think. Kyle's friends had never been even remotely civil to her when she was dating Kyle, and she found Trudy's behavior a little odd, even out of character. She was happy for Alex, of course, since he had worked so hard at maintaining a relationship with Isabel despite her friends' disapproval. But still…

"Hey, guys? Can we talk about me and Michael and not getting invited to the party?" Maria asked sharply.

Liz shot a quick look at the clock on the wall, starting as she noticed the time. "Oh, I need to get back to work," she exclaimed, and hurried away, leaving Maria and Alex behind.

"It's like she doesn't even hear me," Maria sulked.

Alex turned to her, eyebrows raised. "Sorry, did you say something?"

* * *

"So… this is what you do on a Wednesday night," Liz said casually, leaning against the doorframe of the room and watching Isabel paint her toenails.

The striking blonde looked up and answered sarcastically, "Not always. Sometimes I paint my fingernails. Sometimes I paint my fingers _and_ toes. It's all very exciting." She turned her attention back to the nail polish and asked, "You here to see Max?"

"Yeah. He's just finishing up something and then we're going to go for a walk."

"Well, that's either very romantic or very pathetic, I haven't decided which yet," Isabel replied with a faint smile, an expression that gave Liz enough reason to believe she was kidding in her insult.

Liz nodded slowly. "Hey, I got a question for you. Um… why Alex?"

Isabel's expression was comically frozen, lips parted, eyes wide. She had clearly not been expecting that question, and it took her a moment to gather her senses together again and answer. When she did find her voice, her words were sharp and slightly annoyed.

"What's it to you?"

Liz bit her lip as she rushed to assuage the other girl's worries. "Nothing serious or anything like that. I was just curious. I mean, before you dated Alex, all these guys in school were interested in you. And now that you're friends with the popular group, even more guys are interested in you. But you always kept it platonic… except for Alex."

"It's a little creepy that you know all that, Liz," Isabel muttered, shaking her head.

"I'm just… he's my friend, you know? And I'm just…"

"Looking out for him in case I decide to dump him and run off with someone else?" Isabel asked sardonically. She gave Liz a slightly curious stare, then said pointedly, "Alex and I have been dating for a long time. Don't you think it's a little late to be playing the best friend card? You should have asked these questions at the beginning."

Turning back to her toes for a moment, she tapped her finger to a nail and watched as the polish changed color from a dark red to a pale blue. After a moment of contemplation, she turned it back to the red.

It was quiet, and Liz thought that Isabel might not answer the question. She could sense that she had offended the hybrid Princess at least a little, and she supposed that her question had been both prying and ill-timed. But she couldn't quite forget the interaction between Trudy and Alex, and the scientist in her was asking a thousand questions that she didn't want to leave unanswered.

Had the relationship between Alex and Isabel come much more serious than she realized?

"Michael was complaining about Maria this morning," Isabel said abruptly.

Liz blinked, surprised by the change in topic. "Oh?"

"He said it had gotten complicated again. After the whole thing with Laurie, and now they're a couple again…" Isabel capped the nail polish and rose to her feet, crossing her room and placing the polish on her desk. "She wants to know where the relationship is headed. She wants to talk about their feelings." With a wry grin for Liz, she smirked, "Apparently, even after all this time, she has not yet realized that Michael doesn't _have_ feelings."

Liz grinned.

"Are you and Max going to the party on Friday night?" Isabel questioned. "Alex said Trudy invited you also."

"Yeah… at the soap factory. I haven't asked him about it yet," Liz answered uncomfortably. She wasn't sure she really wanted to go, it wasn't her type of scene. On the other hand, it sounded like it could be fun, and if Alex and Isabel were going…

"I'm looking forward to it," Isabel confided. "I swear I've spent the whole week worried about this stupid biology assignment."

"The one with the slugs?" Liz asked. They'd recently been assigned a pair of slugs – one male and one female – with the instructions to observe and record their mating rituals. It had, of course, been the source of many jokes by the more immature members of the class, but Liz found it an interesting task.

Isabel nodded in confirmation. "I can't get them to mate. I swear it's impossible. I think one of mine is gay."

"I'm not sure the teacher is going to buy that," Liz cautioned. "Better keep working on it."

"Yeah. I still think it's really bizarre to be standing around, trying to get two slugs to mate. Not only bizarre, but really disturbing also. Like I'm some crazy person with a slug fetish."

Liz laughed.

* * *

By the time Friday finally rolled around, Isabel was more than eager for a break. The tension in her house had dissipated some, and though her mother did occasionally look at Max with suspicion, the fear had finally started to disappear. But even with those small blessings, it hadn't been enough to calm her frayed nerves. After everything that had happened, she knew it would take more than just a few weeks before she could feel comfortable in her own house again.

So she was thankful for the distraction presented by the party.

The soap factory was packed. Music blared from several loud-speakers, causing the entire building to vibrate to the rhythm of the songs being played. Most of the lights had been turned off, and only dim, smoky atmosphere, combined with the flashing of the strobe light about them, was giving her a little bit of a headache.

Still, it was fun to be out with her friends, away from the problems that had plagued them for so long.

"Hey, sweetheart, want a Jello shot?" a teenage boy asked, draping his arm over her shoulders and slurring drunkenly.

She slipped away from him, pushing him back gently enough so that he would not lose his balance, but firmly enough to make a point. "No, thank you."

"Come on, baby," the boy continued, persistently trying to shove a drink at her. "Maybe it would loosen you up. And then we could check out the roof together?"

"She said no, Colin," a voice interjected sharply, and Isabel looked on in astonishment as Kyle came to her rescue, stepping in between her and her drunken admirer. "Why don't you go find another girl? This one's taken."

"Hey, sorry, dude," Colin said, raising his hands in a sign of surrender. "Didn't realize she was off-limits." And he stumbled away, bumping haphazardly into anyone and anything that stood in his path.

"Thanks," Isabel said softly.

Kyle gave her a blank stare, then asked, "Where's Whitman?"

"He went to get some drinks," Isabel explained, searching the crowd for any sign of her boyfriend. Her eyes finally landed on him as he pushed through the crowd to join her, and she smiled brightly.

"Oh… hey, Kyle," Alex greeted as he caught sight of the football jock. Handing a paper cup to Isabel, he said, "It's got punch in it. Hope you don't mind kiwi-strawberry."

"That's fine."

They were joined a moment later by Tess. She was wearing a short, bright blue, strapless dress, something far skimpier than Isabel would have chosen for herself. But with all the people packed into factory, the room was stifling, and Isabel was sorry that she hadn't at least chosen a tank-top. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck and a thin sheen of sweat clung to her forehead.

"Come on, aren't you going to dance?" the hybrid Queen asked.

"Sure," Isabel agreed, allowing herself to be pulled into the center of the room by Tess. Trudy and Sara were already there, moving to the music. Trudy grinned broadly in welcome, and Sara gave a little nod of her head, acknowledging their presence.

Isabel finished the rest of the punch in one gulp and joined the others. A few minutes later, Alex joined her, shifting his feet awkwardly. She smiled at him, more than a little amused by the expression on his face. Dancing had never been one of his strong-points, nor had it been one of the things he enjoyed doing. Still, he was kind enough to join her, and she kissed him quickly on the cheek.

A moment later, Sara started laughing as she watched Alex dance, and, turning to Isabel, said, "You might want to teach your boy how to dance."

"I think he's cute," she defended him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"Obviously," Sara replied, "or you wouldn't be that sickeningly in love."

Alex drew back from Isabel, gaze darting in between Sara and his girlfriend. His eyes wide, he asked a little faintly, "What?"

Isabel didn't meet his gaze, unable to figure out how to respond to his shock. She wasn't sure why he was looking at her like that, but she had a sneaking suspicion his reaction had to do what that four-letter word Trudy had mentioned.

Sara, oblivious and bewildered, turned to Trudy and Tess and asked, "What did I say?"

"I'm going to get something to drink," Alex said faintly.

"But you still have punch in your cup!" Sara protested. Alex didn't listen to her remark, though, and instead pushed his way through the crowd, Isabel quickly following him, trying to grab his arm before he disappeared from her view.

Tess and Sara exchanged confused looks, and Trudy watched her friends go with a puzzled expression.

Then Sara said bluntly, "We have weird friends."

Across the room, Isabel finally caught up with Alex as he slipped through the door and stepped out into the cool night air. She grabbed his arm before he could go any further, and he turned to face her. The door slammed shut behind them, cutting off the noise from inside the building.

"She was just joking," Isabel said quickly, trying to be reassuring. "I mean… she's Sara. We never take anything she says at face value."

"So we're not sickeningly in love?" Alex asked. His voice was tense, and his gaze swung out towards the surrounding desert as he spoke.

Isabel thought about the cave, about the crystals that had almost suffocated them. She'd been so close to telling him that she loved him – really, truly loved him – but then the crystals had melted and the moment had been lost. It had been a month since then, and she didn't know how to recreate the moment that was now gone.

Admitting to loving someone wasn't just something she could do on a whim. It was serious, it was a big deal. And she didn't want to say it unless she was sure that the moment was right and the feelings would be reciprocated.

She wasn't like Max. She hadn't been in love with Alex since first seeing him, the way Max had been with Liz. They weren't instant soul mates. She'd like him, of course, but it had taken a while for the relationship to grow past that platonic stage. It had taken time and effort, and she wasn't going to jeopardize all that.

So was this the right moment?

Alex was watching her now, waiting. Her answered mattered more than he could adequately explain. After all, Sara might be annoying, remarkably shallow, and nearly insufferable, but she was also perceptive. And she had apparently figured out that he was in love with Isabel. If it was that blatantly obvious to her Sara, who else had picked up on it?

And how would Isabel react?

Chewing his lip, Alex said quietly, "Maria told me that Liz is worried. Or… concerned, I guess. Because Tess and Trudy have started being nicer to me. And your other friends… I mean, they aren't as mean as they used to be."

Isabel blinked. "Liz is _concerned_ about that?"

Alex couldn't really explain his friend's thoughts, but he continued, "Maria said that Liz said that none of Kyle's friends were nice to her when she was dating Kyle. Ever."

"So she's jealous?" Isabel asked, eyebrows raised.

"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know," Alex replied, wrapping his arms around himself. "I only know what Maria told me. I haven't spoken to Liz."

"You have odd friends," Isabel declared.

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, I know." He glanced towards the factory for a moment, a contemplative expression on his face, then said, "But I was thinking… I mean, maybe it didn't matter to Kyle the way it matters to you. I mean… well, not that Kyle was fine with them mocking Liz, but… well, it just wasn't… the relationship wasn't as serious and…"

It didn't take much else for Isabel to figure out what Alex was trying to stay, and she couldn't help the smile that lit up her features. "You think they're being nicer to you than they were to Liz because Kyle and Liz weren't ever really… _in love_… but you and me…"

"Well, Sara did seem to see that we… I mean, she said we were sickeningly in love… Are we?"

Isabel leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his lips. "I don't think we're sickening," she answered.

"But we're in love?" Alex pressed eagerly.

"Yeah," Isabel answered. "Yeah, we're in love."

The silence was suddenly broken by the loud wailing of sirens and the distant flashing of lights.

"Oh… not good…"

"Come on, let's get out of here," Alex said worriedly, watching as the police cars came closer. The last thing they needed was to be found at an illegal party and arrested for trespassing and underage consumption of alcohol.

"What about everyone else? Tess? If she gets caught…"

But Alex shook his head. "Valenti isn't going to arrest his own daughter. Not now that he knows the dangers. Anyway, they'll all hear the sirens…"

Sure enough, the doors of the factory burst open and teenagers began to scatter, rushing in every direction, desperate not to be found on the property by the police. Through the crowd, Isabel caught sight of Tess, and the two locked gazes. Then Kyle grabbed Tess' arm and dragged her away, disappearing with the other students.

"Come on," Alex said, and quickly pulled Isabel in the opposite direction, away from the sirens.

* * *

The sound of sirens echoed through the air, causing Max to lean away from Liz, breaking off the kiss. He turned towards the window, peering through the grimy glass at the road below. Several police cars came into view, rising over the hill and speeding towards the factory.

"Come on, let's get out of here," he said quickly, jumping to his feet.

They hadn't really spent much time at the party. There were enough empty rooms in the place that it hadn't been hard to find somewhere more private. And since neither had been particularly interested in drinking or dancing, time alone had seemed like a better idea.

Outside the room, students were packed into the hall, pushing against each other in a desperate attempt to flee the scene. Liz clung closely to Max's side, not wanting to get separated from him. The sirens were growing louder, but the noise of the crowd was growing as well, almost masking the sounds of the approaching police.

A few minutes later, they managed to stumble through the doors and join the rest of the students outside. Several police officers had already come out of their cars and were surrounding the place, clearing some students and arresting others.

Max pulled Liz backwards. "This way," he whispered, leading her around the side of the building.

They ran, moving quickly over the ground until they were out of sight of the officers. Max glanced over his shoulder once, noting that several of the officers were starting to sweep the area, looking for stragglers. They weren't arresting all of the students, but they were taking names, and Max had no doubt that his presence here would be reported to his parents, if he was caught.

And he really did not need to deal with that one top of everything else. He could just imagine his mother's reaction to her son being found at an illegal rave. And it wasn't pretty.

The two teenagers hurried away from the building, darting into the surrounding desert. It wasn't particularly difficult to find some place to hide, and they ducked behind a jumble of rocks.

Liz sank to the ground. "This would be something to never mention to my parents," she murmured.

"Yeah…" Max agreed, "same for mine." He looked up at the night sky, running a hand through his hair. "So this is what normal teenagers do, huh?" he continued curiously, slinging his arm over Liz's.

"Apparently," Liz agreed leaning her head on his shoulder. "All the cool ones, anyway."

"Running from the law, hiding from enemies, lying to our parents… you know, it doesn't seem all that much different what we do on a regular basis," Max remarked casually.

"Yeah," Liz agreed. "So I guess that means you've been normal all along."

Max considered this for a moment, then wrinkled his nose. "That's not really all that comforting."

"No… I suppose it's not."

* * *

"…and then we just waited until the police officers left and went back to our car. Fortunately, I had parked far enough away that they didn't see it on their way out."

"Huh. Weird."

The next day found Liz, Max, Maria, and Michael all at the Crashdown. Neither girl was working the morning shift, for which they were both quite pleased. Max, too, was enjoying having a casual morning, particularly after the experience of the previous night. Michael was mostly just amused by Max's tale, and was shaking his head slowly, eyes filled with laughter.

"I still think we should have gone," Maria muttered under her breath. She'd tried to convince Michael to crash the party, but he had refused, and she hadn't wanted to go by herself.

They'd spent the evening in his apartment – just the two of them – and she supposed she couldn't really complain about that.

"So you two and Alex and Isabel all avoided getting caught?" Maria asked, leaning forward.

Liz nodded. "Yeah. Good times…" With a conspiratorial smile, she added in a hushed tone, "And Alex confided in me that he had _quite_ an evening."

"Oh?"

"Isabel said she loved him."

Maria grinned. "Well, it's about time."

* * *

"That's him. Rath. Sitting next to Zan and the two humans."

The woman nodded, eyes still focused on the window of the diner, on the four teenagers sitting at the booth near the door.

"We have found all four of them," Jared remarked. "The Royals."

She turned away from him and walked back towards her car. "Time to move to the next phase of the plan."

* * *

Next Chapter: Reappearance

Due: Sun 12/6


	77. Reappearance

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Just a reminder, the last two chapters took place over the course of a month. So everything that happened with Laurie and the crystals was a month ago, and that brings us to the end of winter and the beginning of spring in our timeline.

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Five: Reappearance

The air still had a lingering coolness to it, a sign that winter had not completely disappeared. But it was growing warmer every day, and as spring slowly encroached upon them, flowers began to bloom and the trees that lined the street sprouted fresh green leaves.

Liz glanced at the window, her gaze moving towards the blue sky. Though the weather in Roswell never got particularly unpleasant, it had been rather dismal for a while, and now that the sun was finally out again, she did not like being inside.

But her shift wasn't over for another twenty minutes.

Turning her attention back to the tables she was supposed to be cleaning, she quickly grabbed the empty plates and glasses and loaded them onto her tray. Straightening, she turned towards the kitchen, and found herself nearly walking directly into Max.

She jumped back, startled, and two of the glasses slipped from the tray and toppled to the floor, shattering into pieces. All eyes swung momentarily towards her, and an embarrassed flush darkened her skin.

"Sorry," Max apologized quickly, pulling her away from the glass. "I didn't mean to startle you. Here, let me get a broom and clean that up for you, since it is my fault."

Liz waved away his offered help and said with a teasing smile, "Don't be ridiculous. I always break glasses this time of day. It's my mid-afternoon ritual." She stepped around him and walked quickly towards the kitchen, still holding the remaining plates and glasses.

Max followed her.

She settled her the tray on the counter and glanced around, noting that they were alone. "What are you doing here, Max?" she asked, trying to remember if she had made plans to meet up with him today. She had agreed to watch a movie with Maria and Alex in the evening, but other than that, her day had been pretty much free.

"Well, I have orders from my planet to take over Earth," Max answered dryly.

Liz bit back a smirk and shook her head. "I meant besides that."

"A guy can't just stop by to see his girlfriend?" Max protested, leaning against the counter.

"I'm off in twenty minutes, Max," she answered, running a hand through her hair. "But I really do need to finish the shift. You can't distract me from it. We're short a person as it is."

Max stepped closer to her, resting a hand on her waist. She shivered, feeling a strange tingle of electricity passing between them.

"Who said I'm here to distract you?" Max asked, leaning in to kiss her. "Maybe I just like the food."

She pulled away from the kiss, blinking rapidly to clear her mind. But it was almost impossible to stay focused on her work when he was so close, and she found herself stumbling over her words as she replied, "You haven't even… ordered… anything to eat…"

"I'll worry about that later…" Max answered softly, his lips brushing against hers as he wrapped his other arm around her shoulders.

"Right. Later." She moved closer to him, leaning in against his chest.

"So this is what you do during your breaks," a voice drawled, and Liz jumped away from Max, whirling around in time to see Kyle standing in the doorway, staring at them with faint disgust. "God, I hope I can get that image out of my head very, very quickly."

"If you're looking for Tess," Max said angrily, moving in front of Liz as though to protect her from the football jock's unpleasant countenance, "we haven't seen her."

"Actually," Kyle said, sounding disgruntled, "I was looking for Liz."

"Why?" Max demanded harshly.

Liz rested a hand on his arm and sent him a warning look, silently requesting that he back off. She knew perfectly well that Max had never forgiven Kyle for his attitude towards her or Isabel after Tess had removed the mind-warp. Though she had been more than willing to back off and give Kyle the space he so clearly needed, Max had not accepted it as easily.

And if the hybrid king's expression was any indication, he had no intention of accepting it now.

"It's a private matter," Kyle sneered. "Why? Worried she's going to cheat on you?"

"She's not the one I don't trust," Max retorted fiercely.

Liz licked her dry lips and swallowed back her frustration at Kyle's words. She'd already explained to him that she hadn't cheated on him last year, that Tess had started those rumors to throw everyone else off the track, to make sure nobody realized what was really going on. And she was fairly certain he believed her when she said it – though it hadn't seemed to comfort him any – so she wasn't sure why he would be bringing up the issue now.

But to her surprise, Kyle's expression softened, and he relented, "You're right. I should not have said that."

Max looked completely taken aback by that admission, and Liz's mouth dropped open. She shut it quickly and said firmly to Max, "I'll see you when my shift is over in twenty minutes, okay? Can you go wait for me at one of the booths? Please?"

"Oh, sure," Max muttered, rolling his eyes as he marched out of the room, "you can't skip out on your shift for me, but Kyle's fine…"

Liz watched him go with a smile, then turned to Kyle, her expression growing serious. "What do you want?" she asked, trying her best not to sound bitter or angry.

Kyle drew a deep breath, then said, "I just… well, I know you have a lot going on right now, with the enemy aliens and that shape-shifter Noriega…"

"Nasedo," Liz corrected automatically.

"Right," Kyle agreed distractedly, obviously focused on what he was trying to say, "and whatever it was Guerin and DeLuca were off dealing with last month and some weird blue crystals that were trying to take over the world or whatever…"

"Yeah," Liz murmured, "we did have a lot going on. Tess tell you about all of that?"

"Um… some. Or I heard her talking to my Dad about it," Kyle explained. "Look, I just wanted to say that… I forgive you. For lying to me before. I figure we should just let the past be in the past and focus on the present."

"I… you… what?"

"Well, you know, I just have to learn to go with the flow, right?" Kyle offered. To himself, he muttered, "My strength fails. My vitality exhausted. I cannot find the bull. I only hear the locusts chirping through the night."

Liz stared at him, now a little worried that Kyle had lost his mind. "What did you say?" she asked, wondering if this babbling could be a side-effect of the mind-warp. Had Tess actually permanently screwed-up his mind as she had feared?

"Nothing," Kyle said quickly. "I just… it's not easy adjusting to having to deal with little green men. You know?"

Liz debated pointing out that she was in love with one of those _little green men_, and so dealing with them was not only easy, but often also a pleasure, but then decided against it. Kyle probably didn't need another reminder of her relationship with Max.

Instead, she said, "You should cut them all a little slack. I mean… Tess loves you. And Max did heal you. He did save your life."

"So very human of him," Kyle said mockingly, shaking his head. "Of course, the four of them were the reason I was dying in the first place, but who cares? No conditions are permanent. No conditions are reliable. Nothing is self."

Liz's eyebrows knitted together in bewilderment. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. See you around, Liz."

And Kyle walked out of the room, leaving a thoroughly confused Liz to stare at his retreating figure in bafflement.

* * *

"Ooh. _Jugs_. _Fascinating_ read."

Kyle looked up in surprise, having not heard Tess approach. She was standing in the doorway of his room, her arms crossed over her chest, staring at him with one eyebrow raised.

He quickly tried to throw the magazine under his bed in the hopes that it would obscure the photographs, but Tess crossed quickly to his bed and snagged it.

"Post-its," she said, flipping through the pages with a disdainful look in her eyes. "Nice touch."

"Hey, I don't know how things work on planet Vulcan or whatever, but here on Earth we have this primitive human concept called privacy," Kyle snapped irritably.

Tess raised both eyebrows and decided to take a chance as she replied, "Keep talking to me like that and I'll slay you with my death-ray eyes."

She was relieved to see that instead of anger or disgust, the two reactions a comment like that would have received just a month ago, Kyle simply huffed and leaned back against the headboard of his bed.

"Don't think I'm kidding," she warned, shaking her head, but the threat did nothing to perturb Kyle.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Tess leaned over with the intention of tossing _Jugs_ underneath the bed as Kyle had so obviously wanted. But something else caught her eye, and she dropped Jugs and picked up _Buddhism for Beginners._

"Hey! That's personal," Kyle protested, trying to grab it from her.

She turned to him, smirking, and asked pointedly, "Now how do you think Buddha would feel about being sandwiched between…" she looked down for a moment, reading the titles of the magazines, "_Hustler_ and _Busty Biker Babes_?" She paused, considering the implications for a moment, then asked, "Does Trudy know she now has to compete with Buddha for your love?"

"You can't tell anyone about this," Kyle said sternly, his tone incredibly serious.

Tess laughed. "Worried it will ruin your reputation? Kyle Valenti, Buddhist."

"I'm serious," Kyle snapped. "Why are you in my room, anyway?"

"Dinner's ready. Jim and I wanted to know if you were going to join us?"

"Yeah," Kyle agreed reluctantly, grabbing the book from Tess' hand and looked at it. "I started reading it when… I don't know, I just thought it would help me deal with you being… well, a freak."

"Thanks," Tess drawled. She paused, then asked curiously, "Is your new-found passion for Buddhism part of the reason you're no longer acting like you want to kill me?"

"I never wanted to kill you," Kyle defended himself, tossing the book on his bed and rising to his feet. "Permanently main and disfigure you, maybe. But kill you? Never."

"Would Buddha approve of those thoughts?" Tess chided.

Kyle rolled his eyes.

"So are you going to start decorating your room with Buddha statues? Build a shrine to the guy? Maybe start meditation classes?" Tess pressed as she walked from the room, Kyle following closely behind her.

"No," Kyle growled, "because this is going to be kept a secret. _Right_?"

"Alright, alright," Tess said, holding her hands up in a sign of surrender. "My lips are sealed."

"Besides," Kyle added as an afterthought, "material possessions only clutter the mind, anyway."

Tess grinned. "You tell 'em, Buddha Boy."

* * *

The sound of the phone ringing pulled Michael away from his math homework, and he let the pencil fall from his hand and roll across the table. He didn't recognize the caller ID on his phone, something that caused his suspicions to increase, but he answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"Be careful. Something's going to happen."

The hybrid General frowned. He easily recognized the voice, even though the person on the other end of the line didn't bother to identify herself. She obviously assumed he would be smart enough to figure it out and was instead focusing on more pressing issues.

Like imminent threats.

"I don't know what it is, Nicolas has been less than forthcoming with details. But he has been plotting something, I know that much. And whatever it is, it isn't good."

"You don't have anything else to offer, Courtney?" Michael asked, unable to keep the frustration out of his tone. "Vague warnings aren't a whole lot of help."

"Nicolas has been tight-lipped on this one. Even he and Ava aren't really talking about it, and he's usually pretty open with her," was Courtney's answer. "Just watch your back."

And then she hung up.

Michael absently scratched his eyebrow and stared at the phone. It was true that Nicolas hadn't made a move in over a month, and that seemed worrisome. Nicolas being silent, not making a single move for a month, not attacking… that was a bad sign.

And now Courtney was worried as well. This did not bode well for them.

* * *

"Hey, Isabel," Michael greeted as he slid into the booth across from the blonde.

Isabel rubbed her eyes wearily and sank forward in the seat, resting her head in her hands. "I hate this. It's like wading through molasses."

Michael lifted one eyebrow questioningly. "Uh… what is? And why are you using weird analogies?"

"Metaphors," Isabel corrected automatically. Michael rolled his eyes and just continued to stare at her, and Isabel explained, "Is this assignment for English. Reading _The Sound and the Fury_ is really, truly mind-numbing."

"Oh. And… uh… wading through molasses is also mind-numbing?" Michael questioned, his expression making it clear that he just didn't understand how she could possibly find a connection between the Faulkner novel and the semi-liquid baking ingredient.

"It's just an expression, Michael," Isabel snapped.

"I thought it was an analogy."

"Oh for the love of God…" Isabel muttered under her breath and looked away from her friend. She had come to the Crashdown in part to attempt to finish the required reading for the day, but also because she simply needed to get out of her house. Her mother had shifted her attention and energy away from suspicion of Max, and instead was now focusing on spring cleaning. It was clearly a coping mechanism, a way to take her mind off of Max, to forgive him for what had occurred in her dreams… but it was also annoying.

If Isabel stayed there too long, she'd get roped into something, and she just really did not want to spend _another_ afternoon vacuuming.

"Care to drop your reading for a moment?" Michael offered. "I need to talk to you."

Isabel's head jerked up, instantly wary and worried. "Did something happen? Because I've been kind of enjoying this month-long break. You know, no end of the world disasters to worry about? It's nice. Pleasant. I've actually been able to go on real dates with Alex."

"I don't think it is anything to worry about, yet," Michael reassured her, "but I wanted to give you a heads up." He looked around, uncomfortable, and added, "Uh… maybe not here?"

"We can talk in the backroom, that's probably free," Isabel suggested.

"Nah… how about we take a walk?"

She shrugged and rose to her feet. "Sure." It was a nice enough day out that a walk could be pleasant, and it would take them out of the earshot of anyone who might be listening. "I could stretch my legs for a bit."

The weather was warm, but the air was a bit cool as it buffeted Isabel's hair. She ran a hand through her blonde strands and followed Michael as he walked briskly towards the corner and turned off the main street towards the back alley.

She hurried to catch up. "So what is this about?"

"The skins," Michael said.

"What about them?" Isabel pressed, annoyed at how monosyllabic Michael could be when he chose to. Wasn't it obvious by her initial question and interest in the subject that she actually wanted the whole explanation? Especially if they were actually in any sort of danger?

Men could be so infuriating sometimes.

Michael paused and turned to face her. They were standing in the alley, out of sight of the street. There was something off in Michael's expression, something she couldn't quite place.

And then…

"Hello, Vilandra."

Isabel spun around, eyes widening with horror as Nicolas emerged from the shadows. He was surrounded by several skins, all of whom moved quickly, adroitly, so that they formed a circle around Isabel, cutting off any chance of escape.

She looked over at Michael. He was staring at the skins, watching them warily. But there was no surprise in his expression. And no fear.

The truth hit her with such force that it took her breath away. But there was no denying what her instincts were telling her, and even as she formed the question, she found herself already expecting the dreaded answer.

"You're not Michael, are you?"

The alien next to her smiled maliciously, his eyes cold and cruel. "No," he said, a New York accent creeping into his words. "No, I'm not."

* * *

Next Chapter: Mirror Image

Due: 12/13


	78. Mirror Image

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Six: Mirror Image

"So, you know how I despise you and all that?" Tess said cheerfully, announcing her presence as she stepped into the kitchen at the Crashdown.

Michael looked up from the stove, one eyebrow raised. "Yeah," he said in a bored tone, "what's your point?"

"So I have to say I'm conflicted. Because on the one hand, not giving you any warning would make you really unprepared, and that would make me happy. But on the other hand, if I do warn you, then I get the pleasure of watching you get all distressed. It's quite the dilemma. What should I do?"

Michael dropped the spatula onto the counter next to the stove and wiped his hands on a rag. "I'm going to assume that the world isn't ending, as I'm fairly certain you're decent enough to not make a joke out of it." Then he gave her a scrutinizing look and added, "Although it is possible that I am giving you way too much credit."

Tess folded her arms over her chest and said, "Maria's on a warpath."

"That's nothing new," Michael grumbled.

"Against _you_," Tess stressed.

That seemed to worry Michael a little, concern flickering in his eyes, but he simply repeated, "_That's_ nothing new, either."

"Oh, it gets better," Tess continued, leaning against the wall with a smirk. "Want to guess what she's upset about?"

"Not really."

Tess answered anyway, "Guess her mother decided it was time to get to know you better. She wants to invite you over for dinner. A _formal_, family dinner. She apparently is considering inviting some of her friends as well…"

Michael's eyes widened comically at the thought of that possibility.

Tess laughed. "I know. You're going to have to actually use _utensils_. Anyway, for some reason I wasn't quite able to figure out – possibly because I wasn't actually listening to her – she's holding you responsible for it all."

"How? I didn't even do anything. I haven't even spoken to Ms. DeLuca since she threatened to hurt me if I hurt Maria in any way."

Tess shrugged. "Like I care. Actually, I really didn't care about any of the conversation, but she started babbling about it to Liz and Alex while I was trying to figure out if Alex had seen Isabel…"

"Willingly talking to Alex? Be careful, Tess, or people might start thinking you're actually nice," Michael quipped, turning back to the stove. Under his breath, he muttered, "Family dinner? This sucks."

Ignoring the last comment, Tess defended herself, "Well, it wasn't like I _wanted_ to talk to Alex, but Isabel didn't answer her phone and Max hadn't seen her when I called him."

"Maybe she finally found her common sense again and realized how much of a brat you are," Michael suggested thoughtfully, slipping a hamburger on the grill.

Tess was about to respond when a wave of dizziness ran over her and she stumbled, catching herself against the wall. Something twisted sharply in her stomach, and for a moment everything seemed to grow fuzzy.

Then she saw Isabel.

_The blonde hybrid was following Michael out of the Crashdown, a look of concern on her face. She paused once and looked back, eyes scanning the place, before stepping through the door and out into the sun._

"Tess?"

She focused on Michael, who was no directly in front of her, his eyes filled with confusion and apprehension. Somehow she hadn't noticed him approach, but he now had both hands on her arms and seemed ready to either support her if she collapsed or shake her for answers.

"What's going on? Are you alright? What happened?"

She blinked, pushed him away from her and took a slow breath. "Nothing. Just a flash. You talking to Isabel."

Michael looked past her to the door of the kitchen. They were alone, something to be thankful for, but someone else might enter at any moment and Tess knew he was wary about the possibility of the wrong person overhearing.

She was uneasy about that as well.

She turned away from him and moved further into the kitchen, pacing quietly.

"Why would you see a flash of me talking to Isabel? Shouldn't your visions be of something important?" Michael demanded, walking to the grill once again to keep an eye on the cooking meat. Tess looked at him, and he sent her a confused gaze.

She shrugged. "Don't know. What were you two talking about?"

Michael appeared to completely baffled by that question, and he replied, "Nothing. I haven't spoken to her. I haven't seen her all day."

Tess frowned at the answer and spun to face Michael. "Yes, you did," she countered. Michael looked about to protest, and she knew he probably wasn't thrilled with the fact that she was refusing to believe him, but she knew what she had seen. That flash had shown Isabel and Michael together, and she somehow knew it wasn't a future event.

It had happened in the past. Michael and Isabel had been talking… and she was fairly certain it had happened early that day.

"Could you have forgotten?"

Michael gave her a thoughtful look, then said, "I'm calling Max."

Tess didn't argue. She knew as well as Michael did that none of the aliens ever got flashes unless there was a reason for it. There was something important about what she had seen… now they just had to figure out what it was.

* * *

"Seriously? We're talking about Czechoslovakian-related issues and you want to meet in _broad daylight_ at a _park_?" Tess demanded and she sat down next to Max on the bench.

He looked at her, then shrugged. "Where else are we going to go? The Crashdown is too busy, you said Kyle has Trudy and a few other friends over so that makes your place a problem, and Michael's apartment is infested by rats."

"It's not an infestation," Michael muttered, rolling his eyes.

"Maria told Liz that you whole building is swarming with them," Max protested, remembering what Liz had told him. They'd had dinner the previous evening together, as they often did, and Liz had been full of amusing comments about Maria's latest rampage. Apparently, the pixie blonde really didn't like rats.

"Maria saw _one_ rat last night and it wasn't even in my apartment. It was in the stairwell, and now she's freaking out about going into the building."

"It's a rat, Max," Tess said, folding her arms over her chest. "Even if there is an entire army of them, we've taken on the skins, we can deal with rats also."

"It's _not_ an army," Michael said firmly, glowering at the other two. "It's one lousy rat. The landlord says he'll set some traps."

"I hope they're the human kind. Traditional rat- and mouse-traps are horribly cruel," Tess interjected swiftly, looking concerned.

Max sighed. Though he was long since used to the fact that Michael could find any reason to argue and Tess could find any reason to complain, he had no patience for this. Not right now.

Aloud, he said, "I called Alex. He hasn't seen Isabel."

Tess huffed and said, "We know that, Max. I _told_ you that Alex told me he hadn't seen Isabel."

He shrugged. "Just wanted to double check," he answered, not bothering to make any other excuses. This was his sister, and if she was in any kind of trouble, he was not going to rest until he had figured out what it was. Even if that meant annoying his friends.

Tess didn't bother to push the subject, probably because she was too concerned about Isabel. Instead, the petite hybrid Queen said, "I tried calling her again. No answer. This isn't good."

"Courtney called me earlier today," Michael said thoughtfully. Max swiveled his head, eyes narrowing as he silently demanded a further explanation, and Michael continued, "She said to be careful. That Nicolas was planning something."

Max was about to question why Michael hadn't called them all right away to pass along the message, but Tess started talking before he had a chance to open his mouth.

"But I didn't see Isabel talking to Nicolas. I saw her talking to _you_."

"Or someone who looked like me," Michael pointed out logically. "Nicolas might have shape-shifters working for him. He probably does. And… well, it might not even be Nicolas behind this. There's always Nasedo."

"What would he gain from kidnapping Isabel?" Max asked sharply. He didn't trust the shape-shifter fully, but he did know that Nasedo was not stupid. He was far too clever to do anything that could jeopardize his relationship with any of them, that could ruin what little trust he did have. If he wanted something from Isabel, he'd find a better way of getting it.

Michael, apparently thinking along those lines, asked in trepidation, "What if he doesn't want something _from_ Isabel? What if he just wants _her_? He'd kidnap her then, wouldn't he?"

"Maybe we're overreacting," Tess suggested softly, twisting a strand of hair around one shoulder and staring blankly at the ground. "Maybe she's fine and just… maybe her phone lost its battery or something."

Max snorted. "Do you really believe that?" Tess didn't answer, and Max turned to Michael and said, "What else did Courtney tell you? And when were you going to pass that warning along to the rest of us?"

"After my shift at the Crashdown," Michael defended himself angrily. "It's not like I knew that Isabel was going to be abducted!" Max continued to glare, but Michael ignored his friend's ire and said, "And Courtney didn't know anything. Not really. She said Nicolas had been really tightlipped about what he had planned. He wasn't even talking to Ava about it."

Tess blinked. "Does he usually talk to her about his plans?"

"That's the impression I got from Courtney, but I don't know for certain," Michael replied with a shrug. "Why?"

Max watched the thoughts flicker through Tess' face. She was obviously contemplating something, weighing the possibilities, and he was growing impatient. If she had something to offer, he wanted to hear it right away. Every minute that they sat around and did nothing was another minute that Isabel was missing.

Finally, Tess said, "It might not have been a shape-shifter that I saw."

It Max only a minute to catch on to what she was saying, and he shivered slightly. "Rath?" It was true that the New York hybrid was currently unaccounted for. Zan and Lonnie were both dead, and Ava was with Nicolas, but the dupe General had simply disappeared completely, like smoke in the wind.

He hadn't thought much about Rath since the fight in the sewers. He'd had Ava to worry about, and Nicolas. But if Rath was back now, it did not bode well for any of them.

Tess nodded. "Think about it. Nicolas is suddenly not talking to Ava about his plans. Why? Because Ava is not going to be happy that he's working with Rath. She's going to feel threatened by it. By Rath."

"She stood up to him at the Summit, though. She turned on all of them," Max countered, though he only half-believed the argument he was making.

"I know," Tess agreed, "but you didn't see that flash, you didn't sense her fear. When I was talking to her… she's still terrified of Rath. That fear is what drove her to Nicolas in the first place, and if she suspects him of turning on her, she's not going to be happy."

Max sighed heavily. It made sense, all of it, but he didn't like where the idea lead. He didn't like the possibility that Rath and Nicolas had Isabel now.

Still, he thought with firm resolve, he was going to get his sister back. No matter what.

* * *

Alex nearly slammed the phone down when he reached Isabel's voice mail. He hadn't spoken to Isabel all day, and now it was the night and she hadn't shown up for their study date, and hadn't called to cancel. That was unlike her, and his worry was compounded by the fact that she wasn't answering her phone. And that both Tess and Max had asked him if he'd seen her during the day.

Something was going on, and Isabel was his girlfriend. He wasn't going to be kept in the dark.

He doubted Maria or Liz had any idea that something had happened, and he knew he wouldn't get the answers from Tess. That left Max or Michael, and of the two of them, Max seemed like the better option.

The hybrid king answered on the second ring.

"_Alex? What is it?"_

"I was about to ask you that," Alex replied, sinking onto his bed and holding the phone tightly pressed against his ear. "I know something is going on. Is Isabel in trouble?"

"_What makes you think something is going on?"_

"Just answer the question, Max! I deserve to know if something has happened to my girlfriend." There was a silence from the other end of the line, and Alex could practically hear the thoughts churning in Max's head. In frustration, he pressed, "You and Tess have both asked me about her today, Max, and she's bailed on our date without calling. That's not like her. I _know_ something is wrong."

"_We don't know what it is."_

"What do you mean? How do you not know what is going on?" Alex asked incredulously.

He hadn't meant to sound accusatory, he was honestly just scared and bewildered by the entire turn of events. But in retrospect, he knew his question had sounded far more critical that he had intended, and perhaps it explained Max's irate answer.

"_I'm not her keeper, Alex. I don't follow her everywhere the way you apparently do."_

Alex sighed. "I didn't mean it like that," he said apologetically. "I just… I'm worried. She's my girlfriend, Max. I love her. You can't keep me in the dark."

"_Well, unfortunately I don't have any answers to offer you. We know she's missing. We think she was kidnapped. Either by Nasedo or a shape-shifter working for the skins or Rath. But we don't have a whole lot more than that to go on…"

* * *

_

The first thing Liz noticed when she arrived at school was how distracted Alex was. He seemed not to notice anything around him, had left his textbooks in his locker, and broken three pencils in a row during history. His inattention worried her, but more than that she was concerned by how little he seemed to care that he was acting out of character.

When she confronted him about it, he just blew her off.

"Hey Maria, have you noticed Alex being off today?"

"Yeah," Maria said worriedly, sliding into the seat next to Liz. She glanced up at the teacher, then shifted her gaze to the clock. They still had a few minutes until class started, though, so she continued, "Have you asked him about it?"

Liz nodded. "Last period. He said he was fine, but he was kind of dazed. I'm not even sure if he heard anything I said. He just asked if I had spoken to Max…"

Maria blinked and asked suspiciously, "Do you think it is something Czechoslovakian?"

Liz let her gaze slide to Max, who was sitting at the front of the classroom. He, too, had been preoccupied this morning. "Maybe. I can ask him at lunch…"

"We should talk to Alex first," Maria said decisively.

Liz chewed her lip and shrugged. "Okay. I guess we can try cornering him after this period."

Having a plan of action made Liz feel a little better, and she tried her best to concentrate on the lesson. But thoughts of Alex kept creeping into her mind, and she found herself looking over at Max and wondering. If it was something alien-related, why hadn't he told her what was going on?

A gnawing fear grew in her stomach. As far as she knew, there were only two reasons why Max would keep her in the dark. Either he thought she was in danger and he was trying to protect her, or someone else was in danger and he'd been too preoccupied with that to think of anything else.

There was a third reason, of course, but she refused to believe that there was a problem with their relationship. There had been no warning signs, and she couldn't think of anything she could have done that would cause him not to trust her.

She wrapped her arms around herself and listened vaguely as the teacher droned on and on. Next to her, Maria shifted in her seat and tapped her pencil against the desk, bored.

Liz sighed. She couldn't think of any reason she would be in danger, besides, of course, the usual fact that she was dating an alien king. But the other option, that somebody else was in danger and Max's fear had led him to ignore everything else… well, there was only one other person that could inspire that kind of response.

And, Liz reflected grimly, she hadn't seen Isabel all day.

It would also explain Alex's worry.

When the class was finally over, she grabbed Maria and practically dragged her from the room. In the hallway, she said in a low voice, "I think something's wrong with Isabel."

Maria hesitated, then shrugged. "I guess that could explain why Alex is being so weird. Do you think they had a fight or something?"

Liz shook her head and the two friends made their way through the crowded hallway towards Alex's locker. Hopefully he would remember that he needed to get his workbook before heading to computer lab and they could meet him there.

Sure enough, they found Alex distractedly searching through his locker for the workbook, and he looked up with a dazed smile. "Hey."

"Hey. Got a minute?" Liz asked.

"Um… I really need to get to class," Alex answered, looking past her. Liz turned to follow his gaze and saw that he was staring at Tess, who was deep in conversation with Trudy and Chris.

"Alex, did something Czech-related happen?" Liz questioned bluntly. When Alex didn't answer, she pressed, "Where's Isabel? I haven't seen her at school all day."

Alex paled and pulled away from Liz, slamming the locker door shut. Then he said hoarsely, "We can't talk about this here."

"Okay, so let's use an empty classroom. There are plenty of those," Maria suggested.

Alex nodded numbly and followed his two friends until they reached the currently vacant biology classroom. The tables were set up with the items necessary for the day's experiment, and several microscopes were lined up on the counter against the back wall.

Liz closed the door firmly and turned to Alex, about to demand an explanation.

But Alex started speaking before she could say anything, his words a nervous, slightly incoherent babble.

"She's gone. At least, I think she is. Max doesn't know. At least, he doesn't really know much except that it was Michael. Only it wasn't Michael. But we don't know who the not-Michael was, but no matter what it can't be good. And now she's been gone overnight as well, and her parents are going to notice and I just told her that I loved her and now she's not here and what if something happens?"

Liz exchanged confused looks with Maria, then asked delicately, "Can you maybe repeat that a bit slower?"

"Isabel isn't answering her phone, and nobody has seen her since yesterday morning. She bailed on a date with me and didn't even call. Then Tess had a vision of Isabel and Michael talking, only Michael said he hadn't seen her at all yesterday, so Max thinks she might have been talking to a shape-shifter that works for Nicolas. Or Nasedo. Or Rath. Somebody who looked exactly like Michael… but wasn't. You know?"

Liz sank into one of the chairs and rested her elbows on the table. The revelation, though not unexpected, left a bitter taste of fear in her mouth. "Do we know anything at all?"

Alex shook his head. "Max told me that Michael had talked to Courtney…"

"What? When? Why didn't he tell anyone?" Maria asked hotly, eyes narrowed in ill-disguised suspicion and jealousy. Her lips were pressed into a thin line and she glared at Alex as though he was somehow responsible.

Alex ignored the interjection and continued, "And Courtney said that Nicolas was planning something. She didn't know the details, but… they're worried that this is it."

"Why can't Courtney just free Isabel?" Maria snapped. "She's supposed to be our spy in Nicolas' ranks. What good is she if she can't help us when we need her?"

"I don't think it's that simple," Alex answered faintly. "Apparently Nicolas is keeping Courtney out of the loop on this one. She might not be able to help."

"Well, then she's not any good at all and we don't need to keep working with her," Maria grumbled.

Liz sent the blonde a pointed look and said, "You know, this might not be the best time…"

Maria threw her hands up in the air in exasperation and muttered, "It's never the right time. That's the problem. Everybody just wants to keep trusting her." She turned away from the other two and hissed, "I can't believe Michael didn't _tell_ me she had called."

"We don't know for certain that Nicolas is behind this," Alex said glumly, leaning against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. "As Max pointed out to me last night, they have a lot of enemies. And a lot of allies that can't be entirely trusted." He paused, rubbing his hands up and down against his arms, and then said softly, "I told her that I loved her. And she said she loved me. We're not supposed to get attacked. It shouldn't work that way."

"If being in love was enough protection," Maria said snidely, "then Max would have been safe from the moment he laid eyes on Liz."

Liz blushed.

There was a tense silence for a moment as each of them thought over the situation, then Maria said firmly, "We'll figure this out, Alex. And we'll get Isabel back. You'll see."

"She's right," Liz agreed. "I mean, it's _Max_. He won't rest until she's safe."

But even as she said the words, a little voice was nagging her, whispering in the back of her mind that it hadn't worked out in the future.

She hadn't thought about Future Michael in a while. In fact, she had done her best to forget that entire disastrous period when Max had been overtaken by Zan's personality and basically ignored her. It was Michael of the Future's advice that had helped her figure out how to get Max back, for which she was quite grateful, but the memory of that bizarre experience was too closely tied to her own insecurities about Max's past life for her to want to think much about it.

Now, however, it was coming back to her in full force.

That Michael had told her that Isabel had been kidnapped by Khivar. The skin king had twisted her mind until she no longer remembered her loyalty to anyone but him. And that Isabel had killed Tess, had turned on her former friends and family.

She had listened to what Michael had told her, and she had done her best to fix what she could. She had rekindled her relationship with Max and prevented him from spiraling into despair. She had done her best to be there for Max whenever he needed her support, to stand up against their enemies and not back down, to refuse to give in to all the problems that continually faced them. And she'd kept in the back of her mind the notion that she needed to keep an eye on Isabel, just in case…

But she'd had promised him that she would make sure that Isabel never found out the truth about the future. That meant not telling anyone, especially Max. Because Max would eventually give in and tell Isabel… and Michael had been adamant that she not know what she had done to them all.

And yet… what if it was happening right now? What if the future was repeating itself before her very eyes?

If that was the case, didn't she have to tell Max? Didn't she have to tell everyone? The stakes were high and the world could end because of this… so didn't they have the right to know?

She rubbed her eyes wearily and looked at Maria and Alex.

Was this the beginning of the end?

* * *

Next Chapter: The Midnight Attack

Due: Sun 12/20


	79. The Midnight Attack

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Midnight Attack

Liz twisted her hands anxiously, her fingers intertwining with each other as she knocked on the door of Max's room. Her heart was hammering violently in her chest, and every voice in her head seemed to be telling her different things. Future Michael had warned her never to repeat this to anyone, had made her promise that she would not ever allow Isabel to find out what her fate had been in that timeline.

But what other choice did she have?

She chewed her lip worriedly as Max opened the door, his own expression reflecting her apprehension.

"Liz?" he asked, blinking owlishly, clearly not expecting her. He pulled the door open further and allowed her to slip past him into the room. She watched as he glanced out into the hallway, as though half-hoping to see someone else there.

But Isabel was not going to just magically appear.

Then he closed the door and looked over at her.

"Alex told me what happened," she said softly.

"Oh. I meant to tell you, but I just… I'm sorry, Liz, I was so busy thinking about…" Max stuttered and stammered over his words, his eyes suspiciously bright.

"It's alright," she rushed to assure him, "I know you were just preoccupied thinking about Isabel. And… um… well, that's what I need to talk to you about." His eyes widened almost comically, and she knew the entire thing must have sounded strange to him. After all, she had no doubt that he didn't think she would have anything to add to the already difficult scenario.

She felt her stomach clench. She hated to be the one to make things worse, but he had to know. No matter what she had promised Michael, she couldn't keep this a secret.

"What's going on?" Max asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing now as though he sensed something was coming, something he wasn't going to like.

Liz drew a breath. "This is going to sound really weird, so just… let me get it all out, okay?" She paused, waiting for a nod of agreement from Max, and once her request was acknowledged, she said, "You remember back when Sydney was in the hospital?"

Something dark flickered in Max's eyes, but it was gone almost as soon as it had come, and when he spoke his voice was level and even, if a bit cool, "Yes. What about it?"

"Um… well… around that time, I had a visitor. It was Michael. From the future." Liz hesitated for a moment, thinking over her words, then sighed. She really had no idea how to continue from here, but the story needed to be told. She knew that much for certain.

Max, apparently forgetting his earlier promise to remain silent while she spoke, demanded in a bewildered tone, "What do you mean?"

"He used the Granolith to travel back in time. He wanted to warn us," Liz explained.

Max frowned. "The Granolith can be used for time travel? But Liz, time travel isn't real. It doesn't _actually_ happen."

"It _does_ happen. I mean, it _did_ happen… with Michael," Liz insisted. She took a couple steps backwards until she bumped into his bed, and then she allowed herself to sink onto the mattress, folding her legs beneath her and resting her hands in her lap.

Max started pacing. "I don't understand."

She rubbed her head with one hand. She didn't really understand it all, either, and Michael hadn't been able to offer her enough details to make things much clearer. She was grasping at straws on this one, trying her best to elaborate on something that really was a befuddling mystery, and it was giving her a headache.

"I don't know exactly how it works, but it does. It really was Michael who came to visit me. To warn me. To warn us." She reached down and began to play with the edge of the comforter before thinking to herself that this was all rather ridiculous. She was actually _afraid_ of telling Max something, and Michael's warnings echoed in her mind. But she had already started the conversation, and she had to finish it.

And besides, this was Max. If she couldn't trust him, who could she trust?

She drew a breath and pushed forward relentlessly. "I was suspicious at first, too, Max, but then I talked to him for a bit. Really talked. And… it was him. He knew stuff about us. All of us, and about things that were going to happen… that did happen. Oh, I know this isn't making any sense, but you have to believe me. It was Michael. I know it…" She trailed off when she realized that Max had stopped pacing and was staring at her with a bemused expression. Eyes narrowed, she demanded in a slightly harsher than intended tone, "What?"

Max blushed and said awkwardly, "Nothing. I just… well, I was thinking how adorable you look when you get nervous and start babbling."

Her jaw dropped open and she gawked at him for a moment, then demanded in a hoarse tone, "That's what you think about? I tell you that your best friend travelled back in time to save the world, and your first thought is that I look cute?"

"_Adorable_," he defended himself, though his blush had deepened. "It's a totally legitimate thought."

She shook her head, but was completely unable to stop the giddiness that rushed straight to her head. The world was ending, Isabel was in grave danger, but Max still thought she was cute.

She blinked, then pushed that thought away. They didn't have time for this right now.

Max seemed to be thinking the same thing, because he started pacing again and said, "So what happened? What did Michael-of-the-future say to you?"

She wasn't sure if he believed her or if he was just humoring her, but she didn't ask. Instead, she said, "He told me about the end of the world. Everything got destroyed, Max. In the end, the skins… Khivar… they won."

Max swallowed.

Liz lowered her gaze and said, "Michael, he came back to warn me about it. Said I had to stop some things from happening."

"What things?" Max asked sharply.

Liz chewed her lip for a moment, then said, "I gave up on us." It was far more blunt than she had intended, but there really wasn't a good way of easing the blow, and it hurt to admit to what she had apparently done in another timeline. One quick look at Max told her that he, too, was reeling from the revelation, and she bit back a frustrated sigh.

At the time, she had all but assumed that Max would never love her again, but after the past few months, she couldn't even fathom how she could have ever believed that.

Instead of dwelling on that, however, she explained, "Because of the whole thing when you were Zan, I guess I decided I needed a break. I left Roswell, went a boarding school, and… Khivar found me. Killed me."

Max took a convulsive step forward, then stopped. He was breathing heavily, but after a moment he resumed his pacing, and Liz continued her story.

"I guess things spiraled out of control from there. Michael said you went looking for Khivar, and the skins used that opportunity to launch an attack on us." She blinked again, feeling the burn of tears in the back of her eyes as she forced herself to say, "Everyone got hurt in the end. Everything got destroyed."

Max nodded slowly, his face a mask that seemed to block all emotion.

Liz inhaled slowly. "Anyway, I won't go into the details because he didn't give me a whole lot of them, and… well, there is only really one that is important." She looked up, met Max's gaze, and said in a steady voice, "Khivar turned Isabel into her past self. Twisted her mind so that she didn't care about any of us. Only cared about him."

Max stopped pacing. His face had lost all color, and he sank into the bed next to Liz, his legs dangling over the side, toes brushing the floor as he idly swung them back and forth. She could see the horror reflected in his expression as it broke fully through the mask he had been wearing, and she reached up to grip his shoulder in a silent show of support.

When Max spoke, his voice was rough and raw, but his question was simple and straight to the point. "Why did Michael go to you? And why are you only telling us about this now?"

It wasn't an accusation, there wasn't even a hint of annoyance in his tone, but Liz still felt the need to defend herself. "I don't know exactly. I asked him that, too. He didn't want to go to Isabel because he didn't want her to ever find out what had happened to her… what she had done to us… in the future."

Max looked like he was about to ask what Isabel had done exactly, but then he seemed to think better of it and remained silent. Liz was grateful for that, because she remembered Michael's answer from when she had asked that question, and she truly did not want to tell Max that his own sister had killed Tess.

Aloud, she said, "He didn't want to go to you for the same reason. He thought you might tell Isabel. Or, rather, that she would figure out you knew something about her, and she'd wheedle it out of you. He didn't got to Alex because something had happened between the two of them in the future and they weren't really close anymore. He didn't go to Jim because they had never really been close."

"And Tess? Maria? Why didn't he got to either of them?"

Liz bit her lip. "Um… Michael didn't really explain his feelings exactly," here Max snorted and rolled his eyes and Liz found herself smirking slightly before continuing, "but Maria had… well, she was killed. And I think he might have been afraid of seeing her and… and I don't know… having to say goodbye all over again."

"Michael? A romantic?" Max quipped, one eyebrow raised. But his voice was neither light nor carefree, and there was no smile in his eyes.

Liz nodded. "Anyway, Michael said it only left me and Tess. And since I was the one who needed to change things… who needed to not give up on us and not leave Roswell, it seemed to make more sense for me to… to be the one he talked to."

"Did he say anything else? Give you any other warnings?"

Liz didn't answer right away. Michael had told her not to let Max attempt healing Sydney. In fact, that had been all he had talked about for most of the time. But Liz knew she couldn't tell Max that, couldn't reopen that wound. Not now that it seemed to have finally healed and Max had moved past that failure and accepted his limitations.

But Michael had also told her two other bits of information, and she said, "He told me we should be wary of Trevor and Nasedo."

Max rolled his eyes. "Like that is something we don't already know," he muttered sarcastically.

"Anyway," Liz murmured, "I just… well, Michael didn't want me to tell you any of this. He didn't want to take a chance that Isabel would find out or that somehow Khivar would learn something about the future he wasn't supposed to know… but if Nicolas has Isabel and I…'"

She didn't finish the statement. Max rose to his feet and started pacing again, his movements stiff and jerky. She could see the tension in the lines of his jaw and shoulders and wished there was something she could say to ease the panic that was filling his eyes.

But if Nicolas had Isabel…

"I promised Isabel I would protect her," Max said softly. "After the whole thing with what happened to me, with becoming Zan and treating everyone – and Isabel – so horribly… well, we tried to talk about it. I tried to apologize, to make it up to her and she said that she understood why Zan was so suspicious of her. And she was scared because she didn't want to become Vilandra. And I… I promised her that she wouldn't. That I would protect her." He swallowed and licked his lips. "I failed."

"You haven't failed yet," Liz argued, rising to her feet and swiftly crossing to his side. "We don't even know for certain that it is Nicolas who has Isabel." That didn't seem to comfort Max much, and so she said firmly, "Max, listen to me. You haven't failed Isabel yet. And you're not going to. You're going to get her back. _We're_ going to get her back. You have to believe that."

"Why?" Max asked almost mournfully, his words tinged with slight bitterness. "Why do I have to believe that?"

"Because she's your sister, and that's the only outcome any of us will settle for," Liz said simply. It wasn't entirely true, because they had failed Isabel in the other future. But Liz couldn't dwell on that. Not now, not when both Isabel and Max needed her.

She'd given up on Max once. She wasn't going to do it again.

"So," she said finally, "do you believe me? About future Michael, I mean."

Max frowned at her for a moment, studying her features. She wondered what he was looking for, wondered if he had found it. When he ultimately looked away from her, towards the door of his room, she wondered what he was thinking.

But when he spoke, his words were warm, "Of course. I'll always believe you, Liz. Don't you know that by now?"

"Good," Liz answered, standing on her toes to press a kiss against Max's lips. "Now… let's come up with a plan. We've got an alien Princess to save."

* * *

_The wheels spun in the puddle of water, twisting and turning, unable to find any traction on the slippery road. The car lurched forward, spinning dangerously to the side. There was a flash of lightning, a burst that illuminated the surrounding hills, the curve of the embankment, the cliff jutting out on one side over the steep drop to the ground below…_

_Something moved in the shadows beyond the car, drawing back into the rocks and watching silently, emotionlessly._

_Another flash of lightning, this time bright enough to show the outline of two figures in the car. Features indistinguishable, shadows covering most of the inside of the car, making everything hazy, indecipherable… The car lost all control, or perhaps it hadn't been in control to start with, and it slid sideways, tumbling over the cliff and disappearing out of sight._

_Another flash of light, this time bright enough to illuminate a single silver handprint._

This time, when Tess woke up nearly in tears, she found Kyle already standing over her, reaching out to shake her awake. She blinked at him, the dream fading from memory even though she knew she would never forget that horrible night that the Hardings had been killed.

"Are you alright?" Kyle asked, sinking onto the bed next to her.

She nodded, taking a few steadying breaths. "Yeah…" A quick glance at the clock on the wall showed her that it was nearly midnight. Sitting up in bed, she said, "Sorry I woke you."

Kyle shrugged. "Don't worry about it. As long as you don't use your crazy alien powers on me, we're good."

Tess grinned and let Kyle wrap and arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him, glad to finally have her brother back. Glad to be forgiven for all her lies.

But the dream continued to haunt her, even as it faded away, and somehow she knew she wouldn't be getting any more sleep that night.

* * *

In retrospect, Max had to admit that they should have been more prepared. After all, Isabel had been abducted by an enemy alien – regardless of just who the enemy was – and that should have been enough of a clue that they were in danger.

Serious danger.

And yet, somehow they were both still caught completely unawares.

He had slipped out of his parents house around eleven-thirty with the intention of waking up Michael and talking to him about Liz's revelation. He'd promised Liz he wouldn't repeat any of it to Isabel, and that was a promise he intended to keep. He hadn't asked exactly what Liz had done in the future, but he'd seen the look in her eyes and he had a pretty good guess.

Whatever the exact details were, he didn't want Isabel to know.

But he needed to talk to someone, and that left Michael or Tess. Both could be discreet, and both would certainly agree with keeping their mouths shut to protect Isabel… for a time. Tess was more likely to insist on warning Isabel eventually, on letting her know what could happen in the future. And while Max agreed that Tess would have a point with that argument, he still didn't want to acquiesce to it.

Which left Michael as the only other option.

If Michael had been at all surprised to find Max at his door a little before midnight, he didn't show it. His first question had been to confirm that nothing had changed, that no one else had been kidnapped, that Isabel hadn't been found. Then he had simply shrugged, opened the door further, and allowed Max to enter.

And now…

Now Michael was skeptical.

Max supposed he couldn't really blame his friend, he'd been skeptical as well. In fact, he was still somewhat unable to understand what Liz had told him. He'd said that he believed her, and maybe he did, but he just wasn't really sure…

How could he be? How could he be expected to simply accept everything she had said at face value when her story had been so incomprehensible?

"So… you're saying that of all the people I personally would choose to visit, I went to Parker?" Michael said. He'd repeated the question more than once, and Max had simply shrugged in reply all the other times. But the repetition was starting to frustrate him, and he had to bite back the urge to snap at his best friend.

"That's what Liz said," Max answered evenly. "But you're missing the point. We need to focus on Isabel."

Michael scoffed in reply, "What is your girlfriend _on_?"

Max groaned and dropped onto the sofa, rubbing his temples slowly. "Michael…" he muttered warningly.

Michael shrugged. "Even if she is telling the truth, I don't see the point. She doesn't have anything relevant to tell us."

"We know what happens to Isabel," Max protested.

Michael narrowed his eyes and turned away, gazing moving towards the window. "And how does that help us?" he asked pointedly. "What we know is that she was taken in the future… and we were apparently never able to get her back. How does that help us now?"

Max didn't answer. The truth of Michael's words settled into the pit of his stomach, weighing heavily on him. The taciturn hybrid was right, of course. This didn't help them, not really. Liz's revelations told them that they had to save Isabel at all costs… and yet also told them that they hadn't been able to save them before. Why would now be any different?

"Maybe Tess can do something?" Michael suggested finally.

Max ran a hand through his hair. He didn't want to tell Tess about any of this, though, and that's why he had gone to Michael instead. And besides, Tess seemed rather averse to using her gifts at the moment, and Max had a suspicion that she would especially balk at the idea of mind-warping a friend.

Not after what had nearly happened to Kyle.

"If it was that simple," he said finally, "why wouldn't we have done it in the future?"

"Maybe we couldn't," Michael answered, giving Max a thoughtful look. "Maybe Tess wasn't… around…"

He didn't say the word _dead_, but it still lingered in the air between the two friends, an unspoken reminder of Liz's warnings.

And then it happened.

The door to Michael's apartment slammed open, the hinges nearly ripped from the wall with the force of the blow. Max was reacting before he had fully registered what was going on, and his force-field shimmered in the air, protecting him and Michael. Through the haze of blue he could see the indistinct outlines of three figures entering the room, but it then it was obscured by a sudden flash of bright light.

Max rocked back on his heels as something hit his force-field, the sheer pressure nearly causing him to topple over. He steadied himself, one hand against the sofa to stay upright. He couldn't quite remembering jumping to his feet, and so was surprised to find himself standing. But his mind had finally comprehended the scene, and all other thoughts dissolved in front of the one that really mattered.

They were under attack.

He felt, rather than saw, Michael move to stand directly behind him.

Max knew he wouldn't be able to hold the shield up forever, and as long as it was there it would prevent them from launching any counterattack of their own. But without it, they would be vulnerable, and he had no idea who these people were or what they wanted.

The decision was made for him, however, when the second burst of energy sent him stumbling to the ground. The sofa only partially broke his fall, and he found himself collapsed in a heap on the ground, breathless and unprotected.

He looked up to see Michael leaning over him, one hand extended in front of him towards the unknown attackers. His fingers were glowing, sparks shooting from his palm towards the attackers. Max blinked and pushed himself quickly to his knees just as something descended down on him and two rough, calloused hands grabbed his arms.

He retaliated quickly, kicking out with both feet and watching in satisfaction as his assailant crumbled to the ground. Gasping for breath, he scrambled back to his feet in time to see Michael grappling with yet another figure. There was a flash of light, a sound like something exploding, and Michael gave a yelp of surprise.

"Michael!" Max cried, but Michael just waved him away, his eyes never leaving his attacker even when the table behind him shattered and the clock on the wall fell to the floor, it's broken hands now forever stuck at midnight.

Max felt a sharp pain in his side and looked down to see a faint line of blood. He felt only surprise, having no idea how he had even acquired the wound in the first place.

He couldn't dwell on it, however, but instead turned back to the task at hand. The assailants refused to give up, and Max was soon engaged in the fight again. He managed to get the upper hand on one of the enemies, and, grabbing a book from the coffee table, used it to strike his attacker in the chest.

He had expected the other figure to stumble back, perhaps winded or surprised. He had not expected the blow to be heavy enough to cause any serious damage – it had only been intended as a means of buying him some more time. But the corner of the book caught the enemy in the chest, causing a long fracture to develop along the length of what was now revealed to be a husk.

The skin's eyes widened in horror moments before his entire body dissolved into nothing, just gray pieces of what had once been a husk.

"They're skins!" Max announced triumphantly, and Michael, reacting on that bit of news, did his best to shatter his own opponents husks. But the two remaining skins appeared to be stronger and more skilled than their fallen comrade, and Michael's efforts were wasted.

They were rapidly losing ground.

Then there were a snapping sound, like the crackle of electricity, and the room went suddenly very still.

Both skins seemed to fall apart in slow motion. First their eyes rolled back into their heads, surprise reflected briefly in their gaze before their expressions went blank. Then the bodies dissolved, disintegrating until the floor was covered in the remains of feather-light pieces of skin.

Max looked towards the door.

There was a man standing there, both hands outstretched. His palms were still glowing, though as Max watched, the white light faded and disappeared completely. Dark eyes narrowed as the strange alien looked at the remains of the skins, then he snapped his gaze to the two hybrids. Pushing his dark hair out of his face, he looked back and forth quickly, appraisingly.

"Are you alright, your Majesty?" the stranger asked.

It was Michael who answered, his words short and sharp and blunt. "Who the hell are you?"

* * *

Seeing her was like looking at a picture of the past.

So many of them had changed when they had come to Earth. The Royal Four looked different, of course. Because they were different. Because they now had human DNA mixed in with their alien past. He, also, looked different, but his shape changed all the time. He had

Most of the skins were only recognizable by their eyes. It's how he had finally figured out who Courtney was. How he had identified Nicolas and Trevor. Whitkaer. Even the mayor. All of them, despite their disguises, despite the husks that gave them an entirely different – and human – appearance, had eventually been identified because of their eyes.

He'd always prided himself on that, on the ability to determine who someone was based solely on their eyes. Humans were so incredibly lousy at hiding their true emotions, true intentions. And aliens weren't much better. All anyone had to do was look into someone's eyes… and the truth… and their identity… was there for the taking.

But _her_…

She hadn't changed. She looked human, had looked humanoid even on Antar. Her red hair and glittering eyes, her composure, the slight lift in her chin, the way her lips quirked into a thin smile as her gaze met his and she realized just who he was…

No, she hadn't changed. Not at all. And staring at her was like staring at a picture of the past.

She was the first to speak, to interrupt the silence that fell between them. "Nasedo. I should have known you would be here." Her words were bitter, cold, and her lips turned up into an icy smirk.

"Kristalia." He looked around, an exaggerated twisting of his head. "Where's Jared? I can't imagine he would have let you out of his sight."

Her eyes remained emotionless, but that was a sign as well. She was doing her best to keep her composure and Nasedo allowed a wry grin to slip onto his lips. His barb had struck home.

Even after all this time, Jared was a sore point for them. For her.

"Keeping an eye on the Royal Four, are you?" she sneered. "And what brain-washing techniques did you _employ_ to earn their trust?"

"Not the same ones I am sure you will," Nasedo answered calmly. "I don't grovel, even for royalty. That's more your area of expertise." He looked away from her, but not before seeing the anger in her gaze. "And how are the Royalist doing, Kristi?"

"Our faction is fine," she answered in a clipped tone, brushing a few strands of red hair behind her one ear. "Better now that we've found the four of them."

Nasedo snorted. "You're a fool if you think you can waltz into their lives and convince them to return to Antar."

Kristalia frowned but said nothing. Then her eyes widened and she murmured, "Jared…"

The single word, soft and low, was enough to make Nasedo's hands clench into fists. But the worry in her eyes soothed the anger, replacing it with his own concern. "What is it?" he asked sharply, because he knew that her fear could not bode well for any of them.

"I don't know," she answered hesitantly. "But something's wrong. Something's happening… and Jared is there."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Forces Aligning

Due: Sun 1/3


	80. The Forces Aligning

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This chapter mentions briefly the fact that Nasedo was not the guardian who was supposed to be sent with the Royal Four to Earth. Just a reminder – all of this is described in the prologue of _This Brilliant Dance_ – that Nasedo was responsible (indirectly and directly) for killing the original guardians so that he could take they're place. His goal was to earn the trust of the Royal Four and use them as a puppet government when they returned to Antar. But the pod squad doesn't know this…

* * *

Chapter Eighty: The Forces Aligning

"My name is Jared, your Majesty," the strange alien said, his focus on Max. "I am a Royalist." He looked down at the piles of dust littering the floor and added unnecessarily, "Khivar's, I presume?"

Michael nodded and moved warily towards Max, coming to flank his friend. There was no way Jared could have missed the obvious suspicion in that move, the way Michael's hand clenched into a fist and Max's fingers sparked, preparing to attack… just in case.

Still, Jared apparently decided to ignore their distrust, and instead said, "I am sorry it has taken us this long to find you. We never meant to leave you unprotected."

Michael replied with a dark chuckle, "We're more than capable of taking care of ourselves."

"Of course, General," Jared agreed quickly, his tone conciliatory. "I do not mean to imply otherwise. I only regret that you _had_ to protect yourselves. We should have been here." He still had made no move to enter the apartment, though he had made sure the door was firmly closed behind him, presumably to keep them from being overheard.

"Who is we?" Max asked skeptically.

"Kristalia. My partner. She is another Royalist, like myself. There are others, of course, waiting to be summoned."

"Your partner in what?" Michael pressed. "And what is a Royalist?"

Jared seemed a bit perturbed by the question., and he said to himself, "So the rumors are true."

"What rumors?" Michael snapped, his patience wearing thin. "What are you talking about?"

Jared's dark eyes blinked several times before he said in a low voice, "I apologize, your Majesty, for not being clearer. Allow me a moment to explain a few things, and hopefully all your questions will be answered."

Max sincerely doubted that _all_ his questions would be answered, but he said, "Very well. Proceed."

"As I said, Kristalia and I are Royalists. We come from the faction that is loyal to you and the Queen, your Majesty." Jared paused, glanced quickly at Michael, and added, "I believe she is known as Tess here?"

Max didn't answer, and Jared seemed not to be surprised by this. Michael, however, tapped his foot impatiently on the ground and ordered tersely, "Keep talking."

"We are the ones responsible for taking your predecessors' DNA and creating these hybrids. We have been fighting Khivar and his followers since the beginning, but also we have been watching over you. Or, at least, we should have been. It's… complicated."

"He's not making a whole lot of sense," Michael complained to Max. "And he still hasn't answered the question about these rumors."

Jared gave a heavy sigh.

Max considered his options for a moment, cautious. He was loathe to trust someone he didn't know, particularly not someone who was apparently an alien with quite advanced powers. But he also didn't think he could just ignore the other alien and all the information he was offering.

He chanced a quick look at Michael, and the hybrid General gave a shrug of his shoulders in reply to the silent question.

"Alright, this appears to require quite a bit of explanation," Max said slowly, "so why don't you come in and sit down?" He gestured towards the chair opposite the sofa, knowing that it would give him and Michael the ability to stand side-by-side, presenting a unified front.

"As you wish," Jared answered, and moved to obey the request.

"And don't try anything," Michael threatened in a low growl. "I'm liable to attack first and ask questions later."

Jared replied with a thin smile, "No need to be afraid of that, General. I mean you no harm."

"Let us be the judge of that," Michael answered.

Jared took the indicated seat, and Max sank into the sofa, facing him. Michael stood behind the sofa, his hands resting lightly on the back of the furniture, his eyes fixed with a fierce glare on Jared.

"Alright, begin at the beginning," Max instructed.

Jared's lips twitched into a wry smile. "Well, that usually is a good place to begin, your Majesty." His tone was reverential, but there was still something decidedly mocking in his voice. Strangely, though, it did not bother Max as much as it might have, and he let the comment slide.

After all, there was no point quibbling when they were about to learn something having to do with the past.

"When Khivar attempted to seize power," Jared explained, "Antar split into two main groups. Those who supported Khivar – I believe you now refer to them as the skins – and the Royalists, those who supported you. Then there was the faction that supported the General for the throne, however they did not show up until later. I am a Royalist."

"And what are you doing here?" Michael all but barked.

"One of us was supposed to be sent with you, to act as a guardian. Once you were all old enough to understand your past, the guardian was supposed to summon the rest of us to you. An army, if you will."

"We have a guardian," Max said thoughtfully. "Well, sort-of. Nasedo. He was sent with us on the ship, but… well, that's a long story, but he wasn't able to contact us until last year."

"Ah… but Nasedo is not the guardian we would have sent," Jared said delicately, his tone conveying just how little he trusted the shape-shifter. "I am not sure what happened to the original guardian, though we do know he was captured by Khivar's army shortly before he was to come with you four to Earth. No doubt he is dead now as that was fifty years ago."

The callousness of his words surprised Max, but he was somehow able to sense that it wasn't a lack of concern about the death of an ally and friend that was causing the insensitivity. This was a war, and Jared had obviously been fighting it for a long time. How many other people had he seen killed, how many allies had he lost?

"Because we had no way of contacting you, of figuring out who you were, several scouts were sent to Earth to locate you," Jared continued. "Kristalia and I were lucky enough to be assigned to this part of the country. Though it has taken us nearly ten years." He paused, then added dryly, "We also had to search seven different states."

"We were supposed to have a guardian besides Nasedo," Michael muttered quietly to himself. They'd never trusted Nasedo completely, and to find out now that he wasn't even the one who was supposed to be on the spaceship… well, this was assuming that Jared's story was true. And Michael was not about to trust anything the alien said, not yet anyway.

"A lot went wrong when your ship left Antar, General," Jared said.

"So you and your partner found us," Max remarked curiously. "How? Did you just stumble across us?"

"No. Our alien gifts… and some intel we had picked up through various channels… indicated that something was happening in Roswell. We've been here for a while, but it took us several weeks to figure out who was who. Then we held off approaching you because we wanted to figure out who else was here and what was happening… what is that saying you humans use? We wanted to uh… get the lay of the land, I believe."

"Why?"

Jared blinked, taken aback. "It would be foolish to make any move without knowing that," he said finally. "Particularly when I have you four, the skins, and the rebels to worry about. Oh, and Nasedo and the General's brother, neither of whom I believe are playing for any particular side."

Michael looked interested at the mention of Trevor, but he didn't ask any questions. He wasn't even sure he wanted to admit to this Jared that he knew Trevor, that he had met him on more than one occasion. He would not volunteer information, not if he didn't know whether or not this stranger could be trusted.

Aloud, he asked, "And the rumors?"

"There have been some rumors among the scouts that you did not remember anything about your past. We were not sure if that was to be believed – you were supposed to remember, but that was another detail that did not go according to plan during your ship's departure from Antar. I see now that it is true. You do not remember."

Max answered shortly, "We remember enough."

Jared hesitated, then said, "Of course, your Majesty."

"Where is Kristalia?" Michael asked.

Jared shrugged. "Out and about, I imagine. We did not know this attack would happen, otherwise we would have warned you." He hesitated, a contemplative look on his expression, then said, "The other Royalists will be thrilled to know that we have found you."

Max felt something clench tightly in his stomach and it took him a moment to realize what it was. If the other Royalists were called, if an army came…

It would truly be a war.

* * *

"He can't be trusted," Ava said angrily, pacing back and forth across the cold stone floor of the compound. Moonlight filtered through the glass pane of the window behind her, casting long shadows over the room. She was agitated, her movements short and uneven, her wide eyes focusing furiously on the man before her.

Nicolas folded his arms over his chest. "So you say, Ava. But whether or not he can be trusted is not the point. He can be useful, he's already proven that."

Ava narrowed her eyes dangerously and said, "_I_ could have lured Isabel away from them just as easily. We didn't _need_ him for that."

Nicolas sighed. "I know, Ava. But he is still an asset. At least for now. I won't throw that away."

"Don't you know what he is capable of?" Ava hissed, upset. The fear was starting to show in her gaze, but she pushed it ruthlessly away and focused instead on the rage coursing through her veins. How could Nicolas even think of doing this?

"I do," Nicolas murmured, reaching forward to catch Ava by the wrist and stop her pacing. "I know what you're capable of as well, Ava. You have no reason to be afraid of him."

Ava lifted her chin haughtily. "I am not afraid," she retorted with a sneer.

"Then why are you so angry?" Nicolas countered, his question low and pointed.

She chewed her lip for a moment, then muttered, "You said this wouldn't happen. The whole reason I joined you was to keep Rath and Lonnie from gaining power. And to make sure that the Roswell four didn't get it either, so they couldn't end up as twisted as our dearly departed Zan." There was a definite bitterness in her voice when she mentioned the former king, now dead by her hand.

"I said I would not allow them to gain power," Nicolas agreed, "and I won't." Ava sent him a sharp look, arms folded over her chest, and he said softly, "You know what they say, don't you? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."

Ava stared at him for a beat, then stepped away and walked over to the window. She leaned against the wall, her attention split between the stars doting the sky above and the skin leader standing across from her. She was angry, she would not deny that. And though she refused to admit to the fear, it was there as well. But it was the sense of betrayal that hurt the most, the twisting in her gut as she remember that Nicolas hadn't consulted her before going through with this plan.

Why hadn't he trusted her enough to tell her that he intended on working with Rath?

"Listen to me," Nicolas said firmly, his tone pulling her towards him as though through some magnetic force. She took a few halting steps in his direction, and he said, "I didn't choose him over you. I wouldn't do that. I know you are on our side, and I can't even begin to fathom which side Rath is on."

She snorted. "He's on no side but his own."

"Perhaps," Nicolas answered, inclining his head in agreement. "I know you do not trust him. Neither do I. But we are fighting a war, Ava, and if we want to win, we cannot refuse help from our allies."

"He is _not_ an ally."

"He is as long as he has something to offer us," Nicolas answered just as emphatically. "He has talents, and we can use them. We can use _him_."

Whatever she was about to say was cut off by the sudden rush of wind from the hallway as the door to the room swung open. Rath's tall, muscular figure was outlined briefly in the doorway, the rest of the compound behind him awash in a glow of soft yellow light. Then he stepped into the room and let the door swing shut, cutting off the artificial light and leaving only the eerie pale white of the moonbeams coming through the dirty window.

"Well, well, well… look who I finally found," Rath said with a leer, his eyes running up and down the length of Ava's body. "Been looking for you, sweetheart."

Ava shrank back for a moment, eyes widening, appearing frightened and childlike. But Nicolas was standing at _her_ side, not at Rath's, and she remembered with a sudden rush of clarity that she was not alone anymore. Not the way she had been when it was just the four of them, when she had no one to turn to, when she was almost entirely at Zan's mercy.

She was stronger now. And she had allies.

Her lips curved into a thin smirk, and she replied, "Have you? Can't say I've been looking for you, Rath."

"Is that so?" Rath asked coolly. "Well, I'm hurt." He paused, gaze flickering between Nicolas and Ava, then continued smoothly, "'Cause since that Summit, I've been thinking quite a lot about seeing _you_ again, Queenie."

Ava licked her dry lips and answered with as much callousness as she could, "I haven't been thinking of you at all. You aren't worth the time or effort."

Rath hissed a sharp breath from between his teeth. "Careful, doll," he cautioned, his face flushed. Coldly glittering eyes focused on the petite blonde before him as he whispered, "I ain't so sure you want to get on my bad side."

Ava took a step towards him, holding her ground, refusing to back down. "I'm not so sure _you_ want to get on _my_ bad side," she retorted. Lowering her voice until it was just barely audible to Rath, she added, "I've got Nicolas and the skins on my side, and you don't have anyone, do you?" Rath practically growled in response, but Ava just smiled sweetly. The saccharine expression never left her face as her voice took on an icy tone, "Seems to me that you have quite a bit more to fear from me than I do from you."

Rath glowered at her and turned to stalk from the room, obviously not pleased with the way the conversation had gone. But if he had been expecting Ava to cower in fear, he certainly had not been counting on the confidence she derived from knowing that she had Nicolas at her back.

Ava watched him go, then let out a slow breath.

"See," Nicolas murmured, "he's not the one in charge here, not now. We are. You and me. But as long as he can be helpful to us…"

She studied his face for a moment, then nodded. "Very well. But when he outlives his usefulness, I trust he will no longer remain here?"

Nicolas answered with a wry grin. "When the reject General outlives his usefulness," he answered, "he will be eliminated."

Ava gave her own icy smile. "Good," she murmured, though the thought of Rath's death did leave her a little queasy. She knew both Zan and Lonnie were dead, and she felt great relief for that. But she also remembered what it was like to kill Zan, and though she did not mourn his passing, she still felt uneasy at the knowledge of what she had done.

Killing was not something she thought she would ever get used to.

But this was a war, and she would fight it, and they would win – by any means necessary.

* * *

Courtney stared moodily at the building before her. She'd spend a lot of time in that compound over the past few months, trying to convince Nicolas that she was trustworthy. It had worked – to some extent, at least – and for a while she had been privy to most of his plans. But Nicolas was nothing if not suspicious, and he'd kept her in the dark on this one.

He'd kept all of them in the dark on this, even Ava it seemed, until after Rath had made his grand entrance.

And now the dupe General was here. With Isabel.

Unfortunately, she knew that Nicolas would be watching her, and she could not possibly slip away to carry news back to Roswell. She wanted to know how the others were faring, and if they had discovered Isabel's absence. Did they know where she was? Had they somehow figured it out, or were they panicking, unable to determine where she was?

A shadow fell across the ground before her, and she looked up to see Trevor standing a few paces away, studying her carefully.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"What are you doing?" he asked, eyeing her with distrust. He took a few steps closer, watching as she unfolded her arms and glared at him.

"I took a walk," she answered. The night air was warm, almost muggy, unlike the searing dry heat of Roswell. "I needed a walk. What do you care?"

Trevor's frown grew as he answered, "Did you know?"

"About Rath, I presume?" Courtney asked delicately, one eyebrow raised. Trevor nodded mutely, and she smiled grimly. "I don't think Nicolas told anyone." She studied him for a moment, then continued softly, "I take it from your moody expression that you didn't know, either?"

Trevor swallowed uneasily and gave a little nod of his head. "No one told me." He, too, turned and looked at the building that served as Nicolas' headquarters. "He's… different."

"He's your brother, just as much as Michael is," Courtney replied.

A shadow passed through Trevor's eyes as he snapped his gaze to Courtney and said fiercely, "He's _not_ my brother."

"DNA would beg to differ with you on that," Courtney taunted. "You can't disown him just because you don't like his attitude." She ran a hand through her blonde haired, pale eyes roaming the landscape as though she was afraid that someone was watching.

"They messed it up," Trevor muttered. "The experiment… whatever the scientists did, they screwed up."

"Well, yes," Courtney drawled, "that much is obvious. That's why the four of them were the rejects." She sighed, shaking her head, and added, "Doesn't make him any less of your brother."

"Then why aren't you following him around like a little lost puppy, the way you did with Michael?"

Courtney clenched her fingers into fists and then slowly relaxed them, trying to keep the tension from seeping into the rest of her body. "I'm looking for a leader," she answered firmly. "Leadership skills, not just DNA. Michael is the right one for that. Rath is… not."

"You're looking for a leader?" Trevor repeated, a triumphant smile gracing his lips. "Present tense?"

Courtney didn't say anything, and a silence fell over them, blanketing everything. She rubbed her eyes with the palm of one hand. She knew Trevor was still suspicious of her, and had been for a long time. He hadn't believed that she'd turned on Michael or the others, no matter what she had told Nicolas. They hadn't gotten along on Antar, and they wouldn't get along here, but his persistent accusations still managed to surprise her.

She wondered if he would ever trust her.

Of course, he was also right, she hadn't completely turned her back on Michael or her faction. But she wouldn't admit to that, not in front of him.

"What side are you on?" Trevor asked finally, when it became clear that Courtney had no intention of saying anything.

She slanted a look at him. "Which side are _you_ on?" she countered.

She wondered vaguely if Trevor was concerned about Nicolas' reasons for leaving everyone out of the loop on this plan. Was he worried they'd object? Or was he worried they'd tell the wrong people? Certainly he couldn't be suspicious of any of his other followers, or he would have gotten rid of them by now.

Courtney was under no delusions that the only reason she and Trevor were still alive even though Nicolas suspected them of not being fully committed to his cause was because they each had something unique to offer. She was a link to a rival faction, and Trevor was a link to Michael. None of the other skins could boast that, and if they weren't useful, Nicolas would have simply killed them. Or sent them back to Antar, if he was feeling magnanimous.

The intrigue was wearing. She was a spy, a good spy, but she'd been doing this for over five decades, and it was taking all her effort just to stay alive.

Trevor's repeated allegations were not helping.

"You've spoken to the shape-shifter. Nasedo. Several times, actually."

Courtney stiffened, then quickly forced herself to relax, knowing even the slightest sign of guilt could give her away. But no one was supposed to know of her dealings with Nasedo… not even the Royal Four.

She said calmly, "What of it?"

"Does Nicolas know? Do Max and Michael?" Trevor snapped.

Courtney raised her chin and answered coldly, "Don't be a fool. Of course Max and Michael don't know. Why would I tell the enemy of my plans? As for Nicolas… are you jealous that he hasn't shared all of his plans with you? That he doesn't take you into his confidence? He seems fine with my actions, so why should you suspect them?"

"Nicolas may trust you, but I don't," Trevor replied softly. "Do what you want with the other three, but if you hurt Michael, I _will_ kill you."

Courtney smirked. "Well… I guess that answers the question of what side you're on."

* * *

"Hey, DeLuca," Kyle called as he approached the clump of students milling about in the hallway. "Are you trying to ruin my life?"

Maria looked up from where she stood next to Alex and Liz and frowned. "No, I'm not. Although I can't say that I wouldn't be thrilled by _that_ outcome."

Kyle glowered at her and practically spat, "Your mother wants to have a family dinner. With you and Guerin and my Dad and I. Maybe even Trudy, though I don't think I'll force her to join in on this one." He rolled his eyes, looking both incredibly irritated and somewhat horrified by the prospect, and added, "God, it's going to be a disaster."

Maria, for her part, looked just as distraught by the idea. "My mom invited you three?" she gasped, shaking her head in fervent denial. "Does she not understand that I hate you?"

"Apparently she doesn't care," Kyle answered. "And my Dad doesn't care that it would be social suicide for me to spend an evening with you all." He tilted his head to the side, thinking about this for a moment, then added, "You know, it might end up driving me to real suicide, also."

"You shouldn't joke about things like that," Liz reprimanded.

Kyle sent her a pointed look and retorted, "Who's joking?"

Suddenly Maria laughed. "This is great, though. Tess was mocking Michael about having to come to a formal family dinner and now she's being dragged into the same thing. Poetic justice, wouldn't you say?"

"Not quite," Kyle answered with a grimace. "She got out of it."

"What?" Maria demanded. "How?"

"Don't know. My dad was telling us about it this morning before school, and Tess said she couldn't go. He asked her why and she said something about… I don't know. Dupes? Michael's twin? I missed the whole thing," he lowered his voice and continued the explanation, "because I could guess what it was about, and I tend to ignore things about little green men."

"You know, one of those little green people is your sister," Alex muttered.

Kyle shrugged. "Yeah, I know. And the whole things is crazy and has the potential to seriously ruin my life, so I'm going to not care about that part of her."

"Maybe she wants you to care," Alex argued, his tone clearly conveying just how selfish he thought Kyle's attitude was. Liz and Maria both nodded in agreement, and all three of them sent reprimanding glares towards the football jock.

"Wow," Kyle drawled, "you're either that oblivious or that stupid."

"What do you mean?" Liz asked softly.

"You really think Tess wants me to get involved in that part of her life?" Kyle sneered. "Have you _forgotten_ how hard she worked to keep me out of it? Seems to me that Tess would be happy by me decision."

There wasn't really anything the other three could say to that because Kyle was, annoyingly, entirely right. Tess would prefer this attitude than one in which Kyle demanded the opportunity to be involved. Though Kyle had apparently made this decision for his own self-interested reasons, Tess must have been pleased by the outcome.

And she certainly _wouldn't_ be pleased if they tried to talk him out of it now.

Still, Maria felt the need to snipe, "I don't think Michael, Max, or Isabel are all that thrilled by us putting ourselves in danger, either, but we still manage to help them."

Kyle gave her a strangely appraising look and nodded slowly. "I suppose you do," he said, his voice unnaturally serious. "And if Tess' life is ever in danger, and if I am ever in a position where my involvement will do more good than harm, I'll happily jump into your crazy lives. Until then… ignorance is bliss."

Maria snorted, and neither Liz nor Alex looked particularly convinced, but Kyle didn't really care.

To Maria, he added, "Anyway, I'm holding you responsible for this dinner disaster."

"Hey, I'm not thrilled about it, either," Maria grouched, and then Max and Michael turned the corner of the hallway and approachd them, and the conversation with Kyle was effectively ended.

Kyle gave the two hybrids a quick look, then slouched away, still grumbling to himself. Liz watched him go, then turned to Max, noting the exhaustion in his eyes and the stiff wariness in his posture.

"Did something happen?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Max muttered. "Michael and I had a very interesting… _visit_… last night."

"Oh?"

"Another alien. A… Royalist, I believe he called himself. He and his partner crashed Michael's apartment last night, and they certainly had a lot to talk to us about…"

* * *

Next Chapter: Trading Places

Due: 1/10


	81. Trading Places

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Eighty-One: Trading Places

It took only one meeting with Nicolas for Courtney to know that they were all in serious trouble. Nicolas had been angry, though not as angry as she would have expected, given the circumstances. Apparently he had sent skins to attack Max and Michael, and the attack had failed. They were not sure exactly what had happened, but Nicolas was convinced the skins were dead.

Courtney glanced at the others gathered in the room. More skins, soldiers she barely knew. And Ava, who was standing next to Nicolas, watching him with a silently thoughtful expression. Rath was not there, and Courtney did not know what to make of his absence. But Trevor was present, and judging by the look in his eyes, the conflicted skin had not known about the proposed attack on the two royal hybrids.

Courtney sighed inwardly and found herself taking a little comfort in the fact that at least she wasn't the only one who had been kept in the dark about this. But the lack of knowledge bothered her because she knew that she should have been able to warn Max and Michael. Otherwise, what good was she as a spy?

Without Isabel, the other three were weakened. Weakened enough that Nicolas seemed to have no concerns about attacking them.

Another attack was eminent.

Nicolas gave no details, and Courtney could not help but wonder why he was being so reluctant to share information. She supposed it had something to do with how little he trusted others, but then why was he even telling them this much?

The meeting was dismissed, and Courtney followed the others from the room. She paused for a brief moment, long enough to look back and see Ava and Nicolas deep in conversation. Then she turned away and stepped through the door.

For a moment, she caught Trevor's gaze. He looked back at her, a dark and furious accusation in his eyes, and se had no idea what it was that he suspected her of. They had never gotten along, and they never would, but she also had not been afraid of Trevor.

Not until now, not until seeing that look in his eyes.

She knew the attack on Michael had hit too close to home for Trevor, and the skin was worried. Terrified, perhaps. She couldn't blame him for that, but why was he transferring his fear into anger, and why was it directed at her?

These were all questions she would have to ask herself some other time. For right now, the immediate problem was how to keep Michael out of danger… and as far as she could tell, the only way to do that would be to rescue Isabel. They needed the Royal Four together, or else there was no chance of defeating Nicolas.

But how? Isabel was far beyond her reach, both mentally and physically. What could she possibly do?

She pondered this dilemma for a while, pacing the halls of the compound. No one bothered her, she was not particularly well liked her, and most of the skins knew her temper well enough to keep their distance anyway. The solitude offered her privacy, privacy she desperately needed to think, to weigh her options.

She needed to reach Isabel.

She could not get to her physically, for only a few had unrestricted access. Nicolas had given Isabel full reign of the compound, promised her the ability to wander free, but so far, Isabel had seemed to prefer her own room, away from everything and everyone else.

And Courtney could not enter there.

Then there was the issue of reaching Isabel mentally. She wanted the real Isabel, not the twisted version who currently resided in this compound. Her mental prowess had grown significantly over the years, and there was very little she could not do if she simply put her mind to it. But would she be able to reach Isabel? That seemed beyond the scope of her abilities.

So she needed someone who could reach Isabel. And as far as she knew, there was only one person – well, two people, really, and that was the basis for her plan – that would be able to do what was needed.

As the plan formulated in her mind, her feet moved of their own according, taking her through the winding corridors until she was just outside of Ava's room. The dupe Queen had returned from her conversation with Nicolas, and Courtney could hear the sound of movement from behind the closed door.

Drawing a slow breath, Courtney closed her eyes for a moment and calmed her thoughts. She knew better than to underestimate Ava, a mistake that had cost others their lives. Ava was powerful, and proved to have a brilliant mind for strategy.

But she was not a spy. And she had not been in a war long enough to know the one fundamental rule…

Never let your guard down.

Courtney knocked on the door, then pushed it open without waiting for a reply. Ava was standing by the window, and she turned in surprise at the sound. Her eyes were wary, her expression tense, a side-effect, Courtney knew, of Rath's continued presence in the building.

But even despite all that, she was not ready for the burst of energy that left Courtney's fingertips, and when it struck her in the chest, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious but still alive.

Courtney looked at Ava's still body, then at the closed door behind her. The plan had started, she'd stepped over the line, and it was too late to turn back now.

It was dangerous. The risk of failure was high, almost impossible to overcome. And it would forever ruin any chance she had of convincing Nicolas that she was trustworthy. But it was the only plan she could think of, the only plan that had any chance of working.

Now she just had to convince everyone else of that.

* * *

"So… there are more aliens in Roswell? What, like having you four, Courtney and her faction, Nicolas and his faction, and Rath and Ava wasn't enough?"

Michael fought to keep a neutral expression at Maria's flippant remark, but he knew he was close to smiling. The absurdity of the situation was not lost on him, but it was hardly a time for jokes. His gaze moved from Maria to Jared, and he watched as the strange alien paced back and forth across the floor, looking distraught.

Michael rubbed the back of his head absently and thought about the previous night. The attack by the skins had been entirely unexpected – though it really shouldn't have been – and Jared's appearance was the only thing that had saved them from being seriously injured… or worse. But he still couldn't bring himself to trust this man, not now. Not yet.

They'd all gathered at his apartment. Max was standing with Liz, his expression guarded, his eyes suspicious. Liz seemed a bit more trusting of Jared. Maria and Alex were both sitting on the sofa, and Tess was perched on the edge of the chair across from them. While the two humans were looking back and forth between their friends, Tess' gaze was fixed solely on Jared.

Her expression was downright hostile.

"Where is she?" Max asked finally, frowning.

Jared glanced at him, dark eyes unreadable. "She'll be here, your Majesty."

They were waiting for Kristalia. Jared had assured him that she would arrive shortly, and he wanted to wait until both aliens were there before continuing the conversation of the previous night.

"What's taking her so long?" Maria griped, flopping back against the sofa with a dramatic sigh. "I don't like all this waiting."

Michael scratched his eyebrow and replied, "You, impatient? I _never_ would have guessed!"

"Oh, shut up, Space Boy," Maria grumbled.

Any argument that would have followed was cut off by the sound of knocking at the door. Jared paused in his pacing and look to Max, waiting for permission. Max nodded once, and Jared crossed quickly to the door and opened it, allowing everyone in the room to catch their first glimpse of Kristalia.

Her red hair was swept back from her face in a messy bun, and her eyes were bright, but guarded. She and Jared both walked with the same posture, stiff and upright and clearly ready to fight at a moment's notice. She stepped around Jared, bestowing a faint smile on him, and glanced at everyone in the room.

"Your Majesty," she greeted, inclining her head to Max.

"You are Kristalia?" he asked.

"Yes," she confirmed, a simple, one-word answer. She did not volunteer any other information.

Michael studied her for a moment. She did not seem at all perturbed by the suspicion she must have seen reflected in everyone else's eyes, although she did hesitate at Tess' blatant hostility. But she met the petite hybrid's gaze without flinching, and allowed the tiniest bit of defiance to creep into her eyes.

Michael wasn't sure why, but he found himself much more likely to trust Jared than this new arrival.

"We've been waiting for you," Max said.

And it was Maria who asked the question on everyone else's mind, "What took you so long?"

Kristalia frowned at Maria, then turned a questioning look to Jared. Whatever she was asking, he must have understood and answered in some silent manner, because she turned back to the others and said, "I ran into Nasedo last night. I was… not inclined to trust him, so I followed him this afternoon."

"Why don't you trust Nasedo?" Liz questioned curiously.

It was Max who answered the question, speaking before either of the two Royalists had a chance to offer their own explanation. "Jared informed us last night that Nasedo was not supposed to be our protector. The original protector was captured by Khivar before he could reach our spaceship."

"But if they substituted Nasedo for the original protector, than they must have at least trusted him a little," Alex pointed out logically. His gaze was on Max as he spoke, but it was clear the question was directed more towards Jared and Kristalia.

Jared explained, "As I told his Majesty last night," and here his eyes flicked almost imperceptibly to Max, "so much went wrong, and so quickly, that we did not have time to pick a new guardian. Nasedo came entirely of his own accord."

"How did so much go wrong?" Alex pressed.

Again, Jared and Kristalia exchanged a quick glance. It was now clear that they were trying to figure out how much to tell the others, and that annoyed Michael to no end. If they were really here to serve and protect the Royal Four as they claimed, shouldn't they refrain from withholding information?

His lips thinned into a straight line as he glared at them, his suspicion coming back in full force.

Kristalia finally sighed and said, "We have suspicions, but not much else. Someone alerted Khivar's army to our plan and our location."

"A spy?" Tess asked, the words hard and sharp.

Kristalia shrugged. "Perhaps. Even after all this time, we were not able to ascertain the exact details of what happened that night. The answers may remain a mystery forever."

"But you don't trust Nasedo," Max prompted. "Do you think he was involved in what happened?"

Michael watched as a myriad of emotions flickered through Jared's dark eyes before he replied, "It is possible."

"It's also entirely possible that he simply happened to be in the right place at the right time.," Kristalia added. "He realized that no protector was coming and decided that he had to take the job for himself. It would have been foolish to send you to another planet without any sort of guide, not after we had spent so much time and effort on creating you."

Michael noted the hardening of Jared's jaw and realized with a start that the dark-haired alien was strongly opposed to what his companion was suggesting… and this was apparently a point of contention for them. The others might mock him for his lack of acuity, but he could be perceptive at times. And no matter what Kristalia said about Nasedo's honesty, she did trust him. At least enough to annoy Jared.

Michael stored that bit of information away for future contemplation.

"So, basically, we don't know whether or not we can trust Nasedo," Maria said with a roll of her eyes. "And how is that any different than what we've been saying for the last eighteen months?"

"It's not," Tess agreed. "And I have a question of my own. How did you happen to conveniently be in the neighborhood right when the skins attacked last night?"

Jared exhaled slowly and said, "It was luck, I guess. We'd been keeping an eye on all of you, especially since the Princess' disappearance."

Out of the corner of his eye, Michael saw Max stiffen and Alex shift uncomfortably, looking upset.

"I was watching the General that night," Jared continued, "and noticed the skins entering the apartment building. I didn't know they were skins at the time, but they seemed… well, they seemed dangerous. So I went in after them."

Michael chewed his lip and looked over at Max. It was clear that the hybrid king wasn't sure who to trust, who to believe. Michael couldn't help but agree with that assessment. Jared had saved them, but was that enough? Courtney had saved Maria and Liz both on separate occasions, and they still didn't trust her fully.

Did they?

At this point, they had so many allies and enemies and people who fell somewhere in between those two ends. The addition of Jared and Kristalia complicated matters, but it also gave Michael a growing feeling of unease…

There could only be one reason every faction was converging on Roswell.

They were preparing for war.

His brooding on that subject was interrupted by the sudden ring of a cell phone. He looked around, surprised by the sound, almost as though he'd forgotten what a cell phone was. It was obvious by the expressions on his friends' faces that they, too, were having the same reaction. Having been so caught up in analyzing Jared and Kristalia's every word, this sudden interruption was startling at a little disconcerting.

It was Tess' phone, and she pulled it out of her jean jacket pocket and frowned at the caller ID. Given the importance of the current conversation, Michael knew there were only two people she would _not_ ignore at the moment, and so when she snapped opened the phone, he found himself wondering vaguely if it was her father or brother.

The question was answered as Tess said, "Jim? Something wrong?" A pause, and her expression darkened. "Wait, what? When? Um… yeah, okay… No, stay there, we'll come to you."

She closed the phone with a pensive look on her face, and Max asked, "What's wrong?"

"Courtney just showed up at my house," Tess answered in a puzzled tone. "Jim said she was looking for me."

"Did he say why?" Max demanded.

Tess shook her head slowly, but added, "He did say she wasn't alone."

Worry twisted Michael's stomach into tight knots. "What do you mean?"

She turned bewildered blue eyes to him and replied, "He said she brought another girl. An unconscious girl. Jim said… at first he thought it was me. With pink and black stripes in my hair and way too much makeup."

"Courtney brought Ava to your house and wants to talk to you?" Michael repeated, now completely dumbfounded. "Why?"

"I don't know," Tess answered, rising to her feet, "but I intend to find out."

* * *

"You didn't have to come," Courtney said, her eyes traveling over the group. "I could have taken Ava and gone to meet you. It's not like I don't know where Michael lives."

"Why did you come here?" Tess asked angrily as she paced back and forth, her gaze never leaving Courtney's face. She was dimly aware of Jim standing near the back of the group, watching her. Kyle wasn't here, she'd made sure he left the moment she arrived, not wanting him anywhere near Courtney or Ava. He hadn't minded, just said he would be at Trudy's house and to call if they needed anything. But he had to have known she wouldn't call.

Hell would freeze over before she dragged Kyle into this.

"I told you," Courtney answered in an impatient tone, "I was looking for you." She looked at Jared and Kristalia for a moment, then said, "Royalists?"

"Forget them," Max ordered impatiently. "Just tell us what's going on."

"Nicolas has Isabel," Courtney said quietly, "and as long as he does, you're vulnerable. He won't hesitate to attack you, again and again, until he finally wins."

"We know that," Michael said in a growl.

At the same time, Jared commented, "They have others to help protect them now, too. Kristi and I can contact the other Royalists, the ones currently on Earth, and we can have several others of our faction here in only a matter of days. We can have an entire army here – an army from Antar – in under a month."

"And Nicolas could attack right here, right now," Courtney countered, shaking her head with an irritated sigh. "Besides, all the Royalists on Antar won't help you get to Isabel right now. She's too well protected… and she's not herself."

"What do you mean?" Liz asked with trepidation, and Tess finally tore her gaze away from Courtney long enough to give the brunette hybrid a searching stare. Liz knew something, something she wasn't telling the group, and Tess couldn't help but silently question what it was.

But the knowing look in Max's eyes made her realize abruptly that Liz had told at least one other person of her fears… And Tess made a mental note to ask Max about that later.

For now, she would focus on the matter at hand.

"She remembers Vilandra. Not all of it, mind you, but enough to make her loyal to Khivar. I don't know what exactly happened to her… a combination of Nicolas' powers and Isabel's own inner demons, I imagine. She's madly in love with the skin king and I'm not sure she cares anything for any of you."

Max made a convulsive movement, then looked away and expelled a breath. The tension in his pose gave away just how terrified he was, and Tess could not blame him. They were dangerously close to losing Isabel, and seemed to have no idea how to stop it.

"So why are you here?" Alex asked. "Do you have a plan, a way to help us?"

"I think so," Courtney replied. "Right now, the most important thing is to reach Isabel physically, get her out of the compound. If we can do that, we can figure out a way to get her back to Isabel – _your_ Isabel – afterwards."

"But you said reaching her was impossible," Maria protested. "She's too well guarded. Even you don't have access."

"But Ava does," Courtney pointed out.

"Ava won't help us," Max argued. "Particularly given that you knocked her unconscious and dragged her from wherever the skins are to here." He looked past Courtney towards the door of the kitchen. Ava;s unconscious body lay beyond the door, sprawled out on the tile floor.

Tess followed his gaze and wondered just how freaked Kyle and Jim had been when Courtney had shown up on their doorstep carrying Ava's body.

"Nicolas will notice that Ava is gone eventually. Probably tomorrow morning. I locked the door to her room after I… well, kidnapped her, basically. They'll think she's asleep, particularly since no one saw me take her from the compound. But if she doesn't show up in the morning, they'll start asking questions, and that won't help us. Actually, it might just ruin everything."

"Why didn't anyone see you?" Alex asked.

His question was followed by Michael asking sharply, "Won't that give away your cover? Nicolas won't trust you anymore, will he?"

And Maria, who snapped, "Weren't you listening? Ava _won't_ help us. She's on Nicolas' side, and I doubt we have enough time to convince her otherwise."

Courtney answered all of the questions in turn, her voice calm and collected. To Alex, she said simply, "I know how to move about unnoticed. I am a spy, after all, and I've been one for over 50 years. I'd be dead already if I didn't have that skill." As an afterthought, she added, "Unfortunately, though, it won't help me get Isabel out of there, she's too well protected."

"Pity you managed to stay alive all those years," Maria muttered under her breath.

Tess couldn't help but grin at that statement, but Courtney ignored it and said to Michael, "Yes, it will. This plan will blow my cover entirely. I won't be any use to you as a spy in the future. But it doesn't matter, because if we don't get Isabel out of there, none of you will _have_ a future."

There was far too much truth in those words for anyone to deny them. Courtney had taken on the role of spy for a reason, and it had been to provide information. But they would all have gladly given up that information in a heartbeat if it meant getting Isabel back.

They were lost without her.

Then Courtney turned to Maria and said, "And, I know Ava won't willingly help us. But actually, it wasn't Ava I planned to send back to the compound."

The pieces fell into place for all three aliens at exactly the same time. Michael and Max both paled, and Max said fiercely, "No! Absolutely not."

Michael agreed with an emphatic shake of his head. "Not going to do that."

But Tess stared hard at Courtney and said softly, but in a firm tone, "Okay."

A dead silence met those words, then Max asked in a hoarse whisper, "Are you out of your mind?"

Tess turned to look at him. "Do you have a better idea?" she challenged.

Maria, who had also figured out just what was going on, said worriedly, "I don't know, Tess. How do we even know this will work? Or that Courtney is trustworthy?"

"I'm standing right here," Courtney hissed.

Maria ignored her and gave an apologetic look to Alex as she said, "I just think Michael and Max might be right. This _is_ dangerous."

"What's going on?" Jim asked, speaking up for the firs time. "What are you all talking about?"

Michael scratched his eyebrow and said with frustration, "Courtney wants to send Tess into the compound. She wants Tess to pretend to be Ava."

"I _am_ Ava," Tess countered. "Same DNA and everything."

"It's not just the DNA that makes a person who they are," Liz murmured wearily, rubbing at her eyes.

"What?" Jim stammered, looking from Courtney to Tess to Michael and then back to Tess with panic in his eyes. "You can't do that! It's way too dangerous. I thought… didn't you tell me Nicolas was someone to avoid at all costs?"

Tess chewed her lip and nodded. She couldn't argue that point, she _had_ told Jim how dangerous Nicolas was. And she understood his fear, just as she understood Max and Michael's reluctance. They all wanted to save Isabel. Max, especially, she knew would be desperate to rescue his sister from her less than pleasant fate. He would never be able to deal with the consequences of having her as an enemy. But, likewise, he was not willing to sacrifice Tess for Isabel. That was, quite simply, an unacceptable trade.

But what other choice did they have?

Looking squarely at Max, Tess said, "What else can we do? Courtney's plan is dangerous and risky and could get me… and Isabel… killed. But right now, it's all we've got, and we're running out of time." To the rest of the group, she said, "I can be Ava. Change my hair, put on some make-up… I can play that part long enough to get to Isabel."

"Are you sure about that?" Michael challenged. "Doesn't Nicolas have the power to read minds or something?"

"Mind-rape," Courtney answered. "Yes, he does. And Tess has the ability to keep him out. Besides, he trusts Ava. As long as he thinks that Tess is Ava, he won't have a reason to go poking around in his head."

"I don't like this," Max said.

Liz reached over and put a hand on his arm. There was something unreadable in his eyes as she said, "Isabel _must_ be saved. You know that."

Again, Tess was hit with the sensation that Liz and Max knew something that the rest of them didn't. "Anything you care to share with the rest of the class?" she asked.

"No," Max said shortly. Turning to Courtney, he said with reluctance, "You sure that Tess can get to Isabel?"

"Positive," Courtney answered. "We'll have to come up with a way to get Isabel out of there without arousing suspicion. We don't want to tip our hand, not to Nicolas, and not to Isabel. At least, not until she's turned back into your Isabel."

Tess looked from one person to the next. Max and Michael were both slowly caving, and Maria, she was fairly certainly, would take Michael's side, whatever it was he chose. Liz and Alex both appeared to be for the plan, although Liz looked worried. Alex seemed only to care about getting Isabel back.

That left Jim.

She met his gaze without flinching and said, "I don't have any other choice."

"They could kill you," Jim protested.

Tess nodded. "I know. But if I don't do this, they will kill us. We _need_ Isabel."

"I'll have her back," Courtney offered. "I can help her with this, I know how to do subterfuge. I'm _good_ at it. And I promise she won't be facing the skins alone. Ever."

"Do we trust her?" Jim asked, jerking his head to Courtney.

It was Max who answered. "We trust that she wants Isabel out of there as badly as we do, although probably not for the same reasons." At Jim's blank look, he elaborated, "She can't afford to let Michael come to harm, and we all – Michael included – are as good as dead without Isabel."

"And what a pity it would be if Michael got hurt," Maria drawled, glaring at Courtney. "You'd have to find someone else to worship."

"Do you want him to come to harm?" Courtney snapped in reply, and Maria lapsed into a sulking silence, unable to argue the point.

"So… are we going to do this?" Alex asked, looking questioningly at Tess.

Tess looked at Jim and he ever so slowly gave a very reluctant nod of acceptance. "Yes," she said, "we're going to do this."

* * *

Next Chapter: Into the Lion's Den

Due: Sun 1/17


	82. Into the Lion's Den

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: At the end of this chapter, Tess meets Isabel. I refer to Isabel as Vilandra through the entire exchange, mostly just to make it clear that Vilandra is the one in charge now, not Isabel.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Two: Into the Lion's Den

"I'll help you where I can," Courtney murmured softly as they arrived at the compound, "but I can't spend that much time with you. Nicolas will be suspicious if he suddenly start acting as though we're friends."

"We're _not_ friends," Tess answered dryly, running a hand through her cropped hair. The transformation had been done almost impeccably, and she looked exactly like her dupe counterpart.

"You know what I mean," Courtney snapped, irritated. She calmed a bit, though, as she gazed at Tess. The hybrid was doing her best to appear brave and unconcerned by the task before her, but the telltale flicker of fear that ran through her eyes was enough to make Courtney feel a bit of sympathy.

"All I have to do is find Isabel and get her out of there," Tess mused, eyes trained on the building that rose in front of them, outlined against the night sky.

"You have to convince her to leave," Courtney replied, "which won't be easy. And you have to avoid getting caught. Be wary of Nicolas, he should never be underestimated." She paused, then added, "I'll be close by. You won't always see me, I don't want to attract attention to myself. But I'll be around, and if you need help, if anything happens… I'll be there, okay?"

Tess nodded shakily. "Okay," she said, and her voice sounded almost grateful.

Almost.

"Go in," Courtney directed, gesturing towards the building. "If anyone asks, you were out walking. Ava does that sometimes. But it's unlikely anyone will ask. They don't usually question her."

Tess slanted a quick look at her and questioned, "And you? When will you be there?"

"Twenty minutes," Courtney replied. "I don't want anyone to think we were out together." A pause, then she added, "Go ahead. You'll be fine. Just remember… you're Ava. You're in charge. You answer only to Nicolas… and you don't really talk to anyone else."

Tess nodded, drew a slow breath, and started walking towards the compound.

Courtney watched her go, then sent a silent prayer to whatever deity might be watching over them, asking that they get out of this alive, and all in one piece.

* * *

Ava was drugged and left under the protective guard of the other hybrids. Courtney was watching her back, just in case. And she had yet to run into Nicolas.

Those three simple facts should have offered some comfort to Tess.

They didn't.

She'd been in the compound for nearly two hours. As Courtney had predicted, the skins did not bother her. They asked no questions, and spoke to her only when she spoke to them, which was rare. It was clear that they had been instructed to keep a respectful distance, for which Tess was glad. It offered her some solitude to plan her next move.

She had no idea what to do.

She had finally been able to locate Isabel's room, but she had not dared to approach the hybrid Princess yet. Not until she knew what she was going to say, how she was going to lure her outside. She didn't know how much of a danger Isabel – or, more accurately, Vilandra – would pose to her, and she did not want to take any chances. If this backfired, they would both die.

Although she could rarely see Courtney, she could feel the skin's constant presence. She did not trust the other blonde, not fully. But this had been Courtney's plan, and it was a good one. The best that they would have been able to come up with, given their limited knowledge and resources. And so far, Courtney had not led them astray.

She sat on the edge of the bed in her room, playing with her short hair and trying not to field incredibly uncomfortable as she stared at her reflection. She didn't like looking like someone else. Particularly not the enemy.

When the door swung open, she turned, expecting Nicolas. Her heart slammed into her throat, beating rapidly, and her breath caught, stopping momentarily at the possibility of facing him.

But it was not Nicolas.

It was Rath.

She jumped to her feet and backed away from Rath, trying her best to think like Ava. How would Ava respond? Courtney had told her that Ava was still afraid of Rath, though the fear seemed to be tempered by the fact that she had Nicolas' support.

"Well, hello, Ava," Rath said with a predatory smile. "No Nicolas around this time, huh?"

She bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself, forced herself to say in a shaky voice, "No, not this time. But it doesn't matter, you don't scare me. Not anymore."

"Is that so?" Rath asked as he crossed the room quickly, pushing her back against the wall. He didn't touch her, but he stood close enough to cut off any chance of escape. She had to lift her head to look up at him, to meet his gaze. His eyes were dark and unreadable, but the suggestiveness of his sneer did not bode well for her.

Was this what Ava had to constantly live with for ten years? Michael's irrational behavior and incredibly recklessness often bothered her, but it was nothing compared to Rath.

She made a mental note to thank Michael for not being a complete lunatic the next time she saw him.

If she saw him.

Pushing aside those thoughts, she said, "Yes, Rath, that is so. And I think you should go."

"Hm… I ain't sure I wanna do that," Rath answered, lifting his arms and letting his hands rest on her shoulders. She flinched under the touch, and this time she wasn't acting. The sensation of his skin on hers sent a chill down her spine.

She pushed him in the chest, and he took a step back, giving her just enough room to squirm away from him. "I'm warning you," she said in a would-be threatening voice. "Get out."

"Or what?" Rath laughed. "I'll end up like Zan?"

"And Lonnie," Tess replied. "I hear she's dead, too. Do you want to be next?"

He grabbed her arm and leaned in close, close enough that she could feel his breath on her face. "You're trembling. Sure you ain't afraid of me, sweetheart?"

Blue eyes hardened as she answered, "Tables are turned this time. I've got Nicolas and the skins, and you're the one who is all alone. Isn't that poetic justice?"

"Ah… but I ain't seein' Nicolas or the skins around right now…"

The obvious threat in his voice raised Tess' hackles, but she knew better than to launch into a tirade against him. It wasn't something Ava would do, and she couldn't risk letting him know the truth.

Instead, she said, "You hurt me, I'll scream. And they'll come running, _all_ of them."

Rath dropped her arm and stepped away from her. "Watch your back, Queenie," he said with a smirk, "because one of these days… one of these days, you're gonna be all alone. And I'll be waitin', I promise you that."

Then he turned and walked from the room.

* * *

"I know what you're doing," Trevor said, coming to stand next to Courtney.

Courtney looked at him, diverting her attention from Tess for a moment. She had been keeping tabs on the hybrid, and was currently repeatedly whispering her silent thanks that Tess had survived the conversation with Rath. That was the first hurdle, as Rath was the one most likely able to tell the difference between the two hybrids, having grown up with Ava for so long.

But Tess had played her part brilliantly, and they were safe.

For now.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Courtney said honestly. She didn't know what Trevor was referring to, although she hoped that it was not the switch between Ava and Tess.

"You, the mayor, Nasedo… your faction, Courtney. I know what they're doing, and I'm going to stop it."

Courtney stared at him, searching his eyes, and inhaled sharply as she found the truth reflected there – he did know what he was talking about. He knew what they were doing.

She looked away from him, letting her mind reach out towards Tess again to make sure the hybrid was okay. She did not appear to be in any danger, but Courtney had no intention of leaving her alone. Not after she had already sworn to protect her.

"Don't deny it, Courtney," Trevor snapped.

To which she answered quietly, "I'm not going to deny it. I'm also not going to let you stop us."

* * *

"This is ridiculous," Kyle grumbled under his breath, and for a moment, Jim could not help but agree with him completely. It was rare that he so fervently did not want to see Amy, but right now his mind was focused too much on other issues.

On Tess.

Still, he had promised Amy that they would have dinner tonight. And Max had insisted that they continue to act normal to avoid drawing attention to themselves and to the fact that Tess was gone, had been gone since the previous night.

That, added to Isabel's disappearance, was certain to raise some questions if anyone inspected it too closely.

He trusted Amy, but he could understand why this had to be kept a secret from her, and that, unfortunately, meant he had to face her, had to sit at her table and lie to her face, just to make sure that she didn't start asking the wrong questions and tip off the wrong people that something was happening.

He didn't like lying to his girlfriend. He had been angry at having put in this exact same decision when Maria and Michael went to Copper Summit. Those lies had nearly ruined everything with Amy, and he didn't want to make the same mistake again.

But this was different. This was Tess. His daughter.

And though he didn't like it, he was still more than willing to lie to Amy if it kept Tess safe.

Which was why he and Kyle were standing outside the door to Amy's house, Kyle muttering under his breath about how much he wanted to be hanging out with Trudy at the moment and Jim wondering how Tess was faring in her predicament.

Jim knocked on the wood, and the door was opened almost immediately by Amy. Behind her, Jim could see Maria and Michael talking to each other. Michael looked stressed, and Maria was obviously trying to calm him down while keep the entire thing hidden from her mother.

"Hi, Amy," Jim said, leaning forward and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You look beautiful."

And she did look beautiful, in a wine red skirt and a black blouse, her hair slightly curled and a smile gracing her features.

"You look quite handsome yourself," she answered with a wink.

Kyle gagged.

"Here," Jim said, handing her the bottle of wine he had brought and glaring at his son. "I brought some wine, just for the adults, of course."

"Thank you," Amy said graciously, accepting the wine and stepping aside to allow him to enter.

Kyle followed, hovering behind his father, clearly not sure what to do. He didn't want to stay and listen to his father and Amy flirt, but neither did he really want to talk to Maria and Michael. His mind, Jim knew, was also focused on Tess, even though he knew less of what was happening.

Tess had merely told him that she was doing something dangerous, and he had immediately protested, arguing with every fiber of his being. If any of the other hybrids or their human allies had thought that Kyle did not care about Tess, his impassioned pleas would have changed their mind.

But they weren't enough to change Tess' mind, and she'd gone anyway, walking into danger.

And it certainly hadn't helped ease Jim's mind that the last thing she'd said to him before she left was that if this did not work and they could not save Isabel, he was to take Kyle and get as far away from Roswell and the aliens as physically possible.

They were obviously preparing for a bloodbath.

"Come on in," Amy said, gesturing for them to follow her as she closed the door and lead them into the living room. Maria and Michael followed, standing in the doorway as Amy looked around. Kyle leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest, and Jim forced a smile at the awkwardness of the situation.

"It smells delicious," Jim said. Shooting a pointed look at his son, he waited until Kyle begrudgingly joined the conversation.

"It does. It's very… garlicky," Kyle commented.

"That would be the garlic bread," Amy replied. "It's an Italian theme. Garlic bread, chicken fettuccine alfredo, Caesar salad." She looked at the bottle of wine for a moment, then said, "Let me just set this to chill in the fridge. Maria, why don't you show Jim and Kyle to the dining room?"

"Sure, Mom," Maria said, managing to infuse her voice with an incredible amount of boredom. Amy ignored it, flashed her daughter a smile, and disappeared into the kitchen.

"Any word from Tess?" Jim asked the moment she was gone, looking searchingly at Michael.

The taciturn teenager shook his head moodily. "No. Not Courtney, either." Then he added, "But if anything had happened to her, we would have felt it. Max, Isabel, and I."

That was not much comfort to Jim, though he did give a slightly grateful smile for Michael's effort.

It was then that he noticed that the teenager had actually gone to some lengths to appear semi-formally dressed. He was wearing slacks instead of jeans and a polo shirt. His hair was still its usual mess, of course, but he actually looked… decent.

Maria, too. She was wearing a skirt and a pretty top, complete with a jade necklace and sandals.

Jim was suddenly quite glad that he had insisted that Kyle wear something besides his sweatpants. Kyle had protested the entire time, complaining that he didn't see a reason to wear anything nice to this disaster-of-a-dinner anyway, but Jim had refused to yield on the point.

"Table is this way," Maria said sourly, gesturing towards the dining room. Jim followed her with a smile plastered to his face, and Kyle grumbled under his breath as he trailed after his father. Michael came last, looking preoccupied with other concerns.

"Well… won't this be fun!" Amy said cheerfully, emerging from the kitchen with a bowl of salad in her arms. "Everyone, please have a seat." They settled around the table, and she quickly handed the bowl of salad to Jim. "Here, would you like to start?"

Jim served himself some of the salad and passed it along, reaching automatically for the salad fork. He held it in his hand, waiting until everyone else had been served.

Michael didn't.

He stabbed a fork sullenly into the pile of greens on his plate, and Jim heard the audible thump of Maria kicking him under the table. Michael looked up in annoyance, and she hissed, "Wait!" For a moment, Jim thought Michael was going to chuck his fork at her and storm from the dining room, but he merely placed the utensil on the table and gave her a sardonic smile.

Once Amy took a bite of her salad, Jim started eating. The dressing on the salad was surprisingly good, which bewildered the Sheriff. He knew, from all his time dating Amy, that she was a truly lousy cook. She was even able to mess up salad and plain pasta, which always left him a little dumbfounded.

He wasn't any better of a cook, he reflected, and neither was Kyle. Which was one of the many reasons it was good that they had Tess around.

Thoughts of Tess immediately brought the fear back, and it must have shown in his eyes because Amy asked, "Are you alright, Jim?"

"Yes." He took another bite of salad and gave her a reassuring smile that he knew could not possibly have reached his eyes. "I'm fine."

"Dude… you're using the wrong fork," Kyle announced abruptly, looking at Michael.

Michael glowered at the fork in his hand, as though it was personally responsible for all the trouble he seemed to keep finding him in. Then he asked Kyle, "What difference does it make? It's just a fork."

"That's the dinner fork. You're supposed to use the salad fork because we're eating salad," Kyle drawled, rolling his eyes as though the answer was obvious.

"Yeah? And how many times have we seen you try to eat salad with your _hands_?" Maria shot back, coming to her boyfriend's defense almost instantly.

"Maria," Amy scolded.

At the same exact moment, Kyle answered, "Never. I don't _willingly_ eat salad." There was a slight pause as he stared at the fork in his hand, then he turned to Amy and added, "But this is delicious."

Jim bit back the urge to groan and instead just gave his son a warning look, telling him to be on better behavior.

Neither Maria nor Michael seemed willing to let the matter drop, however. Maria remarked coolly, "I'm fairly certain I've seen you pick carrots and cucumbers out of Tess' salad at lunch. Or Trudy's."

Michael, who had switched forks so that he was now using the proper utensil, added casually, "How do you even know the difference in the forks, Valenti? You don't strike me as the _high society_ type."

"I guess I just have inherently better manners than you do," Kyle replied with a smirk.

Jim ran a hand through his hair and heard himself explaining in an almost apologetic tone, "Tess taught him. Back when he… uh… when he was dating Liz, the Parkers had him over for a couple dinners. Tess gave him some pointers on things."

"You remember when I was dating Liz, right?" Kyle continued smoothly, giving Maria and Michael a sickeningly sweet stare. "Back before she lost all sanity and went for Evans?"

"Speaking of Tess," Amy cut in quickly, "it is a pity she couldn't be here tonight. What is she doing, by the way?"

If Amy had hoped to somehow ease the tension in the room, bringing up Tess was not the way to do it. Kyle began to twist his fingers into the table cloth, and Michael stared determinedly at the wall opposite him, not meeting anyone's gaze. Even Maria looked worried.

Jim said, "She had prior plans she couldn't get out of. Something for school." It was a vague explanation, and he knew if Amy pressed he would have to come up with more details. But for the moment, that was all he could really say without running the risk of bursting into a hysteric rant about the unfair dangers she faced.

"Oh… well, that is to0 bad. I'm going to get the garlic bread," Amy said, rising again to her feet. "I'll be right back."

Once she was out of the dining room, Jim turned to Kyle and said in an undertone, "Be nice. I'm not asking you to proclaim your undying love for Amy and Maria, but at least be civil."

Kyle shrugged glumly. "What's the point?" he ground out.

"The _point_," Jim answered in a tone of forced calm, "is that I really like Amy. And it would be nice if you could keep that in mind before you decide to ruin the dinner."

"I'm not ruining anything," Kyle snapped. "It's not my fault I don't want to be here."

"I know," Jim answered calmly, honestly. "But this is important to me. So can you please act like an adult for the rest of the evening?"

Although he had originally intended for the conversation to not be overheard by Michael and Maria, he knew now that he was speaking loud enough for them to hear. He was tempted to turn to them and give the same lecture, though he doubted it would do any more good with them than it would with Kyle.

Unbidden, a memory surfaced in his mind, reminding him of the time that Amy had been in the car accident, when both Tess and Kyle had come rushing to the hospital. Neither of them had even known Amy that well, but they had come because it mattered to him.

The thought was cut off by the reappearance of Amy, balancing a tray of garlic bread in her hands. "Here we go," she announced happily.

"Tell me, Valenti," Michael drawled, "is there a special fork I'm supposed to use for this as well?"

Still looking at Jim with an irritated expression, Kyle replied sarcastically, "Yes. There is a special garlic bread fork. But it's invisible to the naked eye. So good luck finding it."

"Is this like the _Emperor's New Clothing_?" Maria asked, leaning forward with one eyebrow raised.

Kyle actually laughed, a bit wolfishly, but a laugh nonetheless. "Exactly," he agreed. "Only the brilliant can see it."

The joke was lost on Michael, who had apparently never read the fable, and Jim gave a quick synopsis. "It's a children's story," he explained to the bewildered hybrid. "About the two swindlers who convince the emperor that they've made new clothing for him that only the very wisest people can see. But they haven't made any clothing at all, and yet the emperor… and every one in the empire… refuse to admit that they can't see the clothing because they don't want to appear stupid."

"So the emperor walks around naked?" Michael surmised.

"Yes," Amy said with a quick nod, taking the story from Jim in an effort to keep the conversation flowing. "And it takes a little child to point out the truth. He sees the emperor and he yells that the emperor doesn't have any clothing on. And that's when everyone realizes that they've been had, and they're all fools after all."

Michael thought about the fable for a moment, then shrugged. "Weird. I never got children's stories. They're so bizarre."

"Oh, Maria used to be afraid of the singing mice in Cinderella," Amy commented.

"Mom!" Maria exclaimed, horrified to have that bit of trivia about her revealed.

Kyle chuckled and said in a mock serious tone, "Of course. Because animated singing mice are just _terrifying_."

Maria flushed a deep red, and Jim said, "You know, Kyle, you used to be afraid of Big Bird."

"Well, yeah," Kyle defended himself even as Maria smothered her giggles behind one hand, "an eight feet tall talking bird is actually scary. Why would anyone ever think that was a good thing to put on a children's show?"

"I always had issues with Barney," Michael added to the conversation. "Big purple dinosaur playing with kids. Tyrannosaurus rex, no less. Didn't the producers realizes that Tyrannosaurus rexes were dangerous carnivores who would probably just devour all the children?"

"Maybe that was the point," Maria suggested. "Children can be so annoying, after all."

"Oh, sweetie, you have no idea," Amy murmured.

Maria glared at her mother and said, "Hey, at least_ I_ know how to cook."

To which Michael replied instantly, "Maria, you somehow manage to screw up _boiling_ _water_. I'm not sure you should be boasting about your cooking abilities."

"It's alright," Amy said in a conspiratorial whisper to Jim, one loud enough to be heard by everyone else there. "Maria inherits her cooking abilities from me. So they're pretty much nonexistent." With a wink, she added, "I ordered all the food for tonight from the Crashdown and had it brought here so I just had to heat it up. Jeff and Nancy were very understanding."

"Well, we both know cooking isn't exactly my specialty, either," Jim replied, placing his hand over hers and offering a warm smile. "I think we've actually struggled through eating my food."

"You ate my Dad's cooking?" Kyle asked, sounding impressed and horrified. "You're braver than I thought, Ms. DeLuca. Either that or you just really wanted food poisoning."

Jim laughed, relieved that the dinner was going a bit more smoothly now, but could not help wondering vaguely how Tess was faring.

* * *

"Hello, Ava."

Tess forced herself to smile as she stared at the hybrid Princess, even as her heart was hammering wildly in her chest. The room was organized and tidy – apparently Isabel and Vilandra were both neat freaks – and the windows were open, allowing fresh air and the remains of sunlight to cover everything. But the warmth of the air and the golden rays of the sinking sun did nothing to ease the chill that seeped through her skin as she gazed back at her friend.

It was Isabel's face, but those eyes… those eyes were unrecognizable.

"Hello, Vilandra," she said. "How are you?"

Vilandra gave a half-hearted shrug and said, "Tired of being cooped up in this room. It gets rather boring after a while." She paused, studying Tess for a moment, then said, "You haven't come to visit me until now."

Tess raised an eyebrow. "You didn't visit me," she countered, "and my rooms are close enough to yours that the walk couldn't have been too much of a deterrent."

Vilandra narrowed her eyes. "Nicolas said you wouldn't want to see me," she replied, a thinly veiled accusation given as a simple statement.

Tess shrugged and wrapped her arms around herself, trying to mimic Ava's gestures. She had no idea if Ava truly hadn't wanted to see Isabel, or if Nicolas had simply stated that to keep the two apart. She had to assume the prior, because what reason would Nicolas have really had for wanting to separate the two? They would have eventually met.

"Too many reminders of… of the other one," Vilandra continued with a heavy sigh. "I don't know what went wrong. I never would have hurt you the way she did."

It took Tess a moment to realize that the other hybrid was speaking of Lonnie, of the dupe that had been killed in the sewers, eliminated by Carla. "She's dead," Tess said bluntly, and allowed some of her own hatred to seep into her eyes, knowing it was a feeling that both she and Ava shared.

Vilandra gave her a sharp look, then nodded. "So I've been told." She turned away from Tess and walked over to the full length mirror that hung on the wall. Gazing at her reflection, she ran a hand through her long blonde hair and asked, "So why are you here?"

Again, Tess shrugged. "I guess I decided I wanted to see you," she answered.

It should have been a relief to see the hybrid Princess, to know that she was still alive. After all this time of not knowing, after the fear and panic had settled so permanently over them all, this should have come as a relief.

It didn't.

It was Isabel's body, but it wasn't Isabel. Not really. There was a distance there, an infinite expanse that separated her from the other hybrid. It was like staring at a photograph that had been distorted, warped by water and yellowed by time. The memory of that image remained clear and vivid, but the actual object was no longer the same.

"I didn't think you would understand," Vilandra confided after a moment. "I know you two were not in love, but you did love him. And I know he loved you."

Tess frowned, thinking back to the little she knew of their previous lives on Antar, and of their deaths. Or, more accurately, on what single act of betrayal had led to their lives crumbling. "I did love Zan," she agreed. "And he was not the only one who died." Vilandra turned towards her, sorrow in her eyes, and Tess had a feeling it was the closest the hybrid would ever come to apologizing for the past.

They could not undo it all, anyway, so what did it matter? They were here, now, and the important thing was finding a way to break Isabel from this mental prison.

"Would you like to take a walk?" Tess asked, changing the subject.

Vilandra shook her head quickly, adamantly, as though she was afraid of the possibility of leaving this room. "No… thank you." She walked over to the chair near the small desk that was littered with books and crumpled pieces of paper and said, "Perhaps it would be best if you left."

Tess blinked, startled by the change. "Now it is you who doesn't want to see me," she accused.

Instead of arguing, Vilandra simply nodded. "You're right, I don't. It was for the best, it seems, that you stayed away for so long."

"Why?" Tess demanded. If the hybrid refused to speak to her, there would be no way to get her out of the compound and away from the skins. She needed Vilandra's trust, or all would be lost and the plan would have put her in incredible danger for nothing.

"You remind me of her," Vilandra answered softly.

"Of who?"

"Tess."

"Oh…" Whatever Tess had been expecting, it was not that. For a moment, she was afraid that Vilandra had seen through her guise, had recognized that she was not, in fact, Ava. She'd done her best to play the part, to act more timid and afraid than she would have otherwise, hoping it would fool Vilandra, fool a person who had never really met her. But somewhere beneath the skin-deep surface was Isabel, and Isabel would know the truth.

Did Vilandra know it as well?

But after a quick, searching study of the other girl's features, she realized that Vilandra had not figured out the truth. Rather, she was simply commenting on the indisputable fact that Tess and Ava did look alike.

"She's still there," Vilandra explained with a sigh, gesturing towards her heart with one hand. "Isabel. I can feel her, inside me. She doesn't like it, she wants to break free. When I look at you, I see Tess, and Isabel grows stronger, somehow. They were close, Isabel and Tess. And Isabel wants to be with her friends and family again."

"Why won't you let her?" Tess asked curiously.

Vilandra's eyes narrowed and she said in a new, sharper tone, "And risk ruining everything?" She rose to her feet and began to pace in agitation, shaking her head. "I knew you wouldn't understand. How could you? You've made the right decision now."

"I don't… you're right, I don't understand," Tess murmured, taking a few steps into the room, moving closer to Isabel. The conversation seemed to be at the crux of something, although she had no idea what it was. But so far, this Vilandra did not seem evil, and that was what was confusing her the most. If she wasn't evil, why would she have ever sided with the skins?

Vilandra expelled a breath. "Khivar deserves to be on that throne," she said vehemently, licking her lips.

Tess stiffened. "And to hell with everyone else?"

"Don't you see what they've done?" Vilandra cried, gesturing with her arms. "Don't you see what they've all become? Children. Petty, inconsiderate children, blinded by their own desires."

Tess swallowed back whatever retort was going to slip from her tongue and simply stared at Vilandra. She would hardly describe them all as petty or inconsiderate, and they were certainly not blinded by their desires. They were blinded by their own lack of knowledge, by the fact that they were supposed to fight a war they knew nothing about.

And they were, technically, children. Or, teenagers, rather, though they had some memories to give them the appearance of being older.

But Khivar had started a war that was threatening to ruin everything, to destroy an entire planet, maybe two planets. If anyone should be labeled as blinded by their own desires, it was him.

"Nicolas has told me," Vilandra continued, her words rising in volume as she pushed forward, her anger evident to see. "About the ones in Roswell… and I've met your Rath. I've seen what has happened to them all. They will kill us, devastate the planet. They've become corrupted, forgotten what it is like to be a leader, what it means to rule a planet. It is not about power, it is about helping others and doing what is best for the masses and they… they don't know that."

She gazed towards the window, staring at the bright red and orange sky, alight with the colors of the sunset. Her expression was thoughtful, contemplative, but the undercurrent of fury lingered, giving her features a twisted look.

Tess held her breath and did not dare to interrupt the rant, hoping that there might be something useful in it, something she could use to gain Vilandra's trust and lead her from the compound.

"Your Rath is certainly a good example of that…" Vilandra sighed, the anger seeping from her tone, turning into mere irritation. She looked at Tess again, and said, "But my Rath, the one from Antar, would never have wanted that."

"He would not have wanted you to side with Khivar, either," Tess pointed out, forgetting her earlier decision to stay quiet. She knew Ava would have been far more weak than this, and she was acting out of character. But if Vilandra had never met Ava, than she was probably safe, for now.

"He gave up his right to make any decisions when he ruined our planet," she said coldly. "Khivar was… and is… what is best for Antar. Have you heard Nicolas speak of Antar now? With the skins in charge, they have brought in a Golden Age. And they are afraid – so afraid – of what would happen if we try to take it back."

Tess hesitated, thinking back to the Summit in New York. Nicolas had admitted that the planet was in the middle of a bloody civil war. The other ruling worlds had confirmed that statement, including their own comments about how their planets had been drawn into the mess.

She hadn't been to Antar, had not seen it for herself, but she sincerely doubted that they were in the middle of a Golden Age.

"Don't you see?" Vilandra continued, an edge of panic and despair to her voice. "I have this person inside of me, and she desperately wants to break free. But if I let her, she could destroy everything. This war will never end if she is free, if she sides with the others. Max, Michael, and Tess, I believe they are called now. And I don't want that, I don't want to become that person."

She folded her arms over her chest, seeming to cave inwards with the enormity of what she had admitted. Tess could not help but feel pity for her, for this Vilandra who desperately believed that she was doing what was right. In a way, it seemed almost unfair to bring back Isabel, to send this other personality back into the captivity of being trapped within her own body.

But Nicolas had lied to her, had twisted her mind and turned her into an enemy based on nothing more than fables and tall tales.

Nothing he said had been true.

"You don't have this problem. Both your human and alien halves seem to be in agreement. You've already chosen to side with Nicolas, and seeing your Rath again does not make you change your mind. Does it?"

Tess snorted. "No," she agreed, thinking about the malicious dupe. "No, it most certainly does not."

"Do you see now why you need to leave? Why I can't be around you?" Vilandra explained almost tearfully. "Do you see what it is like for me?" Tess stared at her, and the taller hybrid sighed and shook her head. "No, of course not. How could you understand?"

"Don't you trust me?" Tess asked.

"It is not a matter of trust," Vilandra protested. "But I am safer in these rooms, away from any reminders of Isabel's life in Roswell. If I wander through the compound, I may see you, or Rath… or even Courtney, who Nicolas has said spent quite a bit of time in Roswell. All three of you make me think of Isabel, make _her_ stronger, more able to fight back." She ran a hand through her hair and murmured, "I just need more time to get her under control. To make sure she cannot break free."

If Isabel was fighting to get free now, then this seemed to be the ideal time to try to get through to her. The longer they waited, the more control Vilandra would have.

But it was too dangerous to just kidnap her and walk from the compound. Somehow, Tess had to convince her to leave on her own. And that would take time.

Tess could only hope it wouldn't take too much time.

The silence stretched between them, long and tense. Vilandra stopped her pacing and resumed her seat on the chair by the desk, and Tess took another few steps further into the room.

Then Tess said, "I understand how you might have decided Khivar deserved the throne more than Zan, but how could you have gotten him killed? He was your brother." She doubted the words would do much, but she was trying urgently to jolt Vilandra out of whatever web of lies Nicolas had constructed.

And, unfortunately, he had been prepared for someone asking that kind of question.

"He wasn't my brother anymore," Vilandra answered. "My brother, the one I grew up with, loved his planet and his people. He would never have made the decisions he did, never have allowed his pride and his power to get in the way of doing what was right. He stopped being my brother years before Khivar entered the city."

"I see," Tess said noncommittally.

"No, you don't," Vilandra countered. "My brother would have rather died than become that person. And yet, somehow, he _did_ become that person. On Antar. And here, as your Zan and Isabel's Max. All three of them… they are not the type of people my brother would have ever wanted to become."

"So his death is really a blessing to him?" Tess asked, trying her best to follow the twisted logic and reasoning that filled Vilandra's mind.

She nodded. "Yes. Exactly. If he had continued down that path, he would have committed atrocious sins… and I know my brother. I know how much he _never_ would have wanted that to happen. Not in his original incarnation, and not as your Zan or Isabel's Max. Now only Max is left… but I cannot let him win, either. For my brother's sake, I have to make sure that… that this Max does not destroy the planet my brother once loved."

Tess decided now was the appropriate time to leave. She could visit Vilandra again in a bit, and hopefully convince her that she was not a threat, that she could be trusted. But staying here would only serve to make Vilandra more desperate, more terrified. It would push her further away, and Tess could not take that risk.

Unfortunately, it did mean spending the night in this compound, in this danger.

At the door, however, Tess paused and looked back, her expression thoughtful. She remembered the flash she received when she had grabbed Ava's arm at the Summit in New York, remembered the discovery of just what type of person Zan had been.

"I _do_ know what it is like to love someone," she said finally, "to think that they are fundamentally good at heart. But to watch them become so corrupted, so twisted by their own power that you don't even recognize them anymore… Sometimes, doing the right thing involves making a choice to sacrifice that person… no matter how much you love them."

Vilandra stared at her, then gave a slow nod, obviously picking up the reference to the dupe Zan and all that he had done… and how he had died. Still, she asked slowly, "And is that enough for you to understand my decisions? To forgive me for what I had to do?"

"I've done the same. And… I lost Zan when he became cruel and vindictive," Tess murmured, instinctively adopting Ava's quiet and fearful tone, the one sheused whenever she thought back to New York. "I lost Rath and Lonnie when they sided with him, when they let their own lust and greed get in the way of everything else. I was all alone, and even though I had Nicolas, it wasn't the same. He is a friend, true, and a guide, someone who helped me overcome everything that had happened…" She let the sentence trail off and stared hard at Vilandra. "But he is not family. _You_ are. And now it seems I finally have you, have a family member, again. I don't want to lose that."

Vilandra exhaled. "Yes… that is true. I do not want to lose any more family, either. Not now that I have already lost my brother." She hesitated, then said, "Come back later, Ava. Perhaps, some time soon, I will take you up on that offer to for a walk."

Tess smiled, the first true smile that had graced her features since she had set foot in this compound, and left the room.

They were one step closer to their goal, one step closer to saving Isabel.

* * *

Next Chapter: To Bluff

Due: Sun 1/24


	83. To Bluff

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Three: To Bluff

As the sun slowly sank over the horizon and the day faded into night, the lack of information from Tess was starting to drive Max slowly insane. He had known all along that they wouldn't be in constant touch with her, that she wasn't going to contact them until right before she rescued Isabel from the compound, but still…

He had started pacing his room. His parents were wondering about Isabel's absence and he had nothing to tell them, nothing that could possibly hope to convince them not to worry.

What if they didn't rescue her? What would he tell their parents then, if she never came home?

He couldn't think about that, couldn't ask the question. It was simply inconceivable that Isabel wouldn't come home. Life without her, and without Tess, was just… unthinkable.

A rap at the window caught his attention and he turned quickly, irrationally hoping it was Tess. Or even Courtney. But he knew it couldn't be either of them, and when he pulled aside the curtain, he found himself staring at Liz.

He quickly pulled open the window. "You could have just knocked on the door downstairs, my parents would have let you in," he said, helping Liz climb into the room.

The brunette just shrugged in reply and gave a slightly sad smile. "I thought they might ask me about Isabel. I didn't… I didn't know what I would say," she explained. She moved past Max, and took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Anything yet?"

Max shook his head numbly. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words wouldn't come out, and after a moment of floundering, he eventually sighed and accepted the silence. Running a hand through his hair, he resumed his nervous pacing.

"If Tess was in trouble, if anything had happened to her, you would know. You would be able to feel it," Liz said gently, echoing back the same words of comfort that he had used many times to refer to any other hybrid when they were in trouble. The connection between the four of them was strong enough that he would know if she was not alright.

He _would_ know.

Still… "If something happens to her, we won't be there to help her," he pointed out softly, forcing the words from his dry and scratchy throat.

"She's got Courtney watching out for her," Liz offered.

Max frowned. He knew he should be thankful for that, knew that he was the one who had first decided Courtney was trustworthy and had even come up with the plan to help her infiltrate Nicolas' faction. And he sincerely doubted Courtney would do anything to jeopardize this plan, not if it meant putting Michael in danger.

So why did he feel so uncertain?

Max ran a hand through his hair as he sat down next to her. Never had the enormity of all this felt so heavy on his shoulders as it did now. "I don't get it," he said softly. "It's not like we haven't been in danger before. It's not like Tess hasn't been in danger before. Multiple times, actually. The white room, Whitaker… and she was alone both of those times, also."

"It wasn't your fault then, and it isn't your fault now," Liz replied, reaching over and resting her hands on his, tightening her fingers ever so slightly over his palm. He smiled at the reassuring gesture, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, and she sighed.

But he knew she was had also touched on exactly what the problem was. It hadn't been his fault when Tess ended up in the white room, and it hadn't been his fault when she was kidnapped by Whitaker. Just like it hadn't been his fault when Isabel had gone after Tess and Whitaker on her own, not waiting for back up, or when she and Alex had been trapped in the cave when the parasitic alien crystals had started spreading. Or when Michael had run off to Copper Summit, or before that, when he'd gone to Marathon, Texas.

And when rescued Tess from the white room, they'd done it as a group. When they'd gone after Isabel, who had gone after Tess and Whitaker, they'd gone as a group. When Isabel had disappeared into that cave, he'd called Tess to come help them. When they tracked down Michael and Maria, both at Copper Summit and at Marathon, they had stayed together, providing their respective enemies with a united front.

Even when dealing with something as seemingly innocuous as their parents' ever-growing suspicions, he and Isabel had done it together. He'd never let her face it all alone.

Occasionally, of course, they had been alone. Michael, in particular, seemed to have a predisposition to doing remarkably rash things by himself, or with Maria, who still couldn't offer much in the way of protection if the skins or the FBI attacked. But Max wouldn't have allowed it, if he had known ahead of time what Michael planned. And if there had actually been some way to stop the reckless hybrid…

But this was different.

For the first time, he not only knew the plan ahead of time, but he also agreed to it. For the first time, he had willingly let one of his family members walk into immense danger… alone.

"If anything happens to her," Max whispered, "it will be all my fault."

"No, it won't," Liz countered immediately. Max looked at her, and she said firmly, "Max, I know you think you have to protect everyone. I know because you're the king, you've decided it means you're responsible for everyone's safety. But it doesn't work like that. Just because you let Tess go… She _agreed_ to the plan. She was the one who wanted to do it, and you and Michael were the ones who argued against it. Whatever happens… it is Nicolas' fault. Nicolas and Rath are to blame. Not you."

"It's not that simple," Max protested, because even he logically knew the words were true, it did nothing to convince his emotions. His heart was telling him something else entirely… "I can't do this. I can't be a king. I can't be in charge, not if it means sending people into battle."

And it wasn't just the people that he loved. It was anyone at all. He remembered what it was like to kill, all he had to do was close his eyes and Pierce's face would swim before him, white and lifeless. And Pierce had been an enemy. If they went to war, if Jared summoned an army of Royalists as he wanted to, Max would be sending allies to their deaths.

How could he do that?

"Max… Max, look at me," Liz said firmly, reaching up and cupping his face with both hands. "This is _not_ your fault. And I know that you're scared. I know that you feel responsible. But you aren't. You can't fix every problem in the world, Max. You can't make everything perfect."

"I don't want to fix every problem," Max answered honestly. "I just want to keep my family safe."

"You will," Liz said with complete trust in her voice. He raised an eyebrow, wondering just what made her so sure of all this. She smiled and said simply, "I have faith in you. In your ability to be a good leader."

"If something happened to you," Max said quietly, "I don't think I could stand it."

Liz frowned, apparently perplexed by the random change in topic. "Nothing is going to happen to me," she said, eyebrows knit together in concern.

He looked at her for a beat, then said, "You don't know that. You can't promise me that. And I…" He closed his eyes for a moment, let out a long breath. "I don't think I could do this without you."

"You don't have to do it without me," Liz answered immediately. "I'll always be here." He opened his mouth to protest, and she shook her head, lifted a finger to his lips to forestall his words. "I know this isn't usually a promise someone can make. I shouldn't be able to guarantee that I will always be here since I don't know the future. But… but I do know this. I can't explain how I know it, not really. It's just… a feeling, I guess. But I know I'm always going to be here, Max. With you. Until the very end."

Max nodded slowly. "God, I hope so," he murmured.

* * *

Michael was pacing. Back and forth, long strides that carried him across the floorboards. His movements were jerky and repetitive, and the room was silent except for the continual thud of his footsteps on the ground.

It was driving Maria insane.

She watched him with a calculating stare, then said, "Come on, Space Boy. Sit down. You're making me dizzy."

He looked at her, as though for the first time realizing she was sitting on the sofa in his apartment. She narrowed her eyes at him, not thrilled at being so blatantly ignored.

"Sit?" he said finally, shaking his head in incredulity. "How can I sit?"

"I don't think it makes much a difference to Tess or Isabel whether you're standing or sitting right now," Maria pointed out dryly, knowing exactly what it was that had him so upset.

He crossed his arms over his chest and gazed at her for a moment, then turned away and resumed his pacing. "This is stupid," he muttered. "She shouldn't be there. I could have gone. Why didn't Courtney just kidnap Rath instead?"

"I don't think you would have made a convincing Rath," Maria answered bluntly. He glowered at her, and she raised her hands in defense. "That was a _compliment_, Michael. I'm telling you that you aren't… you know, a predatory, abusive psychopath. You should be happy."

"And you think Tess can convince everyone that she's Ava?" Michael demanded. "Ava's evil!"

"What's your point?" Maria drawled.

Michael chewed his lip, looking annoyed by the comment, but he did not rebuke Maria for it. Instead, he stopped his pacing long enough to stare at the clock on the wall, as though it might suddenly give him the answers. It didn't, of course, because the only acceptable answer would come in the form of a phone call from Tess or Courtney.

"She shouldn't have gone alone. It's reckless and… and…" Michael trailed off, unable to find the right words, and Maria just sighed and fought back the urge to roll her eyes.

Wasn't it a bit hypocritical of Michael to be against a plan because it was too _reckless_?

Still, she knew that his frustration and anger stemmed from his fear for Isabel and Tess, and she couldn't really blame him, either. She'd hardly call the two female hybrids her friends, but she knew she'd be devastated if anything happened to them.

And she knew it must be a million times worse for Michael.

"Michael… come on. Sit down. Try to breathe."

"I _am_ breathing," he snapped irritably. He paused for a moment, searching her face, then asked sharply, "How can you be so calm?"

"Michael…" she protested, but he cut her off.

"I mean, God only knows what is happening to Tess right now, and we might lose Isabel completely. Not to mention that I had to sit through that dinner because your mother suddenly decided to play homemaker."

Maria bristled at the implied insult to her mother, but said with a wry grin, "But look on the bright side. You learned the story of the Emperor's New Clothes."

"Yeah, and what does it say about humanity if those only one brave enough to point at that the emperor was naked was a child?"

"I think that's kind of the point," Maria answered sarcastically. "You know, that we're all too obsessed with appearing intelligent and not taking risks… we're blind to what is really in front of us."

"That's a stupid story," Michael said decisively.

"Well, what would prefer to have happen?" Maria challenged, lifting her chin. She was glad that he had stopped his pacing long enough to have this argument. At least he was directing his attention somewhere else instead of focusing on Isabel and Tess, wasting energy when there wasn't anything he could do to help them. Not yet, anyway.

"The emperor should have known right away that the people making the clothing were liars," Michael grumbled. "If he was ignorant enough not to figure that out, then his second in command should have told him. I'd tell Maxwell if he wasn't wearing any clothes."

Maria scrunched her nose and shut her eyes in an exaggerated shudder. "Okay, Max not wearing clothes was not a mental image I needed, thank you very much," she said.

Michael smirked. But then his expression sobered, and Maria knew he was thinking of Tess and Isabel again. She stood up, leaving the sofa and coming to his side, wrapping her arms around his waist. Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him gently, deepening the kiss once he started kissing her back.

"What are you doing?" he asked after a moment.

"Trying to make you feel better," Maria replied, "and trying to get your mind off of Tess and Isabel." She tugged at his shirt, trying to pull it off, although somewhat impaired by the height disadvantage. He shrugged out of it, letting the shirt slide to the floor at his feet, and Maria asked, "Is it working?"

"No," Michael deadpanned as she kissed his jaw line. "Maybe you should try harder?"

Maria laughed and slapped his arm, and he bent down to kiss her again, and suddenly they were both stumbling for the sofa…

* * *

_The man opened the door to his room, exhausted and worn out from the day's activity. He wanted nothing more than to fall onto his bed and sleep for the next several days, but he doubted that would be allowed. There was still work to be done, and there was no one else who could do his tasks. Still, he might be able to get a few hours of sleep before the morning sun woke the all again…_

_His wandering thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the image of another man standing in the room, holding several papers in his hands. His dark eyes were simmering with anger, and his expression was grimly determined. But there was something else there as well – an odd mixture of pain and disbelief._

"_Hello, Trae."_

_Trae'yer licked his lips and stepped further into the room, allowing the door to swing shut behind him. There would be no sleeping tonight, he knew that now._

"_Rath. What are you doing here?"_

"_I didn't believe it," Rath said softly, his gaze shifting to the papers in his hands. "When she told me… I yelled at her. I threatened her. I… I nearly attacked her. Because I truly could not believe that you would do this to me. But now… now I hold the proof in my hands."_

"_It's not what you think," Trae'yer said quickly, face flushed. He wanted to grab those papers, destroy them, but it wouldn't do any good now. Rath wasn't supposed to see them, but he had, and now… now everything would change._

"_Do you remember the last conversation we had?" Rath asked softly. "You promised me that Khivar simply wanted to talk, to discuss a way to make the planet better. That you were not.. that you would never… offer your support to someone who wanted to kill me…"_

"_He doesn't want to kill you!" Trae'yer protested, breaking into his brother's saddened words._

_Rath laughed, a dark and bitter sound. "Doesn't he?" He tossed the papers onto the table between them. "I told you that you were my best friend. That I knew you would never do anything to purposefully hurt me. I believed it, too. Those weren't empty words… I honestly believed that you would never do this."_

"_Rath… don't you see? I'm trying to protect you!" Trae'yer argued. "This plan… it was always to keep you safe."_

"_At the expense of everything I hold dear?" Rath questioned. "Did you ever really think I would accept this?" He looked away, his eyes filled with anguish, and said in a broken voice, "You swore to me that this was all talk. I didn't believe it, I didn't trust Khivar… but you did believe it. Or at least… I thought you did."_

_Trae'yer chewed his lip, not sure what to say. The plan had been straightforward, a way of getting rid of Zan, Ava, and Vilandra, as well as their most powerful allies. Khivar called it a purging, a way to clense the planet of the corrupted old regime._

_He had agreed to the plan, agreed to play the necessary role, not only because he truly believed in Khivar's ideals and despised Zan, but also because of what Khivar had promised him in return._

_Rath, alive and unharmed._

"_Rath… please, listen to me. Let me explain."_

_Rath was silent for a long moment, then he said, "It doesn't matter anymore. The plan won't work. And your spies are all in our custody." He stepped around the table, pausing next to Trae'yer, "The penalty for treason is death, you know."_

_Trae'yer stared at him, wide-eyed. "What are you saying, brother?"_

_Rath sighed heavily. "I should have listened to her when she first warned me… perhaps this could have been avoided. Although I don't know how, since you won't change your mind. But maybe… if I had just acted sooner, listened to her when she said that you were doing this…" Then his gaze hardened, and he added, "But do not call me brother. We are not brothers anymore."_

_Trae'yer blinked, having no idea who the 'she' in this conversation was, though he could only assume that it was the same 'she' that had lead Rath here, to these papers, to this proof. Whoever this person was, she had done what Trae'yer had once thought was impossible – she had irrevocably severed the bonds of brotherhood that had held him to Rath despite all their disagreements and differences._

_But it was over now. He could tell that simply by looking into Rath's cold gaze._

"_Go," Rath said finally. "Leave now. You have some time before Zan will announce that you are a traitor, you should be able to leave the Royal City and return to Khivar's stronghold before you are caught."_

_Trae'yer knew exactly what he was being offered, one last chance to escape. He would die if he stayed here, but Rath was giving him a way out. "I can't just…"_

"_Once the king demands your blood, the royal soldiers and guards will kill you on sight if they must," Rath said fiercely. Then he broke off and looked away. "And Trae… I won't stop them."_

Trevor stared blankly out the window at the night sky. The weariness that had plagued him for so long now continued to settle heavily over him, weighing him down. Rath's presence here was getting under his skin far more than he would have liked, and the memories of Antar were not helping.

He knew who the '_she'_ was now. It hadn't been difficult to figure out, actually, given what he already knew about the others who lived in the palace. He had discovered it only days after fleeing from the Royal City and returning to Khivar's stronghold, and he supposed that it should not have really surprised him.

Part of him even thought he should have seen it coming.

But he hadn't seen it coming, and because of that, because of what _she_ had done, he had lost his brother. Rath had never spoken to him again, never returned a single letter, never received any of his messengers. And then Rath had died… and Trevor had been given another chance with Michael.

But it seemed history would repeat itself, because Michael did not trust him, and yet somehow still trusted _her_. At least a little. And what would it take for him to see that _she_ was not his ally? _She_ did not have his best interests at heart. _She_ was simply a warrior trying to survive. Just another person in this war, another person with an agenda and little concern for anyone who got in her way.

"What is it the humans say?" a voice asked, and he turned to see another skin approaching, a pensive look on his face. "Ah… yes… penny for your thoughts?"

Trevor shrugged. "Nothing important," he replied. "Just… just thinking about Courtney."

* * *

_Tess tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear and watched the television screen. The babysitter was sitting at the table behind the sofa, working on her calculus homework. She was so absorbed in the assignment, she paid little attention to the young alien, which suited Tess just fine._

_There was a knock at the door, and Tess felt and inexplicable dread. The baby-sitter stood and flipped her red hair over one shoulder, then walked to the door. She pulled the chain lock open, and Tess had to fight the sudden urge to scream._

_Something was wrong._

_She saw a flash of something, of bodies, and then a glowing hand-print, silver and shiny. The sound of metal scraping against the road, shadows slipping away into the darkness, blood and shattered glass. And the handprint again, distinct and glowing with an unearthly light._

_Then the vision was gone, and three men were standing in the house, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as they stared down at the young blonde and her babysitter._

"_Tess?" the first man asked, crouching down next to her by the sofa and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Tess, sweetie, I've got some bad news…"_

_Tess looked at him, her blue eyes filled with heart-wrenching fear. She nodded slowly and licked dry lips, forcing out two words. "I know."_

"Ava?"

Tess sat up in bed, the covers pushed away from her and thrown to the floor. Her skin felt cool and clammy, and her eyes burned with unshed tears. Her throat was raw, and that was how she knew she had been screaming.

The vestiges of the nightmare continued to haunt her even though she was awake, and the faces of Andrew and Jessica floated before her half-open eyes.

But all thoughts of the nightmare vanished as she realized exactly who it was that was standing at the foot of her bed.

"Nicolas," she gasped, forcing herself to remain calm.

He gave her an odd look, then asked, "Are you alright? You were screaming."

"A nightmare," Tess said shortly. She looked past Nicolas and saw several other skins milling in the hallway outside her door. Had she woken the entire compound?

Nicolas lifted his eyebrows questioningly, and Tess ran a hand through her short hair, trying to figure out who Ava would respond in this sort of situation. Did she have nightmares? It seemed unlikely, given that Nicolas was staring at her with surprise, but there was certainly plenty in Ava's past that could cause a bad dream.

She decided to focus on the obvious.

"Did you think I would sleep _well_, knowing that _he's_ here?" she asked pointedly.

Nicolas expelled an irritated breath. "Rath can't hurt you," he said, and it sounded as though he was getting tired of repeating this. It was clear to Tess that Ava's fears were grating on his nerves, but it was equally clear that, if forced to choose a side, Nicolas would choose hers over Rath's without hesitation.

"I know," she said finally. "I know that… logically. But it's hard to… subconsciously… accept it."

Nicolas nodded, his expression softening. "I imagine it is," he agreed slowly. "But I've told you that Rath can be useful. I will not get rid of him until I am sure that he is no longer worth keeping."

Tess wrapped her arms around herself. "It was just a silly dream," she agreed. "It's in the past."

She had not seen Nicolas since her arrival here, and had been glad of it. Facing him now was far more nerve-wracking than she cared to admit, but if he saw any apprehension in her eyes, she knew he would attribute it to her fear of Rath.

The power that surrounded the skin was immense. She'd forgotten that, forgotten just how strong he was. She doubted she could win a fight against him, even with Courtney's help. All she could do was pray that he did not call her on her bluff, did not figure out who she really was, before she had time to escape with Isabel.

"Just remember,' Nicolas said finally, "you have the upper hand now."

She smiled a bit sardonically. "It hasn't stopped him from trying to intimidate me. I suppose it was too much to hope he would change."

Nicolas gave her a searching look, then nodded. "Get some sleep, Ava," he said, then turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Tess closed her eyes and leaned back against the bed, willing her frantic heartbeat to return to normal.

* * *

"Does the name Andrew mean anything to you?" Nicolas asked, approaching Rath.

Rath looked up, a bit surprised by the question and by Nicolas' presence, and said, "No. Why?"

"Ava was yelling it in her sleep," Nicolas replied. He paused for a moment, thinking, then asked, "You sure that it wasn't someone she knew in New York?"

Rath shrugged. "Nah, man." Then he grinned and added, "But if she did know 'em, she ain't gonna be introducing 'em around. Certainly not to Zan. Ava didn't have friends."

Nicolas accepted this in thoughtful silence and did not ask any more questions.

* * *

Next Chapter: All the Small Things

Due: Sun 1/31


	84. All the Small Things

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Throughout _This Brilliant Dance_ and this story, I have pretty much implied (several times) exactly what happened to Tess' first set of parents. But this chapter finally gives all the details on how Andrew and Jessica Harding met their demise.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Four: All the Small Things

"Keep an eye on Ava," Nicolas instructed, barely sparing a second glance for the set of surprised eyes that looked up at him. "Something is going on with her, and I want to know what it is."

Rath accepted this in silence, but without any of his usual cockiness. He was giving Nicolas a long, searching look, clearly trying to figure out exactly what was going on, and Nicolas frowned in response. Prior to this, he had viewed Rath as arrogant, impulsive, and reckless. But perhaps he had underestimated the dupe General's intelligence and caution. It was obvious that Rath had no desire to be played for a fool.

But something was off about Ava, and he was worried.

"Do not tell anyone else of my suspicions," Nicolas continued after a moment of thought, "especially not Courtney." He still did not trust her fully, and probably never would. Even if she were to kill Max, Michael, and Tess in front of him, he doubted he would ever believe that she did not have some other agenda.

"Why me?" Rath asked finally. "Ain't that a bit different than you were saying before, duke?"

Nicolas nodded. It was different. After all, he had been the one who had adamantly insisted to Ava that she was not alone, that he would always have her back, that she was strong enough to stand up to Rath. So to send Rath to spy on her now was entirely opposed to what he had been saying for the past several days.

But something had been off about Ava all day, and then that nightmare… Nicolas didn't know what it was about, but she had cried out the name Andrew. And according to Rath, that name would not mean anything to Ava.

In fact, by Ava's own words, she was never given an opportunity to make friends with people outside of the three other aliens, and certainly not with boys. Zan would not have allowed it.

Of course, it was entirely possible that she had met some boy named Andrew and befriended him, and then when Zan had found out…

Nicolas shuddered. He'd heard enough from Ava, seen enough of her memories, to know exactly what Za would have done in a situation like that. So there was a reason that she might be crying out that name, in which case Nicolas knew that sending Rath to spy on her could shatter any trust she had in him.

But he was confident than he could always deny that he had been the one to send Rath. Who was Ava more likely to believe, the man who had tormented her for so long, or the one who had saved her?

And, anyway, his instinct was telling him that there was an entirely different reason why she might be crying out that particular name.

It had taken a long time to find her. And it hadn't even been her they were looking for. But after decades trapped on this planet, decades of searching for the Granolith, they had instead stumbled across the Queen. It had been a surprise, they had assumed that she would be with the other three. But she was not with them, and it was equally obvious that she did not know where they were.

Or, more to the point, where the Granolith was.

But it didn't matter. As long as she was alone, she was vulnerable. Without the others to protect her… together, the Royal Four were something to be feared. Apart… apart, they were just children, weak and scared and easily killed, just like everybody else.

She was supposed to be in the car that night. It had been a last minute change, her adopted parents had decided not to take her along with them. He wondered if she remembered that particular detail, wondered if she had figured out that she was the intended target. He wondered if she knew that it was all her fault.

In the end, it didn't really matter. She hadn't been in the car, and some bizarre twist of fate had used her survival to reconnect her with the others in Roswell. So perhaps it had been inevitable, perhaps this was the why everything had to end.

She hadn't been in the car… but Andrew and Jessica Harding _had_.

_The car pulled over to the side of the road as soon as it spotted the two men standing by their stranded vehicle, waving their arms for help. Humans were so pathetically gullible sometimes that it made Nicolas feel almost guilty._

_Almost._

_The car door opened and the man stepped out. He was tall, with dark hair and smiling eyes, and slightly rotund. His wife, who remained in the car even though she did roll down her window, was younger and slim, with blonde hair and blue eyes and a comforting expression._

"_What seems to be the trouble?" the man asked, running his eyes over the other vehicle._

"_It won't start," Nicolas explained with a shrug. "We don't know why." He glanced into the backseat of their supposed rescuers car and frowned. It was empty, and it wasn't supposed to be. There was supposed to be a young girl in the car, a hybrid of some random human and the Queen of Antar._

_Nicolas' companion noted this to and slanted a sideways look at the skin leader. "She's not there."_

"_Who isn't there?" the woman asked, looking around from her seat in the car. She paused, then added, "I'm Jessica by the way. And that's by husband, Andrew."_

"_Where is your daughter?" Nicolas asked harshly. Both Andrew and Jessica froze, staring at his with wide eyes. He could practically see the concern and fear running through their minds as they realized that perhaps this was more than it appeared._

"_Who are you?" Andrew asked._

_Nicolas sighed in frustration. He did not want to waste precious time dealing with these uncomprehending humans. So instead, he stepped forward and grabbed Andrew's head with both his hands, forcing his way into the helpless human's mind. He found the answer easily enough, and it was not what he wanted it to be._

_To his companion, he said bitterly, "She's not here. They left her at home tonight."_

"_What did you do to him?" Jessica cried out, jumping from the car as Andrew sank to his knees and groaned in pain, clutching his head._

"_What now?" the other skin asked, ignoring the frantic woman. _

"_They know too much," Nicolas said after a moment of contemplation. "Dispose of them. Make it look like a car accident." He turned and walked away then, annoyed. He did not have to look behind him to know that his orders would be followed, did not have to stay in the vicinity to know that the two humans would soon be dead, their lifeless bodies found amidst the wreckage of their car._

_Instead, he thought of the Queen and frowned._

_He was no fool, he knew the danger of attacking her in plain sight. The FBI was something to be feared, and they were looking for answers as well. He had no doubt that he could easily kill anyone who attacked him, but he was not about to start an all out war with the FBI if he could avoid it. It would be a complete waste of time and energy. But it also meant his options were limited. No doubt if he had found the Queen, the FBI would not be far behind._

_So it was too late to go after the Queen now._

_He would simply have to bide his time, and wait._

"Yo, duke! You in there?"

The sound of Rath's impatient voice pulled Nicolas from his thoughts, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah…"

"You gonna explain why you're sendin' me to deal with Queenie or ain't you?" Rath pressed.

It was a little thing, her crying out the name Andrew. A little thing that could probably be explained away without much effort. But it nagged at him, refusing to leave him alone. It meant something, he knew it did. And if he was right…

Then he wasn't sending Rath after Ava. He was sending Rath after Tess…

"No," he said, and turned and walked away. He didn't have to explain himself to anyone, least of all Rath.

* * *

"So, Queenie… nice digs. You have to sleep with the duke to get 'em?"

Tess stiffened and looked around the room in surprise. Rath was standing in the doorway, leaning against the wall with a cocky smile fixed on his features. One eyebrow raised at her anxious expression, the taunting stare in his eyes increasing.

"I didn't…" Tess started, and then stopped, shaking her head and trying to figure out how Ava would handle the situation. She'd be scared and unnerved, embarrassed by the question even. But she would be holding her ground, refusing to be intimidated. Refusing to back down from her enemy.

"Didn't what?" Rath asked with a lascivious grin. "'Cause I can think of a few things I'd like to be doin' with you."

Tess clenched her hands into fists and tried to ignore the way Rath's very tone made her skin crawl. "Just try it," she warned defiantly, eyes narrowed into thin slits.

"Am I supposed to be afraid?" Rath drawled. "'Cause you've decided to be a big girl now? Think you're ready to play with the rest of us?"

Tess tilted her chin up and asked, "Do you think I'm _not_?"

"What you gonna do?" Rath asked. "Ain't any cars around to kill me with, not like how you did to Zan. You really think you got the stones to kill me in cold blood?"

He took a few more steps into the room, and Tess instinctively backed away from him. That only made his smile widen even further, and she wished fervently that she could stop her heart from hammering so loudly in her chest. But just being around Rath made her blood turn to ice, made her shiver in a mixture of fear and disgust.

How could anyone who shared the exact same DNA with Michael turn out like this? Certainly Michael was no gentleman, and could be conceited, short-tempered, and downright condescending when he was in one of his moods. But he wasn't a viciously cruel megalomaniac.

"Are you going to make me kill you, Rath?" she asked finally. He'd closed the door behind him, cutting off any chance of anyone seeing that she needed help. She could call for it, of course, but she didn't like the idea of putting herself in the spotlight.

"What would it take, hm…?" Rath questioned, his smirk lessening as he waited for her answer. "What would I have to do to make you want me dead?"

Tess laughed bitterly. "Don't you think I already want you dead?" Rath didn't answer, and she said with a bravery she did not feel, "Nicolas has my back. But who's got yours?"

Rath tilted his head to the side as he regarded her curiously. "You really think he ain't just usin' you, sweetheart?" he asked softly, his tone low and menacing. "You don't matter to him. Why would you? You ain't nothin' more than a means to an end."

"And what are you?" Tess shot back.

Rath shook his head, looking amused. "I know what I am to him, Ava. But at least I've come to grips with that. I ain't living in your delusion world." With a half-hearted shrug and an expression that clearly conveyed how little he thought of her, he added, "Don't you be so surprised when you find out you ain't anythin' to him, either."

"I know what you're trying to do and it won't work," Tess snapped.

"Oh, really?" Rath countered, that same bemused smirk fixed to his features. "And what am I tryin' t' do, love?"

"Don't call me that," Tess growled through clenched teeth. She turned away from him, staring at the opposite window and rubbing her hands up and down the length of her arms. Her skin was dotted with goose bumps, and the constant shivers continued to run through her body.

The room was silent, the air thick with tension. She could feel Rath's eyes boring into her back, and wondered why he was gazing at her so intently. Was he looking for something?

And had he found it?

She twisted to face him, cropped hair falling over her eyes. She batted it away with one hand, then looked back at the window. "Leave," she ordered tersely.

"You nervous, Queenie?" Rath murmured, moving until he was standing right next to her, close enough that she could feel his breath on the back of her neck.

Again, her hands clenched almost instinctively, fingers tightened into fists, knuckles turning white. She dropped her arms to her side and stepped away from him.

"No."

"No? Then why are you shaking?"

She let out a slow breath, almost hoping that the action would calm her frayed nerves. It didn't, but she faced him anyway, blue eyes meeting his icy brown ones. "I told you to leave," she said. "Don't make me say it again."

"And what would you do if I decide I ain't listenin'?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Tess answered with a faint smirk, a clear challenge in her eyes.

Rath continued to gaze at her with a scrutinizing stare, then shook his head. "Ain't that a surprise," he muttered.

"What?" Tess asked, tendrils of fear snaking their way through her mind. She didn't like the look in his eyes, the way he was staring at her with a calculating gaze. She didn't know what he thought he saw in her, but she did know it wasn't good. Not for her…

And not for Isabel.

Though the fear was baseless, Rath's next words did confirm it.

"Ava doesn't clench her fists like that."

"Wh-what?" Tess stammered.

"Ava doesn't clench her fists like that," Rath repeated. The mocking was gone from his tone, and the smile had faded from his face. His words were grim and flat. "She chews her lip, and you ain't done that. She doesn't move her bangs much, either. Likes hidin' behind 'em, I'd guess."

"Are you mental?" Tess asked, refusing to give up the charade. "I am Ava. And you don't know me nearly as well as you think."

"Oh, Ava changed, I ain't arguin' that," Rath agreed with a nod. "Got admit, that little Queen surprised me. I ain't expected her to do something like kill Zan."

Tess swallowed uneasily and said nothing, watching Rath cautiously. She should have known she'd never be able to fool him. Nicolas and the rest of the skins were easy enough, but Rath… He'd known Ava his whole life, and it was clear that he had spent a lot of time watching her. How could she have ever assumed he wouldn't notice that she wasn't the hybrid he'd grown up with?

"I can see how them others might have been fooled," Rath continued. "You're good. Got her nervousness down to a fine art, it seems. Well, almost. Enough to get in here, anyways. And you only missed three things that I can tell. Anyone else would have overlooked them."

Tess let him speak. At this point, anything she said would incriminate her, though she doubted her silence would help much either. But the danger was real now, and she had no idea how to get out of it.

She needed help.

Quickly.

"So, yep… you played the others. But you ain't trickin' me." Rath's smile was finally back, as disdainful as it had been before. He advanced quickly, too quickly for her to react, and before she knew it he had her pressed back against the wall, eyes glittering with malicious intent.

"Get off me!" Tess spat.

"Or you're gonna what?" Rath laughed. "Yell for help? Bring Nicolas in here? You think he's gonna help you… _Tess_?" He paused as the weight of his words settled over her, the realization that she now had nowhere to turn, no one who could come to her rescue. Then he licked his lips and said, "Well, you ain't Ava, but you sure are close enough…"

And he leaned in, pressing his lips against hers. She pushed against his chest, throwing him temporarily off balance, but he crashed back into her again, forcefully kissing her. Her back hit the wall with intensity and for a moment pain and panic warred with each other.

The panic one, and she ignored the discomfort rapidly spreading up her spine into her head, and instead focused on fighting him off. Two quick jabs, one to the chest and the other to the throat, sent him stumbling backwards, and she twisted away from him. But he caught her arm, yanking it sharply and she bit back a cry of pain.

She looked at him again, and there was nothing human in his eyes.

The hand that was wrapped tightly around her arm began to glow, and a burning sensation suffused her skin. Her eyes watered at the sudden pain, but she used her own powers to fight back, slamming her hand into his chest with more force than would have been possible without alien gifts.

He staggered.

She jumped back, rushing to put the bed in between herself and her enemy.

Rath laughed again. "Well, ain't this fun," he sneered.

And then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground, his body still and lifeless.

Tess gaped for a moment, then turned to face her savior. Somehow, Courtney had entered the room during the altercation without either of them noticing. She was now standing in front of the closed door, one hand stretched out in front of her, eyes fixed on Rath and filled with a conflicted emotion.

Tess looked down at the burn on her arm and winced.

"Why didn't you mind-warp him?" Courtney demanded angrily, advancing on Tess. "The minute you suspected that he knew you weren't Ava… why didn't you do something to stop it?"

"I… I couldn't…" Tess stammered, at a loss for words.

"Couldn't?" Courtney scoffed. "Or wouldn't? Too afraid you might damage his brain?" Her words were a pointed barb, a reminder of what had nearly happened to Kyle.

Tess lowered her gaze. She hadn't used her mind-warping powers since then, and she honestly had no intention of doing so. Ever again. It was too dangerous, she saw that now. One misstep, and she could melt her intended target's brain.

"Who cares?" Courtney spat, correctly interpreting Tess' silence. "He's the _enemy_, he was trying to kill you. It wouldn't have mattered if you messed up his brain." She gave the body on the floor another look and then said, "He's dead now, anyway."

Tess ran a hand through her hair, completely unable to fathom why Courtney was so angry. But the skin was obvious livid, and Tess had no idea why.

"I'll dispose of the body," Courtney said finally. "I can cover this up well enough. Nicolas won't notice his absence for a while. But we don't have much time. You need to get Max and Michael here. Tell them you're taking Isabel out of here tonight. At sunset."

"But we're not ready! _I'm_ not ready," Tess protested.

Courtney gestured to Rath's body and replied, "Then get ready. Because you're running out of time."

* * *

"We're coming with you," Maria protested, following Michael to the door of his apartment. Liz nodded in agreement, and behind Liz, Alex looked downright mulish at the thought of being left behind.

It was Max who answered, his hand already on the doorknob. "No, you're not. You can't help us, not with this."

"So that's it?" Maria demanded incredulously, eyes narrowed. "You're just going to write us off as useless? You make the decision and we all fall into line?"

"She's my girlfriend," Alex agreed angrily, pushing past Liz and standing next to Maria.

"We all care about Isabel," Liz murmured in agreement. "And Tess."

"And how exactly do you think you're going to help us?" Michael asked, giving them a pointed look. "How are you going to fight Nicolas?"

"Liz was the one who saved you when you were trapped in that alternate reality the last time we fought Nicolas," Maria hissed through clenched teeth.

"And it nearly got her killed," Max pointed out reasonably, but with a touch of worry in his voice. It was obvious he didn't want to think about Liz being in danger again. Not now, not when he was so close to losing his sister and Tess.

"Max, I _want_ to help," Liz answered.

"We don't have time for this," Michael growled. "You want the truth? You three are a liability, alright? You're a liability, and I don't want to waste my time protecting you when I should be rescuing Isabel and Tess."

"A liability?" Maria echoed, face flushed red with fury.

"You're not the only one who wants to save her," Alex added, hands on his hips. The usually sweet and mild-mannered teenager was glaring at Michael, his expression hard and tense, his posture stiff.

"Stop it! Just stop it!" Max practically screeched. The sound of his high-pitched words was enough to bring everyone else to a halt, and all eyes swung to him with varying degrees of surprise and shock. He was breathing heavily, his pupil dilated, his face pale.

All signs of fear.

"Max…" Liz murmured, but he cut her off impatiently.

"Do you not understand what just happened?" he asked fiercely. "Tess is in danger. Serious danger. We are seconds away from losing both of them and we've got one chance, only _one_ chance, to make this work. I know you want to help. But I also know that you don't have any of our gifts, which makes you useless next to Nicolas. And you know that, too. So if you really want to help, you'll quit arguing and stay here."

Maria opened her mouth to say something, but Liz rested her hand on her friend's shoulder, and Maria snapped her mouth shut, staring at the brunette in surprise.

"You agree with them?" the pixie blonde asked, looking hurt.

"You know they're right, Maria," Liz answered softly. She gave Alex an apologetic look as she added, "We can help best by staying here and covering for them."

"But we've helped before," Alex said pointedly, speaking up even as Maria lapsed into a resigned silence.

"And we'll help again," Liz replied softly, sounding as though she truly regretted what she was saying but was unable to ignore the reality of the situation. "But the stakes are higher right now, and the danger is greater. Come on, Alex. Think about this logically. How are you actually going to help?"

Alex didn't say anything, just stared at her with bitter angst in his eyes.

"Fine," Maria said, giving in ungracefully. With another quick look for Michael, she added, "Don't get yourself killed, alright?"

Michael nodded, Max gave Liz a quick kiss on the cheek, and then the two were gone, disappearing out the door.

The apartment was silent for a moment. Liz walked over to the sofa and sank into it, staring blankly at the wall across from her. Alex started pacing, his movements jerky and sharp. Maria hovered halfway between the door and the sofa, then finally crossed the room to join Liz.

"This sucks," she muttered.

Liz smiled faintly. "Yeah." Would it always be like this, she wondered vaguely, having to stay behind while Max ran off to face his enemies? It was true that they had helped in the past, and she had no doubt that they would help again in the future. But there were some battles they simply weren't equipped to fight, and anything that involved Nicolas was one of them.

Still, she hated staying here, wondering if Max would be okay.

Was this how Max had felt, when he had agreed to let Tess enter the skin compound? This ache in her stomach, this worry and fear that didn't fade… only seemed to grow more and more intense with every passing second…

"Do you think Tess can hold everything together long enough for Michael and Max to get to her?" Maria questioned.

Liz considered this thoughtfully. She didn't know what Tess was up against, Max hadn't divulged many details. She got the feeling that Tess hadn't told him much of anything, except that she needed help. That Nicolas was becoming suspicious.

And Nicolas was beyond powerful. They still didn't know exactly what he was capable of, only that his powers were great enough to scare even Courtney.

Then again, this was Tess…

With a sigh, she said, "Have you ever known Tess to fail at something? Have you ever known any of them to fail when one of our lives in depending on their success?"

Maria chewed her lip and nodded slowly.

It was true, they hadn't failed yet. Sure, they'd all made mistakes, they'd all lost some battles, they'd all been forced to admit defeat occasionally. But they hadn't lost the war, not yet. They were all still alive, and Liz knew that if sheer force of will was enough, Max would never let anything happen to any of them.

But sheer force of will _wasn't_ always enough.

She pushed the thought away, not wanting to dwell on what could happen.

The two of them sat in silence for several minutes, Liz resting her head on Maria's shoulder, Maria running her fingers through Liz's hair. Exhaustion seeped over both of them, settling into their bones. Ever since Isabel's disappearance, they had been on edge, and the wariness was sapping their energy.

Then Maria suddenly straightened and looked around.

"Liz?"

"Hm? What?"

"Where's Alex?"

Liz lifted her head and looked around, eyes wide, hoping Maria was wrong, that she had somehow just missed their friends. That he was still standing there, or pacing back and forth across the floor. But the apartment was empty, save for the two of them.

Alex had left.

* * *

Next Chapter: Out of the Woods

Due: 2/7


	85. Out of the Woods

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Just a reminder, in this story, Khivar and Nicolas are brothers. Khivar is the older brother, and Nicolas is his trusted Second-in-Command.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Five: Out of the Woods

She came back to consciousness slowly, a heavy feeling settling over her limbs. It was hard to move, hard to think, but the fear she felt was very real. It was sharp, and it pierced through her chest, giving her the strength necessary to open her eyes and look around.

She didn't know where she was, but that didn't matter. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there, and quickly.

Forcing herself to climb slowly to her feet, she drew a breath and winced against the pain. Blonde hair fell over blue eyes and she let it hang there, as though it might offer some kind of protection. She was in trouble, that much was obvious.

She moved slowly. It was hard – had she been drugged? She felt sluggish, and every step took an agonizing amount of effort. But she had to keep moving, had to get out of here…

She was at the door. Resting one hand on the knob, she took another deep breath and closed her eyes, willing herself to find the bravery and courage necessary to face whatever was on the other side of that door.

Then she pushed the door open and found herself staring at a very surprised Liz Parker and Maria DeLuca.

Her survival instinct kicked in, and before she could think over exactly what she was doing, she had lifted her hands and sent both of them sprawling backwards, off of the sofa on which they were perched. Liz crashed to the floor and lay there for a moment, stunned, and Maria hit the far wall. Neither were injured too badly, but the few moments that they lay gasping their were enough.

Without a backwards glance, Ava raced across the room and threw open the door to Michael's apartment, disappearing into the hallway and then out into the night.

* * *

"You don't have to be here," Max said, yet again looking at the three companions he hadn't quite expected having.

Jared was the first to reply. "Yes, your Majesty, we do. Protecting the four of you is our job. I cannot in good conscience allow you to face Nicolas and his skins alone."

Kristalia echoed the sentiment with a murmur, "I am with Jared, your Majesty. And I will stand by your side in this."

Max shrugged and accepted those responses in silence. He didn't trust them completely, but they seemed to be on his side, and he could not turn down their offer of assistance. They had powers that could be helpful, and Max would take anything that could allow a speedy and safe recovery of his sister and Tess.

But his eyes turned towards the third person, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

"I'm not Liz, Maria, or Alex," Sheriff Valenti said, lifting his gun from his holster. "I do have a skill that could help. And Tess is my daughter. I won't let you do this without me."

Max eyed the gun, then nodded. "Fine."

Michael stared at the compound before them. They were not close enough yet to be spotted by the guards. To Max, he said in a low tone, "How about having Jared, Kristalia, and Valenti cover for us while we break in? Tess said she'd be ready, she'd have Isabel at the entrance to the compound in…" he looked at his watch, "ten minutes. We should be able to do this with minimal fighting."

Max licked his lips. "Okay," he agreed. "Jared, Sheriff Valenti, stay on the right. Kristalia, cover the left. Michael and I will go in as soon as we get Tess' signal."

He didn't say anything else, but the stillness was filled with his doubts. He chanced a quick look at Michael, and saw the determined lines in his face, the tension in his body.

Tess had told them to prepare for the possibility that Isabel would not want to leave. She was under some delusion that what she was doing was right, that staying with Nicolas and Khivar was the only way to help her planet. And if she didn't want to leave them, if she didn't want to return to Roswell…

Max's expression hardened. He'd forcibly drag Isabel out of there if he had to, but he was _not_ going to leave her with Nicolas.

"What about Courtney?" Michael asked finally, breaking the silence.

Max sighed heavily. "If her cover has been completely blown, she can come with us back to Roswell," he said, "but she's not our main priority." It was a cold and dispassionate way of looking at the situation, but he also knew it was true. He had no idea if Courtney would want to leave, or stay there and take her chances convincing Nicolas that she was still on his side. Whatever choice she made, Max would accept, so long as it did not prevent him from doing what he came here to do.

"Almost time," Jared said.

They crept forward, staying low to the ground, moving silently around the various rocky ledges that crowded the desert. They had three escape vehicles, cars parked just out of sight of the compound. If all went according to plan, they could get Tess and Isabel and get out of there without too much fighting.

But when did things ever go according to plan?

Just outside the compound, Max held up his hand. "Ready?" he mouthed.

The other four responded with silent nods.

And then Max's cell phone vibrated in his pocket, the signal from Tess to approach.

"Let's go," Max ordered.

* * *

She followed Ava out into the courtyard. The wall still surrounded them, keeping them cut off from the desert beyond the compound, but the air was fresh and clean, and the warm sun cast golden red rays down on them as it sank beyond the horizon.

She was tired, but Ava had been so insistent that they go for a walk, and she just hadn't been able to say no. She didn't quite understand why the petite hybrid was so determined to forge a connection with her, but she found herself enjoying the quite company. They had similar opinions, it seemed, and for some reason she could not fathom, Ava did not hold a grudge about the past.

It seemed the hybrid Queen was just as eager for companionship as she was.

In her mind, she had trouble figuring out how to refer to herself. She could feel Isabel inside of her, a firm, unyielding presence crying to be let free. But though Isabel was a part of her, she was not Isabel, and she did not want to be known by that name.

The others, even Ava, had referred to her as Vilandra. And she supposed that she was, in some sense, still Vilandra. But she was not Lonnie, not the hybrid that Ava had grown up with in the sewers of New York. And she was not the Vilandra from Antar, the one who had been killed during the war.

She was a new person. Perhaps she needed a new name.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ava asked quietly.

She shrugged in reply. "Nothing important," she replied.

Ava nodded slowly. "I'm glad you came," she offered as they continued circling the courtyard.

"I am too," she replied. They were alone, the other skins having withdrawn as soon as they appeared. She had no doubt that someone was watching them from within the windows of the building – possibly Nicolas – but out here there was no one to interrupt them.

"Vilandra," Ava said softly, "do you… do you _want_ to go back to Antar?"

She raised her eyebrows. She would have to settle for the name Vilandra, it seemed, because the others were so convinced that that was what she wished to be called.

"I'd like to see Khivar again," Vilandra admitted after a moment.

Ava looked around, as though searching for something. Then she glanced down at the watch on her wrist, noting the time. Aloud, she said, "Some times I wonder, though… is there anything there for _me_?"

"What do you mean?" Vilandra asked.

"Are they all dead? My family, I mean. I don't remember much of it, but I presume I had a mother and a father. Maybe siblings, maybe friends. What happened to them? Did they die in the war?" She ran a hand through her short hair. "I don't like being alone."

"I would imagine after the last eleven years, you would relish the chance to be away from… family," Vilandra countered, thinking with disgust on the little that Nicolas had told her about the other three hybrid New Yorkers.

Ava's gaze hardened. "They were never my family," she replied.

"And I am?" Vilandra questioned curiously.

Ava looked at her, one hand sliding into her pocket as she did so. "Aren't you?" she questioned.

Vilandra glanced down at Ava's hands. "What are you doing?" she asked, and for the first time she felt the tiniest bit of suspicion pass through her mind.

Ava looked at her, then switched her eyes towards the gates leading into the courtyard. Vilandra looked as well, watching as they swung open to reveal two people she could only assume had to be Max Evans and Michael Guerin.

Inside her chest, Isabel grew stronger, springing to life with energy and ferocity, determined to take hold of this body. At the same time, Ava's hand closed tightly around Vilandra's arm, latching onto her with a rigid grip.

"I'm saving you," Ava said.

As Max and Michael rushed forward, Vilandra turned to the smaller hybrid and said, "You're not Ava, are you?"

"No," Tess agreed, "I'm not."

* * *

It took only one quick look at Isabel to realize that this was not, in fact, Isabel.

"You didn't turn her back?" Michael demanded, looking at Tess. It was strange to see her with cropped hair and too much make-up, but he tried to ignore the fact that she looked so much like Ava, and instead reminded himself that she was his very trustworthy family.

"I hadn't really figured out how to do that yet," Tess snapped, still not letting go of Isabel's arm. "But then Rath figured out that I wasn't Ava, and I didn't have any other choice but to get you here."

"Are you alright? Did Rath hurt you?" Max asked anxiously, taking Isabel's other arm in his hands.

Tess gave him an unreadable look and replied, "Not as much as Courtney hurt him." There was a silence, then she added flatly, "He's dead."

All further conversation was cut off by the sudden cry of, "Your Majesty! Look out!"

Michael turned in time to see several skins rushing into the courtyard, a few of them moving towards Max. He jumped forward quickly, putting himself in front of Isabel. "Max, Tess, get her out of here. I'll hold them off with Jared and Kristalia."

Max looked reluctant to leave his best friend in danger, but he did not argue. There was no reason to, because at that very moment, Isabel wrenched her arm free of Tess and said, "I'm not going anywhere with _either_ of you!" Spinning on Tess, she added, "I trusted you! How could you do this to me?"

The skin nearest Max attacked, a burst of white energy filling the air. Max conjured his shield just as Michael flung out one arm and sent the skin crashing backwards, colliding into two others.

"Come on," Michael ordered tersely. "We need to go. Now!"

He heard a movement to his right, and turned. Another skin was bearing down on him, but Jared flicked his wrists at the skin, and the enemy alien screamed and was engulfed in a bright light. Soon all that was left of him was a pile of skin on the ground.

"Let go of me!" he heard Isabel scream, a glanced over his shoulder to see Tess struggling to pull Isabel towards the still open gates. He wanted to do something, but everything was dissolving into chaos.

The sound of gunshots split the air as Valenti came to stand next to Jared, and several skins fell, their husks cracking under the onslaught of the bullets.

"What is he doing here?" Tess cried out, voice tinged with panic and Michael knew she was probably less than thrilled to find herself facing her father. But they had no time to argue about whether or not it had been a good idea to put Valenti in danger, and it was a moot issue now anyway.

"He's saving you," Michael yelled over the noise skirmish. "Go!"

Something hit him from behind and he fell to his knees, pain shooting through his head. His instincts were enough to force him out of the way of the next attack, and rolled to his side, barely avoiding the blow. The skin standing over him was smiling, his eyes filled with a feral gleam, and Michael groaned at the dull throbbing coursing down his spine.

Then the skin's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he crumbled to the ground, turning into dust on the way. Kristalia was standing above him, her hands sparkling from whatever gift she had used, and Michael clambered back to his feet, gave her a nod of thanks for saving him, and jumped back into the fight.

* * *

She had known it wouldn't go smoothly, but she hadn't expected it to be this bad. And, of course, she hadn't expected Jim to join the fray. But he had, and now she was standing in the middle of a battle, trying to keep an eye on her father to make sure he didn't get himself killed while at the same time struggling to pull a very angry, very powerful Isabel out of the courtyard.

"Let go of me!" Isabel snarled.

"No," Tess replied. Each step brought her closer to the gates, and Max had his shield up, protecting them, but how much longer could he hold off the skins?

And how was she even going to get Isabel back to Roswell when the hybrid was fighting her every step of the way?

"How could you do this to me? You _betrayed_ me," Isabel cried, using her free hand to slap Tess across the face. It stung, and Tess tasted blood, but it didn't slow her down.

"No, Nicolas betrayed you," Tess replied fiercely. "He lied to you."

"Lied to me?" Isabel retorted, laughing coldly. "No, he told me the truth. He was the only one who helped me. Just like he helped Ava. What did you do to her?"

"She's fine," Tess answered in a clipped tone.

Isabel lunged forward, knocking Tess off balance, and the two of them fell to the ground. Something sharp hit Tess in the shoulder, probably a jagged bit of rock, and the sudden pain caused her to lose her grip on Isabel. The statuesque hybrid pulled away and jumped to her feet, eyes blazing with fury.

Then she whirled around, prepared to run away.

She didn't make it very far before crashing into Courtney, who apparently had no qualms about hurting Isabel at all. The rebel skin flung Isabel to the ground just as Tess pulled herself back to her feet. Isabel let out a hiss of air as she slammed into he ground, and Tess thought briefly that Courtney's cover was completely blown now.

Not that it really mattered.

To Tess, Courtney said, "I'll get her out of here," and she reached down and pulled Isabel to her feet.

"No!" Isabel spat, clawing at Courtney's face.

Courtney grabbed Isabel's hand and sharply twisted her wrist, causing Isabel to cry out in pain.

"Don't hurt her!" Tess protested.

Courtney sent her a withering look. "If it saves her, she's just going to have to live with a twisted wrist."

Tess really couldn't argue the point and it didn't matter anyway, because it was at that exact moment that Nicolas stepped out of the compound and entered the battle.

* * *

Courtney turned around as she felt his presence. A few of the other skins paused as well, looking back at their leader, but that was a mistake they paid for as the two Royalists – what were their names again? Jared and Kristi, perhaps – did not even hesitate to attack anyone who was not paying attention.

At some point, Max had fallen to his knees. Though his force-field remained strong, she could sense his energy draining, and it was only a matter of time before the skins would be able to push past it and reclaim their target. She tightened her grip on the still-struggling Isabel and lashed out with her free hand, lifting several rocks and hurtling them at the skin leader.

Nicolas waved his hand and the rocks disintegrated mid-air.

"Oh, very good, Courtney," he laughed as he walked towards her. His gaze was cold, his lips pressed into a thin line. "You have fooled me too many times, though it seems perhaps the fault is mine. I should never have believed you in the first place." He switched his gaze to Isabel. "Give me back the Princess, and your death will be quick and painless."

Straightening her shoulders, Courtney answered simply, "No."

Nicolas turned and waved his hand at Kristalia, who began to scream in pain. The red-haired Royalist fell to her knees, clutching at her head as though to stop whatever Nicolas was doing. Jared retaliated fiercely, launching himself at the leader of the skins. Extraterrestrial abilities forgotten, the two were momentarily locked in physical combat, exchanging blows, before Nicolas obtained the upper hand and sent Jared sprawling backwards.

Courtney glanced up at the compound. With every passing moment, more skins were streaming out of the building, ready to join in the fight. They couldn't stay here, not with so much at stake…

She pulled Isabel down beside her, until the two of them were crouching on the ground. Pressing her hand firmly into the dirt, she willed as much power as she could into the ground. Everything began to shake, as though an earthquake had ripped through the courtyard. Rubble began to slide down the side of the compound, raising dust and dirt and smashing into several of the skins below.

Nicolas faltered, and once again all eyes swung towards Courtney.

Something to her right caught her eye, and she saw Michael fall back a few steps, pushed up against the wall that circled the courtyard. Two skins were closing in on him, and though he put up a valiant fight, he was not going to win without outside help.

But she could not protect Michael and retain her hold on Isabel at the same time.

She'd killed Rath. She hadn't wanted to, because no matter what she had said to Trevor about Rath not being the savior she was looking for, he was still, in essence, a recreation of the man she had respected and admired, the man she had wanted on the thrown. A twisted and corrupted version, but still…

Because of Tess' refusal to use her mind-warping abilities, because of Tess' inability to stop Rath before he had nearly killed her, Courtney had been forced to murder the dupe General. And though she knew Tess had come through for them in the end, keeping her cover long enough to get Isabel out here, she doubted she would ever forgive the hybrid Queen for what had happened, for what the petite blonde had forced her to do.

No matter what, she would not lose Michael.

She let go of Isabel and lifted her hands towards the skins attacking Michael. The light that flooded outwards from her palms was enough to momentarily blind her, but she was always prepared for that side-effect, and she closed her eyes quickly to protect them.

When she opened them again, the two skins were gone and Michael was staring at her in surprise. Tess was blinking rapidly and several of the skins were stumbling about, trying to regain their eyesight. Max did not appear to be affected, but she had no time to ponder that as Isabel pulled away from her and starting racing towards Nicolas.

"Isabel! _No_!" Max's guttural cry filled the air, and the hybrid King pushed himself between his sister and Nicolas. His presence was not enough to stop Isabel, and Courtney turned in time to see Isabel shove her brother aside as though he was nothing.

And then, somehow, Alex Whitman was standing in the courtyard as well.

* * *

At the time, the request for him to stay behind had been grating. If he had stopped to think about it rationally, he might have accepted what Liz and Maria realized, that he simply had nothing to offer the situation. But he hadn't thought about it rationally, and now that he found himself standing in the middle of the battle, it was far too late for him to change his mind.

But all of those thoughts were pushed from Alex's mind as Isabel faced him, and he saw nothing recognizable in her eyes.

"Isabel?" he questioned, but she had already turned away from him and continued towards Nicolas.

"Whitman, look out!"

His focus on Isabel, he did not see the attack before it hit him, did not register the warning until it was too late. Something smashed into his back, and he fell forward, throwing out his hands to break the fall. There was pain ins wrists and the smell of blood from a long gash that ran across his palm, plus the dull ache in his back and…

Something exploded above him, and then pieces of skin seemed to literally raining down on him. He coughed once and rolled over, felt someone grab his shoulders and drag him to his feet.

"Stay behind us," Max snapped, "and try not to get in the way."

But he was already in the way, as evidenced by the fact that only a moment after having been saved by Max, the two of them were once more falling to the ground under the fury of an attack from Nicolas. Alex was dimly aware of Michael fighting to reach his side, but everything was chaos, and he could barely breathe.

Isabel had walked away from them. From _him_.

Max was bleeding. There was a long gash starting at his shoulder and running down the length of his arm, not deep enough to put him in any real danger, but still obviously painful. His shirt was torn in several places, his skin singed and badly burnt both at his shoulder and along one side of his stomach. His was breathing unevenly, and though he tried to push himself to his knees, he was unable to do so.

Alex knelt at his side, pulling Max behind him as though somehow he could offer some safety.

And Nicolas slowly advanced.

"How the mighty have fallen," he sneered, dark eyes flashing. "You were once a king, and now look at you. Hiding behind a mere human. Pathetic." He held up one hand, and Alex tilted his chin up to see the electricity dancing around the skin's fingers. "Ready to die?"

* * *

She couldn't really explain how it happened. One moment she had no control over her body, and was only dimly aware of where she ended and Vilandra began. The next, the fog was clearing from her mind and her limbs were moving of her own accord.

She did not know exactly what Nicolas had done to her, how he had twisted her mind to make her something else, something she wasn't. She had heard the justifications Vilandra had uttered, and had known that she did not believe them. She would never believe them, never believe that Khivar and Nicolas were more trustworthy than her own flesh and blood, than the three people she had grown up with, had always considered family.

But whatever Nicolas had done to her, it was gone now.

And the one thing she did know for certain was that Nicolas' hold over her was broken the moment she saw him preparing to kill her brother and her boyfriend.

Max and Alex…

The two most important men in her lives, in danger, about to be killed.

"_NO_!"

It took Isabel by surprise just how furious she was, but she did not think about anything at all except getting Nicolas away from her family and the energy that left her hands was enough to nearly knock Nicolas unconscious. He flew past Max and Alex and hit the far wall, sliding to the ground, stunned.

"Max! Max, oh God…" She scrambled to her brother's side, tears sliding down her cheeks. Max was only semiconscious, but he gave a tight smile as he saw her leaning over him.

"Isabel?" he whispered, gasping.

"I'm here," she promised. To Alex, she said, "Come on, we need to get him out of here."

Someone grabbed her arm, and she was spun around until she was facing Tess. The hybrid Queen said nothing, just searched her gaze for a moment. Isabel stared back, hiding nothing, knowing exactly what Tess was looking for, what she was hoping to find.

At last, Tess dropped her arm and called over her shoulder to Michael, "It's Isabel. She's back."

"Get Max and Isabel out of here. And Whitman, too," Michael replied, struggling with another skin. "Valenti, go with them. Jared, Kristalia, cover them, make sure they get out safely. Courtney and I will hold everyone off and join you in a moment."

Tess did not argue, and Isabel did not need to be told twice. Between Isabel and Alex, they were able to lift Max from the ground and carry him through the gates and out into the desert.

Towards the cars. Towards Roswell.

Towards home.

* * *

When Nicolas came to and saw the destruction all around him, noticed that Isabel was gone, he felt a sudden surge of anger. Anger at allowing himself to be fooled by Tess, anger at believing Courtney when she should have known better, anger at allowing Isabel to evade his grasp after he had gone to such lengths to get her. Anger at possibly allowing Ava to come to harm when he had promised that he would protect her.

He rose to his feet. The only ones left in the courtyard were Michael and Courtney, fighting the remainder of the skins. With a grim expression, he walked deliberately forward.

Michael never knew what hit him.

He was on the ground, screaming in pain, before Courtney could utter a single warning. Nicolas watched with a satisfied smile as Michael began to writhe, twisting and turning, nearly clawing at his head in an effort to stop the agony. Death would come to the hybrid General, and perhaps Nicolas would deliver Michael's dead body as a _gift_ for the other three Royals. But Michael had caused enough trouble that he was going to make this long and drawn out before he ended the other alien's suffering.

"Don't! Please, let him go…"

He had almost expected it to be Courtney, but the voice that spoke was male. And distinct enough to be recognized.

"Pick a side, Trevor. You can't remain in the middle of this."

"I don't care about the other three," Trevor protested, coming to Nicolas' side, "they can die. But he's… he's my brother. I don't want to lose him again."

Nicolas' expression hardened. Perhaps if he had been thinking of his own brother, of the loyalty he felt to Khivar, he would have known that giving Trevor an ultimatum was a bad idea. But all he could think of was the amount of trouble that Michael had caused, the destruction that surrounded them all, the loss of both Vilandra and Ava, and Courtney's betrayal. All he could think of was his own fury, and it clouded his judgment.

"You either with us or you are with them. You cannot divide the General out from the other three. So who do you believe in? Zan or Khivar?"

Nicolas dropped his hand, allowing Michael to focus on the conversation once more. He was confident enough in Trevor's answer that the emotion pain of the betrayal would be worth stopping the physical pain for a moment.

And sure enough…

"Khivar," Trevor answered. "I believe in Khivar."

Michael's face went white, losing all color, and he managed to spit at Trevor.

The skin stepped back, looking hurt, and Nicolas pointed his hand at Michael, causing him to cry out once more.

And then Trevor acted.

The punch hit Nicolas squarely in the jaw, and so stunned the skin leader that he took a few steps back and stood there, gaping at Trevor.

"I believe in Khivar," Trevor said again, his words firm and hard, "and I always will. But I won't watch you torture my brother."

"Then you have chosen them," Nicolas snarled. "You have chosen to be my enemy."

Trevor blinked slowly. "Yes," he whispered, "I guess I have."

Both attacked each other at exactly the same time, and a bright light engulfed the entire courtyard.

* * *

Michael crawled to his feet, dazed and bewildered. His head ached, his throat was dry and scratchy from all the screaming, and his vision kept blurring in and out of focus. He would have fallen back to his hands and knees had Courtney not steadied him and started dragging him towards the gates.

"Come on, let's go," Courtney hissed urgently. "Come on, Michael. _Move_!"

Michael nodded mutely and followed her, tripping over his own feet and leaning heavily against the rebel skin. He looked around as he did so, and his eyes landed on a body that was slowly disintegrating into dust.

He froze. "Nicolas…?" he asked, forcing the name out of his dry mouth.

"Dead. Trevor killed him," Courtney answered without any emotion in her voice.

"Where's… Trevor…?" Michael forced himself to ask.

Courtney looked at him, then looked away. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

And beyond her, Michael caught sight of his brother's body, lying spread-eagle on the ground. Lifeless eyes stared unseeingly up at the evening sky, and the chest no longer rose and fell with the rhythmic inhale and exhale of breath.

"No… Trevor…" Michael tried to take a step towards him, tried to reached out to the skin. He remembered enough of the conversation between Nicolas and Trevor to know that Trevor had chosen Khivar over Zan – Max – but had then refused to let Michael die.

"Leave him," Courtney ordered, continuing to drag Michael from the courtyard. "He's dead. You can't help him now."

And sure enough, Trevor's body was slowly crumbling before his very eyes.

"He saved me," Michael said numbly as they passed through the gate and into the desert where the others were waiting.

"He did," Courtney agreed. "So let's make sure that his sacrifice wasn't in vain and get you out of here before the remaining skins attack."

Michael said nothing, and allowed Courtney to half-lead, half-carry him towards the car.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Space Between

Due: Sun 2/14


	86. The Space Between

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So this chapter takes place over three or four weeks, and doesn't have a whole lot of action or plot. But it does help set up some relationships that will become important later…

The lyrics at the beginning of the chapter (and the title of the chapter itself) are from _The Space Between_ by Dave Matthews Band.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Six: The Space Between

_The space between  
What's wrong and right  
Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you.  
The space between  
Your heart and mine  
Is the space we'll fill with time._

Courtney chewed her lip as she watched Max hug Isabel fiercely, relief clearly evident on the hybrid king's features. Michael was standing close by, his expression dark and grim, the loss of Trevor weighing heavily on his mind. He was ignoring Maria, who was trying to get him to talk, to open up. Instead, he stared blankly at Isabel, as if unable to comprehend that she was actually there.

Alex was sitting on the sofa, receiving a lecture from Liz about the stupidity of his actions. He didn't bother trying to defend himself, probably because there was nothing he could say that would speak more loudly than the fact that Isabel was here, safe and alive. So however rash his actions, however out of character his decision to go so blatantly against the group… it had still worked.

"Hey," a voice said softly, pulling Courtney out of her thoughts.

She turned, found herself looking at Tess. "Hey," she echoed. She licked her lips, glanced at Isabel again. "Nice job."

"Thanks," Tess said tiredly. "I just… wanted to thank you for your… help." The words were short, cut off at the ends as though Tess had to struggle to bring herself to say them. A lot had changed, Courtney mused, since the last time she had really interacted with Tess… during the rehearsal process for _Othello_, when Tess had warned her to stay away from Liz, Maria, and Alex, or the hybrid Queen would ruin her life.

Tess didn't seem to hate her quite as much anymore.

Of course, that didn't change the fact that Courtney still harbored quite a bit of resentment for Tess, for the fact that her current refusal to mind-warp had forced the rebel skin to kill Rath.

"You're welcome," Courtney replied evenly. "I'm just glad it worked."

"Yeah…" Tess looked at Isabel and Max. "How did it work?"

Courtney snapped her gaze to Tess in surprise. She knew what the hybrid was really asking, knew that she wanted a clarification for why Isabel suddenly resurfaced. She should have expected that question from the group, or maybe just Isabel herself, and yet… somehow, she hadn't expected it from Tess.

"Isabel was strong enough to free herself when she saw Max and Alex in danger," Courtney answered with a shrug. "It's hardly surprising, given that it is her brother and her boyfriend."

Tess frowned skeptically, and Courtney knew she wasn't buying the explanation. But she didn't press the issue, and instead just nodded and joined the others.

Courtney watched her go. It was, of course, quite a bit more complicated than she had let on, but she couldn't explain it all to Tess without running the risk of revealing that she had been the one behind Max's morphing into Zan. She still didn't know why Liz had not told anyone else in the group – at least not the hybrids, she wasn't sure if Maria and Alex knew the full details – but she liked the secrecy.

What Nicolas had done to Isabel was similar to what she herself had done to Max. But whereas she had simply brought out Zan's attributes in Max, Nicolas had gone as far as actually subduing Isabel's personality so that Vilandra could gain complete control. Like many other things, this was a power that would eventually wear off… if Isabel was strong enough to fight it.

And that was why they had been forced to rush, to put a half-baked plan into motion. Because Courtney knew that Nicolas was planning on sending Isabel back to Antar as soon as possible, and once there, in the presence of Khivar, of one of the few people Vilandra did truly love and trust completely, Isabel would have no chance of breaking free.

"Michael?"

Courtney looked up as Isabel pulled away from Max and turned towards the hybrid General.

Michael stared back at the statuesque Princess, his expression unreadable as he said gruffly, "Welcome back."

"Are you… alright?" Isabel whispered. She looked upset, tears streaming down her cheeks. Not just for what had happened to her, for what she had almost let happen to everyone else, but also for Michael. For the fact that he was so obviously upset, and she had no idea why.

Michael hadn't told them much about the last few minutes of the battle, just that Nicolas was dead, and he had escaped relatively unharmed.

"Yeah," Michael muttered. He scratched his eyebrow absently and looked at Maria for a moment, before switching his gaze back to Isabel. "Trevor is dead," he said bluntly.

Isabel gaped, Max looked stunned, and Maria rested her hand gently on Michael's arm.

"I… what… how?" Isabel stammered.

Trevor, Courtney knew, did not matter to any of the other hybrids. He was still the enemy, and his relationship to Michael did not change that. But Max had allowed Trevor to live, had not destroyed his husk during the Harvest. And that was enough proof for Courtney to determine that, even if the others didn't care about Trevor, they cared enough about Michael to be upset that the skin had died.

Courtney didn't share the same sentiment.

"He… he's the one who killed Nicolas," Michael said in a monotone. "I don't really remember the details. Nicolas was doing something to me, and Trevor tried to stop him. They… they fought. I didn't see it, I don't know… what exactly…" He stopped, took a slow breath. Exhaling, he finished, "When I came to, they were both dead."

There had been a lot of casualties in this battle. Nicolas, Trevor, several skins… and Rath.

It had worked, Courtney reminded herself. It had worked, Isabel had found the strength necessary when Max and Alex were in danger of being killed. It had worked, and Nicolas was dead. She should be happy.

But she had killed Rath.

And that left a bitter taste in her mouth.

* * *

The day following Isabel's return to Roswell brought other issues. Max had been too worried about how his sister was coping with her kidnapping, about how Michael was handling Trevor's death, about where Ava could have possibly fled to… and somehow, the fact that his parents would be asking questions about Isabel's disappearance completely slipped his mind.

But they did ask questions, and he had no idea what to say.

They stumbled awkwardly through an explanation that Isabel had gone camping – never mind the fact that Isabel hated camping – with some of her friends. It had not been ideal, but it was the best cover story Max had to offer at the moment, and it would have to be enough.

* * *

A week later, and things seemed to be returning to normal. Or, at least, as normal as they every had been. For Michael and Maria, that meant constant bickering. For Max, that meant spending almost every evening with Liz. For Tess, that meant avoiding the group as much as possible and mocking them at every opportunity.

But for Alex and Isabel, there was still some lingering tension.

"You shouldn't have come," Isabel said abruptly, looking at Alex. They were standing in line at the movie theater, not an ideal place to have a conversation about aliens, but for Isabel, this needed to be said.

Alex didn't bother pretending to not understand. "It was my decision," he replied. "I wasn't just going to sit by and do nothing. I had to help you."

"You could have…" Isabel hesitated, lowered her voice, and looked around. In a hushed whisper, she hissed, "You could have gotten hurt. Or worse."

"But I didn't," Alex protested.

She gazed at him for a long moment, then looked away. It was so incredibly out of character for him to be acting like this, to be stubborn and unyielding, refusing to listen to her reasons. Sure, he had acted against what she had wanted before, such as the time that he started an argument with Kyle because of how Kyle had been treating Isabel after finding out about aliens, and his argument had always been that he was just trying to help her.

But this time was different. This time he could have died.

And he didn't even seem to _care_.

She rubbed her hands on her arms and shivered despite the warmth in the air. Spring had come, bringing with it the light rain and blooming flowers. Though the winter never got cold enough to warrant any more than a sweater and maybe mittens, the warmth of the spring was a pleasant change.

"I love you," Alex said softly.

"I know," Isabel answered. "But you're not…"

"Not what?" Alex cut her off. He didn't raise his voice, but his eyes flashed, a sure sign that he was annoyed. She bit her lip as he continued talking, "Not strong enough? Not able to help out? Not a Czechoslovakian?"

"Um… yeah?" Isabel muttered under her breath.

Alex gave her a hard look. "Is that really what you think?"

"It isn't what I think, Alex, it's what I know!" Isabel retorted angrily, well aware of the fact that she was raising her voice and receiving odd looks from everyone else in the line. "This isn't a matter of opinion, it isn't something we can argue over. It's _fact_, pure and simple. You aren't a Czechoslovakian."

"I've helped before," Alex growled.

Isabel ran a hand through her hair and exhaled, turning away from him. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel as though he was not an important part of the group, as though she thought any less of him because he wasn't an alien. But… he _wasn't_ an alien, and he had to know that he couldn't always rush into danger to save her. He wasn't invincible.

In a low voice, she said, "Alex… I love you, too. And I don't want to see you get hurt. Is that really too much for you to understand?"

He caught her by the arm, pulled her around until they were staring at each other. "Nothing's going to happen to me," he replied firmly. "I promise."

"But you can't promise that," she countered.

"And you can't promise that nothing is going to happen to you," Alex rejoined. "But we're in this together. For good or ill, I love you and I won't let you face it all alone."

Isabel nodded slowly. It wasn't really enough, but she accepted it in silence. It was clear there was nothing she could say that would change his mind.

"I love you," she said again after a long pause.

"I love you, too," he murmured, and she rested her head on his shoulder, staring up at the stars.

* * *

Another week passed, and it did nothing to improve Michael's mood. Some days, he thought of Trevor, of the fact that his brother had continually sided with the man who had killed them all, and the skin's death did not bother him as much. Some days, those thoughts only led to anger, and to endless questions such as how and why and what was Trevor _thinking_ when he turned against his own brother? Some days, none of it really mattered, anyway.

But then there were the other days, the ones when he remembered that Trevor had sacrificed his life. And on those days, he just couldn't wrap his head around what it meant, why it had happened.

Max and Isabel both tried to help. But they couldn't, not really. They didn't understand, and they didn't care about Trevor. Why would they? What incentive did they have to care about an alien who wanted them both dead?

Tess didn't bother trying, she seemed to sense that he needed time and space to figure this out. Or, more likely, she just didn't want to talk to him any more than she absolutely had to, and so, as usual, she had opted to avoid him. Alex, too, didn't offer much, except a sympathetic smile every now and then.

Liz had actually asked if he wanted to talk about it. After all this time, she still thought he might actually sit down and share his feelings. Clearly, she had been spending far too much time around Max.

"I've been thinking," Maria announced one afternoon, opening Michael's fridge and pulling out the carton of milk.

Michael quirked an eyebrow. "Since when do you ever _think_?" he retorted.

She spun to face him, her expression an odd mixture of annoyance and amusement. "Hey, I do it more than you do," she replied.

He let that one go, but said, "Well, whatever you were thinking about, I'm not interested." And turned and walked out of the kitchen.

She followed a moment later, a glass of milk in one hand. He had to fight back the urge to roll his eyes at her choice of beverage. Didn't only children drink milk? The only reason he had bought it was for cereal.

"Look," Maria said, "just hear me out on this, okay?"

He shrugged carelessly, "Sure, whatever."

"Maybe you should go visit Laurie."

Whatever Michael had been expecting, it was not that. He stared at her, then blinked several times and wondered if perhaps he had misheard. "What?" he asked numbly.

"Laurie Dupree," Maria supplied. "I just… you haven't seen her in six or seven weeks. And she did say that you could come visit or whatever."

"Seven weeks isn't that long," Michael commented dryly, "given that I didn't know about her existence before then."

"All I am saying is…"

Michael interrupted, "I know what you're saying, Maria."

And he did know what she was saying, why she was suggesting this. She was under the impression that talking to Laurie would help him deal with Trevor's death. He had no idea _why_ she thought that, didn't she know this wasn't something that would just go away with a few well-meaning words? Just because he had managed to help Laurie didn't make it an easier to deal with the fact that…

That what? He barely knew Trevor, and what he did know was all based on flashes and brief interactions. What he did know was that Trevor had sided with the enemy, even after that enemy killed all four of them. What he did know, was that Trevor had never been on his side.

He slammed his fist angrily onto the back of the sofa and glowered at nothing in particular.

He and Maria bickered about it for a few more minutes, but he refused to listen to her reasoning, and she eventually gave in and dropped the subject.

And maybe that should have been a clue. Maybe he should have known better. After all, how often did Maria ever just drop something, especially when it was a plan to help someone she cared about?

But she did drop it, at least in appearances, and he was happy to have a few days to mope around, still lost in his own bleak and conflicted thoughts.

Then the letter came.

He hadn't expected it, had claimed to not even want it. But Maria wasn't around when it was delivered, and he didn't have appearances to keep up, so he ripped it open without the slightest bit of hesitation and unfolded the paper, flattening it on the table.

_Dear Michael,_

_I feel a little odd writing to you, since I don't know if you really even want to hear from me. But Meredith told me that your friend Maria had called her and said you were distressed because a friend of yours had died, and maybe you would like to hear from me. I don't really know what to say, I've never been good at this sort of thing. But you told me that you were loyal, and I figured I should try to be the same._

_I hope you are doing well, besides your friend's death. Things here are going okay. Meredith comes to see me some days. Maybe not as often as I would like, but more than she used to. Bobby doesn't live at the house anymore. I don't know what happened, Meredith doesn't like talking about it. I know it upsets her. But I can't say I miss him._

_It's nice right now. A blue sky and everything. Meredith has promised to take me to the beach in California in the summer if my doctor says it's okay. I miss the ocean. My Dad used to take me there all the time._

_I don't really know what else to say. I'm really not good with this sort of thing. I am sorry to hear about your friend. I wish I could help somehow, but I know when my Dad died there wasn't a whole lot people could say that would cheer me up. Although Bobby always said that was because I was a lunatic. But things get better after a while. They did for me, anyway._

_Things really are better now. I don't know how much of that you are responsible for, but I know a lot of it changed around the time you came to visit. It feels now like… I don't know. Like there's something to hope for. You know? Anyway, I am sure I am rambling. I try not to do it, but I can't always get the words out right._

_Come see me any time you're in the neighborhood._

_Best wishes,_

_Laurie_

It was short and awkward, a lot of it irrelevant, but Michael couldn't help the lump that formed in his throat when he read it. She sounded… sane. Happy. So different than what he had remembered. Apparently the time away from Bobby had made a big difference, and Meredith was really stepping up to her role as a parent-figure.

He stared at the letter for a long time before folding it carefully and placing it in a drawer in his kitchen. Maybe he would go visit her sometime soon.

* * *

"Liz? Got a minute?"

Liz looked up in surprise and nodded. "Sure. What's up, Kyle?"

The football jock leaned against the hallway wall. They still had several minutes until lunch was over, and three was no one around to overhear the conversation. Max was outside in the quad, eating with Michael and Maria, and Alex and Isabel had been roped into yet another lunch with Tess' friends. Liz had slipped inside early to grab a few books from her locker, but she hadn't expected to find Kyle here.

"I just wanted to say… thank you," Kyle said, hesitating just enough to make it clear that he was reluctant to actually express gratitude to Liz for anything.

Liz raised an eyebrow curiously. "For what?"

"I just… I guess in retrospect I shouldn't have been… well, I mean, I _did_ have a right to be upset about all the secrets everyone kept from me, but I… I don't want to know about it. But I am glad that you guys… did. You know. For Tess."

Liz furrowed her brow, trying to decipher what Kyle was saying. The ineloquent mumbling didn't make much sense to her, but she had a feeling that he was actually trying to impart something important.

"You lost me," she admitted.

Kyle sighed. "I don't want to know what is going on," he explained. "I have no interest in spending time with you and all your little green men problems. And I don't really… everything that happened in the past, all the lies… you said it was to protect Evans. And… and everyone else."

"It _was_," Liz said emphatically. She had thought they had buried the hatchet on this issue a while ago. Was he still holding onto that grudge? Was he still angry at them for what they had been forced to do to keep each other safe? "Kyle, I never would have lied to you if I didn't have to do so in order to…"

"I know," Kyle interrupted, not letting her finish. "I know, and I… I guess I don't… I mean, I'm sort of glad you did."

"You're glad?" Liz repeated disbelievingly.

"I'm glad you were that dedicated to them, that devoted to the idea of keeping everyone safe," Kyle said slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't understand before how important that was. I… I get it now."

"Why? How?" Liz questioned, still not fully sure she believed or comprehended what he was saying.

He looked at her and didn't answer for a moment. Then he said, "Like I said, I don't want to be involved. And I don't even think she would let me if I changed my mind on that. But… she is involved and if you're trying to protect everyone, then you are also trying to protect her."

There was no need to ask who Kyle was referring to, that was blatantly obvious. On a whim, Liz asked, "How is she?"

Kyle chewed his lip before answering, "Okay, I guess. She keeps having nightmares about the Hardings. I think… I think the uh… skins? Is that the right word?... really got under her skin." He ran a hand through his hair nervously and looked away. "I don't like that she risked her life, but I… I am glad that you guys are… that you have her back."

"Always," Liz promised.

There was an awkward silence, then Kyle muttered, "Anyway… I'm sorry for… anything I said or did that might have… that was unfair to you guys."

"I'm sorry we had to lie to you for so long," Liz offered.

He looked at her, then shrugged. "Water under the bridge. Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned."

"Uh… right."

"Anyway," Kyle said finally, "I just… I do still care about you. I mean… I did really like you, when we were dating. And I don't want… I just want to make sure that we're… okay."

Liz let out a breath. "I really liked you, too," she answered. "And yeah… we're okay."

"Good," Kyle said with a firm nod. "We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world." Then he turned and walked away.

Liz watched him go, well aware of the fact that she would never understand Kyle Valenti.

* * *

They met at the cliffs. It had been a long time since the four of them had slipped out to meet with each other up there, out of the way of prying eyes and eavesdropping ears. Ever since Michael had found an apartment, they had never needed to leave the town to have a private discussion. They had simply used his living room.

But somehow, this conversation had seemed more important than that.

Max stood in the shade of the cliffs, staring off into the distance. Michael leaned idly against a nearby rock outcropping, with Isabel perched on the stone below him, playing with a few loose strands of hair and watching her brother through half-closed eyes. Tess stood in the sun, the yellow glow bouncing off her golden curls, a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes.

"I don't think we can trust them," Michael said shortly.

Max inclined his head with a thoughtful look in his eyes. "They have information. A lot of it, and we need that. And… they do seem to be loyal to us."

"Even so," Michael countered, "are we really going to trust people who show up so unexpectedly like that?"

"It's not just Jared and Kristalia we have to worry about," Isabel chimed in, tilting her head up to look at Michael. "Given what we have learned about Nasedo…"

"The Royalists say he is not trustworthy," Tess cut in, "but if _they_ are not trustworthy, as Michael seems to think, why would we believe them?"

"Do you trust Nasedo?" Isabel countered.

"I don't trust any of them," Tess replied, "but then that is on principle, not because I have any proof." Turning to Max, she said, "They did help us save Isabel. The Royalists, I mean."

"I know," Max agreed wearily. "They want to summon an army here, to start the fight against Khivar now that they have found us. But they haven't yet, because I have told them not to. That makes me think that they will at least be willing to follow my directions."

"For now," Michael retorted. "What happens when they decide you've waited too long? What happens when they want to start the battle without your permission?"

It was a valid question, and no one seemed to have an answer. Unfortunately, they simply did not know enough about the two Royalists to determine if they could be trusted at all. They might be entirely reliable and entirely loyal, and then might not.

"Ava's still out there somewhere," Tess said after a pause. "Do we have any idea what we're going to do about her?" She looked at each of the hybrids, but no one offered anything, and she sighed heavily. "Maybe she'll stay away. Maybe she'll start her own life."

"Maybe she'll try to kill us and find Khivar," Michael countered, and Tess nodded, accepting that possibility as well.

"So… where does this leave us?" Isabel asked cautiously.

"Still very confused," Max replied flatly.

* * *

Next Chapter: Crash Into Me

Due: Sun 2/21


	87. Crash Into Me

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Okay, this chapter is really short. It is also really important, both for the ending of this story (which will happen in about ten chapters) and for the story that comes after it (my season three, and the last story in this series). It's also sad and depressing. Sorry about that, but this has been planned since the very beginning of _This Brilliant Dance_.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Seven: Crash Into Me

_Tess tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear and watched the television screen. The babysitter was sitting at the table behind the sofa, working on her calculus homework. She was so absorbed in the assignment, she paid little attention to the young alien, which suited Tess just fine._

_There was a knock at the door, and Tess felt an inexplicable dread. The baby-sitter stood and flipped her red hair over one shoulder, then walked to the door. She pulled the chain lock open, and Tess had to fight the sudden urge to scream._

_Something was wrong._

_She saw a flash of something, of bodies, and then a glowing hand-print, silver and shiny. The sound of metal scraping against the road, shadows slipping away into the darkness, blood and shattered glass. And the handprint again, distinct and glowing with an unearthly light._

_Then the vision was gone, and three men were standing in the house, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as they stared down at the young blonde and her babysitter._

"_Tess?" the first man asked, crouching down next to her by the sofa and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Tess, sweetie, I've got some bad news…"_

_Tess looked at him, her blue eyes filled with heart-wrenching fear. She nodded slowly and licked dry lips, forcing out two words. "I know."_

Not for the first time, Kyle found himself standing over Tess' bed, shaking her awake. She was screaming, and thrashing about, tangled in the sheets. By the time her eyes finally snapped open, sapphire blue orbs automatically searching for his face, she was also covered in a thin sheen of sweat.

"It's just a dream," Kyle said as Tess sat up in bed. She looked at him for a long moment, then ran a hand through her hair. Her fingers got caught in the knotted curls, and she pulled for a second, trying to unravel the strands, before giving up and leaning forward, propping her elbows on her knees.

He reached for her, tentatively placing a hand on her shoulder. He had never been good with words, with the kind of easy sympathy that others possessed. But Tess was his sister, and so he tried desperately to come up with something to say.

"It's just a nightmare, Tess. You're fine. Everything is going to be fine."

Tess nodded and affirmed in a hoarse voice, "Just a nightmare."

He didn't need to ask what the nightmare had been about, he already knew. And he knew that she wouldn't talk about it either, at least not the details of what had happened. And, anyway, he didn't really want to know, though he would have been willing to listen if it had helped her.

The room was silent as Tess shifted on the bed, slowly pulling the sheets away from her body. When she had finally managed to untangle herself, she stood up and began pacing. She seemed more agitated than usual, and he watched her cautiously, waiting for her to say something.

She finally did turn to him and ask, "Did I wake Jim?"

Kyle shook his head. "No. Dad had to go into work. Not sure why."

Tess accepted this with a heavy sigh. "Okay. Good." She glanced at the clock by her bed, then started fidgeting. "Sorry I woke you."

Kyle shrugged. "No big deal," he said softly.

"I just… I can't get the nightmare to stop," Tess muttered, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.

With a grin, Kyle said, "Well, I'd suggest therapy, but I'm not sure how you would explain all of this. Maybe start with the alien Queen bit and then go on to the whole war for control of another planet thing?"

That earned a choked laugh from Tess, and for a moment the haunted look in her eyes was gone. But then it came back, and she groaned, biting her lip.

"I just don't usually have them this frequently," she said. "It's… frustrating." She stopped pacing and walked back to the bed, sitting down again next to Kyle. He wrapped his arm around her and she leaned against him. "It worries me," she murmured in a low voice.

"Why?" Kyle asked, surprised.

She tilted her head to the side so that she was looking at him as she replied, "It's… stupid. I just… last year, I had these reoccurring dreams of a horrible room. All white, blindingly white, and these people in it who kept hurting me…" She closed her eyes and murmured, "I thought it was just a dream. Then I got thrown into the white room and it became a reality."

"Uh… Tess… you know that… well, this isn't going to become reality because it is already… real. It actually happened," Kyle pointed out gently.

She nodded. "I know. That's why it is so stupid. It shouldn't worry me this much. I mean… Andrew and Jessica can't die _again_." Again, she lapsed into a short silence, before repeating her early sentiment, "I'm sorry I woke you."

Again, Kyle shrugged. "Like I said, it's no big deal."

* * *

When Isabel burst into Max's room and said in a hushed tone, "I think Mom and Dad have been snoopy around my room," Max felt his heart clench. He knew his parents had been looking through his room in the past. He knew that was where his father had found the map that had led him out Pohlman Ranch and resulted in him being possessed by the blue crystal hive Queen. But they had taken care of all that, convinced their mother that it was just a bad dream.

And now they'd moved on to Isabel.

"Well, you were gone for a few days, Izzy," Max said reasonably. "Maybe they're just looking for… I don't know. Drugs or something."

"This isn't fair!" Isabel snapped, but Max knew her anger was not directed towards him. She started pacing, tears pricking at her eyes, and continued, "Nicoals is dead, I'm not Vilandra, Tess isn't pretending to be Ava… Things should finally be going back to normal. We should be safe."

Max nodded mutely. They were safe from the skins, at least for the time being. At least until a new leader rose to replace Nicolas. But even though they were currently safe from the skins, that did not mean all the other dangers were gone.

"What do we do?" Isabel asked, looking beseechingly at him, as though hoping he would have a solution.

But he didn't have one. They'd been lying to their parents for years, but over the last eighteen months things had gotten more complicated. And their parents had been pretty much consistently suspicious since the end of the last school year. What could they say or do now that would erase all that?

Always, in the back of his mind, was the voice that suggested just telling his parents the truth. It had worked out fine for Tess, hadn't it? Jim had learned what his daughter really was, and instead of turning on her, he had come to their aid on several occasions.

And yet… and yet there was always the rational side of him which said that this was better kept a secret. To protect himself… and to protect them. And, of course, there was the other part of him, the voice that came almost entirely from his own fears, pointedly reminding him that just because Jim had loved Tess regardless of what she was, that did not necessarily mean that his parents would be as understanding.

"I don't know," he murmured, hating that he had to admit to that. "I just don't know."

* * *

"Where's Alex?" Liz asked as she slid into the booth across from Isabel.

Isabel looked up and replied, "Don't know. He's supposed to join me in a few minutes, but he'll probably run late. He keeps doing all these crazy computer things for school." Rolling her eyes, she drawled, "I think he might have actually fallen in love with his computer."

Liz laughed. Then she sobered and asked in a low tone, "What's going on with Max? He seemed really upset when I talk to him."

Isabel averted her gaze and stared at the tabletop. "Our parents are snooping around again," she murmured. "I just… I don't know. We don't know what to do about it."

Liz reached out and rested her hand over Isabel's. "I'm sorry," she said, and it wasn't much, but Isabel smiled gratefully anyway. "If there is anything I can do…" the brunette continued, letting the sentence trail off as she offered her support.

Isabel let out a long breath. "Thanks. But I don't think there is."

Liz opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when her mother suddenly appeared at the table, looking distraught. Nancy Parker's usually calm and composed expression had crumbled, and her eyes were glistening, an indication of her distress.

"Mom," Liz cried, jumping to her feet. "What's wrong?"

"Lizzie, sweetheart," Mrs. Parker said, and those two words were enough to cause the dread to coalesce in Isabel's stomach. The older woman paused, then "There's been an accident."

"What kind of accident…?" Liz asked.

"Alex… a car…" Mrs. Parker explained quietly.

"Alex? _Alex_?" Isabel jumped into the conversation, praying she had not heard this right. "What… what do you mean? Like… just a small accident, right? He's not… he's not hurt, is he?"

"Isabel," Mrs. Parker said softly, "I am so sorry," and Isabel felt her entire world drop away.

"No," Liz whispered, her voice barely audible. "That's not… possible."

"He's in a coma," Mrs. Parker continued. "I don't know the details, sweetie. I just… his father called me. It's bad. He's lost a lot of blood and he's not responsive to any stimuli… the doctors are wondering about brain damage…"

Liz sank into the booth again, her face losing all color, but Isabel only spared her the briefest of glances. The words were still reverberating through her mind, and she couldn't make sense of them, couldn't understand how anything could happen to her Alex.

In a coma? How could he be in a coma? _How_? Only a month ago, he had survived a battle against the skins. Against Nicolas. Only a month ago… only a month ago he had been arguing with her, explaining that he would always come for her, always protect her. And he'd promised – _promised_ – that nothing would happen to him.

"No," Isabel whispered, shaking her head. "No… that's not… no. No, I don't believe… I can't…"

"Mom?" Liz asked, her voice weak and thin and sounding suddenly so unlike herself that Isabel had to stare at Liz to confirm that she was, in fact, the person talking. "What happened? Do they know? Did someone hit him?"

Isabel narrowed her eyes. If someone hit Alex, she was going to track down that person and… and…

"I'm not sure. But he wasn't the only person in the car. He… he wasn't the one driving, I think he'd just been getting a ride home because his car had a flat tire," Mrs. Parker explained.

Isabel looked up sharply. "Who was driving?"

* * *

Tess tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear and watched the television screen. Kyle was sitting on the sofa absorbed in whatever show was on, and he barely even noticed her standing there. Which suited her just fine, and allowed her to avoid any more awkward, sympathetic words about last night's dream from her well-meaning but discomfited brother.

There was a knock at the door, and Tess felt an inexplicable dread. Kyle looked up, surprised, and crossed to the door, commenting, "Who would be visiting us at this time of night? Maybe Dad forgot his keys?" Then he pulled the door open, and Tess had to fight the sudden urge to scream.

Something was wrong.

The man who stepped into the house was a deputy, one who Tess only vaguely recognized. Kyle looked at him and said, "My Dad isn't home, if he's the one you're looking for."

"Um… no," the deputy replied, shifting his weight from foot to foot and staring at the two of them. "Actually, I was looking for the two of you."

Tess moved to stand next to Kyle. "You found us," she said, her throat dry.

The deputy looked at Tess and said, "Tess, right?" At her nod, he continued, "Tess, Kyle… I've got some bad news."

And Tess looked at him, her blue eyes filled with heart-wrenching fear, then nodded slowly and licked dry lips, forcing out two words. "I know."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Funeral

Due: Sun 2/28


	88. The Funeral

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Funeral

For Max, everything seemed to be a blur. He could feel Liz holding tightly to his hand, so tightly that it should have hurt, but somehow it didn't. Michael was pacing, the rhythmic thud of his feet falling heavily onto the floor. Maria wasn't there, and Max didn't know if she had heard the news. He thought she'd be here if she knew about Alex, but… but Jim was _dead_ and Maria's mother would be devastated.

Isabel was sobbing. Choking sounds, as though she couldn't quite force the grief out, but it refused to stay in. She was bent over on the uncomfortable bench, head in her hands, body shaking and Max wanted to go to her, wanted to offer something…

But he didn't have anything. What could he say? How could he make this okay…?

Alex was in a coma.

And Jim was…

He didn't want to think that. Didn't want to think what it meant that the Sheriff was gone and…

"Oh, _God_," Isabel suddenly murmured.

Max looked at Liz. How long had they all been standing there? Standing in this white-washed hallway, waiting for something, anything… He couldn't remember when he had heard the news, couldn't remember anything at all, and there was a dull ringing in his ears that muted everything. Like white noise, he mused. Like the world had turned into an out-of-tune radio.

He barely even noticed the nurses and doctors that walked passed him with their sympathetic looks. Every time he did catch their eyes, it made him angry. How could they be sympathetic? How could they act like they cared when they didn't even _know_ Alex? They saw death all the time and they didn't know Alex… or Jim… and…

Max felt a hand on his arm and turned, surprised to see Mrs. Parker. She'd come with Liz and Isabel, of course, but he'd nearly forgotten about that. She had been talking to the doctor and then to Alex's parents and… and… and somehow, Max had completely lost track of who was here and who wasn't and who even _knew_ what was going on and…

"I need to talk to Mrs. Whitman for a couple more minutes," Nancy Parker said softly. "Lizzie… I'll be back soon, okay?" Liz nodded numbly, not even looking at her mother, and the older woman turned to Max and requested softly, "You keep an eye on her."

"Yeah," Max replied. "Yeah, I will."

That seemed to satisfy Mrs. Parker, and she turned and walked away, glancing back over her shoulder at Liz for a moment. But Liz continued to stare straight ahead, seeing nothing at all. She hadn't reacted to anything since he had arrived at the hospital and…

Max closed his eyes. He suddenly remembered the frantic phone call from Isabel, remembered running out of the house without a second thought, remembered meeting them here, in this hallway… but it was still hazy, like a fog had fallen over his memories and blurred all the details, leaving him with no sense of time or space.

He'd tried to help, tried to fix Alex but…

"He was at the school," Isabel said suddenly. "He was at the school and he wanted to stay with his computer but I wanted to hang out with him so I… I called him and I asked him to come and he didn't even want to but I said…" She stopped for a moment, biting her lip, but now that she had started talking it was as though she couldn't stop. The words continued to tumble out, jumbled and disjointed, filled with fear and pain. "If I hadn't… he would still be at school. He wouldn't have gotten a flat tire, he wouldn't have run into Valenti, and they wouldn't have…"

"Isabel, honey," a voice said, and Max was once again surprised to realize that there were other people here. His mother. When had she gotten here? He hadn't driven with her and he didn't even remember if he'd told her, but he must have because she was here, and… and… why?

It seemed so wrong, having people here, people besides them. Alex was his friend, part of his group, and anyone else was an intruder. Even his _mother_. Even Liz's mother. How could they _be_ here, how could they understand what it felt like to know that… that…

"They're all going to get hurt or die," Isabel continued. "They're all going… everyone I care about, they're all going to… why did I make him get in that car?"

"Isabel, it was an accident," Mrs. Evans said firmly, sitting on the bench next to her daughter and wrapping an arm around Isabel's still shaking shoulders. "Honey, this is tragic and scary and painful and not something any of us are ever going to forget. But it is _not_ your fault."

"It hurts," Isabel whispered and fell against her mother, sobbing once more.

"Oh, honey," Mrs. Evans replied, "I wish I had some kind of special powers or something to make all of this go away for you."

Isabel didn't say anything, but Max felt his insides clench. Special powers didn't help.

"Lizzie!"

Maria was there, so suddenly, rushing into their midst and nearly throwing herself at the brunette. Liz finally reacted, turning her head to the side and staring at Maria. The blank look in her eyes was gone, replaced by something far worse – devastation. She allowed Maria to hug her, then pulled her hand away from Max and grabbed fiercely to Maria's shoulders. The two friends seemed to collapse against each other, using the other for support.

Isabel's sobs grew louder.

Then Maria turned to Max and demanded in a low hiss, "Why haven't you _done_ something?"

Max looked sharply away, the pain of her question slicing through him. It wasn't really an accusation, he knew, and her hard tone was more a reflection of her terror than her anger at him, but still… He'd tried. He'd wanted to do something, wanted to fix something, but…

"I can't," he said dully, his voice hoarse.

"Why?" Maria pressed. She still had enough presence of mind to keep her voice low so as to not be overheard by anyone else in the hallway. But her eyes were flashing dangerous, and Max wished with all his heart that he could do or say something that would make this easier.

But he _couldn't_. He couldn't fix it, and he'd tried _so_ damn hard to just make it go away!

"Just heal his mind," Maria continued. "Bring him out of the coma. It won't… people wake up all the time, and this won't… the doctors won't know it is another other than his brain healing and…"

Didn't she know that he'd already thought of that? Did she really think he would have just stood here and done nothing when Alex was…

He didn't look at Maria.

"He tried," Liz said, her tone wavering. "He'd _tried_, Maria, but he couldn't…"

Max rubbed his eyes with his hands, seeing stars burst behind his lids. He'd tried, slipped into Alex's room when no one was there and did his best to heal him, but it hadn't made any difference and the heart monitor had continued it's steady beat but Alex hadn't woken up, hadn't even seemed to notice that anyone was there and Max knew he had failed but he didn't know why and…

Mrs. Parker was back. She gave Liz a hug and patted Max on the shoulder, then turned and hugged Maria as well.

Michael crossed over to them and pulled Maria away from Liz. She didn't protest, and instead fell back against his chest.

"Max," Michael said tensely, "you need to go be with her."

Max hesitated, looked at Liz and then Isabel. "I don't know…" he started, because she hadn't really seemed to want his company. Hadn't wanted _any_ company.

"You _need_ to," Michael said again. "She needs…" He stopped, shook his head. "Maxwell."

Max looked at Liz again. She swallowed and gave him the tiniest of nods, but it was Isabel who spoke up, saying in a firm tone, "Go, Max. Michael's right, she needs… if it was Mom or Dad… someone should be there and…"

The words were hardly coherent, be he recognized the sentiment behind them and responded with a dull nod. If it had been his mother or father… he might say he didn't want company, but he also wouldn't want to be alone.

"I'll be back," he murmured. "Get me if anything changes, okay?"

Then he turned and walked away from the group, heading towards the bench outside the main waiting room just at the edge of the parking lot, the last place he had seen Tess.

* * *

It was raining. Not a torrential downpour by any means, but just the slow trickle of precipitation falling from a few clouds that dotted the otherwise clear sky. Tiny puddles formed in the dips and dents of the sidewalk, and rivulets of water ran down the cracks in the parking lot. The rain beat out a steady rhythm against the awning overhead, a continual drumming sound that broke the otherwise grim silence.

She heard the footsteps and knew who it was. Something clenched painfully in her chest – she didn't want to talk to him. Didn't want to hear his platitudes or accept his comfort, didn't want to know that he was _so sorry for her loss_ because he didn't have a damn clue what it felt like.

Alex was in the hospital, in a coma, and she knew that that mattered, knew that she should feel something for him and for Maria and Liz and Isabel – oh, _God_, Isabel – but she couldn't muster the strength to care because…

Because Jim was _dead_.

He sat down next to her, hands resting in his lap, and stared blankly at the parking lot. For a moment, no one said anything, and she wanted to demand an explanation for his presence. Hadn't he heard her the first time? It was less than half an hour ago that he had tried to talk to her, and didn't he remember that she told him to get lost?

"I'd ask you how you are holding up," he said softly, "but I think I know the answer to that."

She gave a dark, bitter chuckle, flicking idly at a stand of blonde hair.

"Where's Kyle?" he pressed.

She looked at him then, anger flashing through her eyes. "In the morgue. With the… the _body_." She didn't mean to spit the words out with such venom, but why was he asking her stupid and pointless questions? Why did it matter exactly where Kyle was right now? Her brother had already made it perfectly clear he wanted to be alone, so couldn't they just leave it at that?

"Oh. I didn't realize they…" he trailed off, apparently deciding finishing the sentence was a bad idea. But she knew what he was going to say, and she had been surprised that they had let Kyle into the morgue as well. Shouldn't the morgue be off-limits?

"What do you want, Max?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged, eyes flicking to her face and then looking away, towards the parking lot once more. "I want to know why you're out here, Tess, sitting on a very uncomfortable and cold bench, barely protected from the rain and not at all protected from the wind. I want to know why you're alone right now, when you could be inside. With us."

"I don't want to be with you," she replied fiercely. "Did it ever occur to you, Max, that being alone is _exactly_ what I need right now?"

"Why?" Max asked. "What good would it do?"

"It would spare me your psychoanalytical babble," Tess muttered sourly.

Max smirked, but the expression did not reach his eyes.

She wanted to ask if there was any news of Alex. She wanted to ask how Isabel was doing, and if Maria and Liz were both here now. She wanted to ask if Amy DeLuca had been told.

But she didn't. At that moment, it didn't matter. _They_ didn't matter, not really. Not when Kyle didn't want to be around her at the moment, not when Jim was dead, not when her entire life had been ruined in the blink of an eye.

Instead, she stared down at the water that fell into the puddle before her, watching the rings get larger and larger, spreading out from every drop.

She should have been able to stop this. She knew, or at least, she should have known. Those dreams, the ones that came over and over and over… of course Andrew and Jessica couldn't die again, but that didn't mean she couldn't lose her other father. If she had just thought about it more, if she had just analyzed it correctly, she could have figured out what was going to happen and she could have stopped it.

Jim would still be alive. And Alex would not in a coma. And they wouldn't all be here, gathered in this hospital, dealing with news they couldn't bear.

"Tess…"

"Leave me alone, Max," she said wearily. "Go back to your sister and the love of your life. I'm sure they both need you more than I do."

Max studied her face, then reached out and caught her hand in his. "Liz has her parents and Maria. Isabel has our mother and Michael. But you're sitting out here by yourself, so I think you're probably wrong in that assessment."

She tried to pull her hand out of his grip, but he didn't let go. Rage simmered in her gaze, mixed with pain and frustration and grief, and the overbearing despair that threatened to consume her. She wanted to shout at him, to yell and scream and push him away. She wanted to be left alone, to sit here on this cold metal bench with the wind biting through her too-thin sweater and the sound of the rain on the awning overheard the only noise to break the silence.

She wanted not to think, but she couldn't help it, and Jim's face swam before her gaze, a blurry, hazy, fog-filled memory of a man she would never see again.

It hit her, hard, and she blinked and looked away. Max still held her hand, and she gave up pulling away from him. When he tried to put his arm around her shoulders, she shrugged him off and he did not attempt again.

But he did not let go of her hand.

"Max…" she started, but he cut her off.

"No, Tess. You can yell at me, you can threaten me, you can mock me. I don't care. I'm not leaving you. Okay? I'm _not_ going anywhere."

She was suddenly far too tired to fight him. The exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her, and she nodded slowly, painfully. "Okay," she whispered, her voice dry and hoarse, scratchy against her throat. "Okay."

* * *

Maria knew that, for the rest of her life, she would always remember the dry, hollow sound of the dirt hitting the coffin, the choked sob that came from her mother as Amy DeLuca twisted away from the sight, and Tess' faint whisper of "No…" that threatened to break her heart.

The coffin was settled in the ground and people kept moving up, taking a turn to shovel some dirt into the grave. It was supposed to offer closure, Maria assumed, or be some kind of symbolic way of saying goodbye. But it seemed morbid and cruel, and Tess and Kyle had both refused to do it, looking pale at the very thought.

She didn't remember the service. Didn't remember the eulogy the priest had given. Didn't know how he could have even known enough about Jim Valenti to have anything at all to say, but he must have talked for some time, and he must have said something emotional, because everyone was in tears by the time it was all over.

She had never seen so much black in her life.

From that moment onwards, she decided, she would forever hate the color black.

Her mother sat on one side of her, back straight and stiff in the metal folding chairs that were settled out across the lawn. Michael sat on the other side, his fingers clenched tightly around her hand, and every time she thought she might completely lose it and start screaming that this wasn't fair, she would squeeze his hand, and he would squeeze back.

She tried not to think about Alex. Tried not to wonder if they would be having a funeral for him soon, too.

Everyone was there. All the important people of the town had come to say goodbye to the Sherriff. He was hardly beloved, but he was respected enough to warrant this, and Maria had never seen so many of the town's officials together in one place. Even the mayor had come – and that, Maria thought, might have been a bad move, because both Tess and Isabel looked about ready to kill the known rebel skin. He seemed a perfectly logical scapegoat, given how little they knew about his loyalties, but Courtney at least had proven useful, and so murdering the person she worked for was probably a bad idea.

Not to mention the whole exposure thing…

And then it was over, so quickly, the ground filled with dirt and the coffin buried from sight. Maria looked around, wondering how it had all happened so fast. She'd missed it, but maybe it was for the best, because did she really want to remember it?

"There was so much blood," Kyle said suddenly.

Maria turned and looked at him. He was sitting in the row in front of her, just to the left, next to Tess. The blonde hybrid was looking at him, but she didn't respond to the comment. Kyle didn't seem to have expected a response. In fact, it was unclear if he was even talking to her, or just saying the words because he felt they needed to be said aloud.

"I wasn't prepared for that," he continued in a low murmur.

Maria winced as she remembered that he had visited the morgue, had seen his father's body. They must have cleaned him up, she reasoned, but perhaps they hadn't been able to get off all the blood before Kyle had requested – no, _demanded_ – the visit.

"His skin was so cold. And there was nothing there. His eyes… he wasn't even… it looked like him, but it wasn't him and I just…"

Kyle sighed, still staring straight ahead, and did not finish the comment. Nobody asked for any more of an elaboration, and Maria had the feeling that Kyle wouldn't have even managed to be coherent had he wanted to explain more.

Tess leaned over and buried her head in her hands. Her body started shaking with silent sobs, and Maria realized with a start that the icy, cold, callous, indifferent hybrid Queen was crying. Somehow, that made everything so much more real, and her chest tightened viciously, momentarily stealing away her ability to breath.

Michael's arms were almost instantly around her, and she buried her head in his chest.

The priest started speaking again, but Maria only caught a few words. It was clear he was asking for their prayers for one Alex Whitman, who had been injured in the same car accident and was currently in a coma. People around her began to murmur and mutter their thoughts and opinions, expressing sympathy and concern.

The crowd began rising to their feet, people expression condolences to the still crying Tess and the emotionless Kyle, and offering their thoughts and hopes to Alex's parents. Maria watched them, her gaze alternating between Tess and Kyle and the Whitman family.

"Do you see those people?" she said quietly to Michael, resting her head against him again, her words muffled by his chest. Though she kept her voice low, she could not keep the anger from her tone, could not keep it from forcing itself into her heart and wrapping around each and every cell in her body. "Who are they? They don't even know Alex or the Sheriff. They weren't friends, not with either of them. And they're sitting here, praying and crying and putting on this show as if they gave a damn about either of them when they were alive! It makes me so angry!"

Michael nodded slowly and kissed the top of her head.

"Maria," her mother said slowly, "I'm going to… say goodbye."

Maria swallowed back the lump in her throat and nodded, watching silently as her mother pushed her way through the metal chairs and hesitantly approached the grave. She wished she could go up there with her mother, wished she could be the strong one right now, but… She could barely support herself, so how could she offer support to anyone else?

She watched as Kyle got up and walked away from them. Tess had stopped crying and was staring after her brother with an unreadable look on her face. Max and Isabel looked up as Kyle passed them and Isabel said something, but Kyle ignored her, apparently unwilling to talk to anyone. Isabel looked down at her hands and Max pulled her into a hug and Maria wished she had something to offer them as well.

And then there was Liz.

The brunette human was standing near the back of the rows of chairs. She had been one of the first to leave her seat, and she was now watching everyone else with a face devoid of all emotion. Maria stared at her, wondering what was going to happen now, wondering how Liz would handle it all. It was clear that she was struggling to keep it together and…

And Alex could be dying, Max was completely unable to help, and they were all just standing there, waiting for whatever would happen to happen. It was like their lives had been frozen in a state of limbo, and they couldn't move forward until…

Until what? Maria wondered bitterly what could possibly break this sense of numbing paralysis that had settled over everything.

It was then that she noticed another woman approaching them. The woman was tall and striking, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and a smile that seemed so very out of place at a funeral. She walked towards them, or more specifically towards Tess, and paused before the blonde hybrid.

Even Michael looked over with interest, wondering what the woman could want.

"Tess Harding?"

Tess nodded. "Yeah? What?" she snapped irritably.

The woman's smile didn't falter for a moment. "I'm so sorry for your loss," she said, and somehow, the way she said it made it sound genuine and heartfelt, not the trite, common words of a distant friend who didn't really understand the loss. There was also something in her voice that indicated her familiarity with this sort of situation, as though she had done this many times before.

Tess blinked. "Who are you?" she questioned.

"Samantha Dawson," the woman said, taking Kyle's abandoned seat. "I work for Child Protective Services."

Tess stiffened, the lines around her jaw hardening. "Oh?" she said, eyes suddenly cold. It was quite obviously abundantly clear that she knew exactly why this woman was here, and perhaps she had known it would happen some time, had even been expecting it. She did not look pleased. "Do we really have to talk about this now?"

Ms. Dawson gave a bittersweet smile. "Not right at this moment, no. But I wanted to give you a bit of a warning that we will need to talk about it. Soon. Your father did not leave a legal guardian for you or Kyle in his will, and since you are both still minors…"

"Don't," Tess cut her off sharply. "I don't want to…" She stopped, licked her lips. "I don't want to think about this right now."

"Of course not," Ms. Dawson answered reasonably. "It can wait for a little bit." She placed a hand on Tess' elbow and said, "I am so very sorry for your loss. From everything that was said at the funeral, it sounds as though Sheriff Valenti was a remarkable man. And he obviously loved you deeply." She rose to her feet. "I will be in touch, Ms. Harding, to discuss your options, and your brother's options."

After the social worker had walked away, Tess slammed her fist down onto the chair, and Maria started in surprise. The petite blonde looked furious, and Maria couldn't help but wonder what had set her off so badly. The social worker had been pleasant and kind, had seemed to be understanding…

"If she even thinks of bringing this up, I will _kill_ her," Tess snarled.

Maria and Michael exchanged worried looks, and Michael asked, "Brings up what?"

Tess didn't answer for a moment. She was too busy seething, and had switched her gaze to stare at Kyle with a mixture of anger and fear. And possibly something that looked like regret.

Maria bit her lip and waited for an answer, an explanation of her anger. She knew the social worker's presence would not be something anyone wanted to deal with, given what she represented. Now that Jim was dead, Tess and Kyle would either have to sue for emancipation to live on their own, find a foster family in Roswell that would take them – and a foster family anywhere out of the city was not an option, given that Tess couldn't really leave the other three hybrids – or look for another family member…

And then Maria knew.

Tess had two options. Jim didn't have any family members, and so option number three was out of the question for Tess. She could sue for emancipation or try to request a foster family in Roswell.

But Kyle… Kyle _did_ have a family member. His next of kin. Which meant that, for the first time in over ten years, Kyle was going to have to face the possibility of meeting up with one of the few people she knew he never wanted to even think about again. With Jim dead, the social worker was going to suggest the one person who could claim legal guardianship of Kyle, could walk back into his life after all these years.

His mother.

It would hurt Kyle to see her again.

And that was terrifying Tess.

Aloud, Tess said, "She left Kyle. She walked out on him, she can't come back now. Not with Jim dead. The social worker shouldn't bring it up, shouldn't even suggest it. She didn't want Kyle then, and we don't want her now."

Maria closed her eyes for a moment, sympathy filling her heart for Tess and Kyle and everyone else caught up in this twisted, convoluted, screwed-up life. Then she leaned away from Michael and stood up, her gaze running out over the crowd.

Liz was still standing by herself. Max and Isabel were talking, and though Max continually glanced over at Liz, he hadn't gone to her side yet. Kyle was opposite them, ignoring everything and everyone around him as he stared at the grave that held his father's lifeless body. Tess had taken a few steps away from Michael and Maria, and was looking in the opposite direction, eyes following Ms. Dawson as she disappeared into the distance. And, in the midst of it all, Alex's absence lingered, reminding them of _exactly_ where he was at that very moment.

Maria shook her head and lowered her gaze, an uneasy feeling condensing in the pit of her stomach.

They all stood apart, separated from each other, like a frozen tableau of what the future would bring.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Sound of the Fury

Due: Sun 3/7


	89. The Sound and the Fury

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Okay, so here's the deal; I'm going to try to post the several chapters pretty quickly, because they all tie together and I think it will be easier for everyone to keep track of what is happening if I do that. So look for updates every couple of days for the next few weeks.

* * *

Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Sound and the Fury

Liz had been in a hospital room before, and she knew she should have been prepared for this. For the twisting tubes that connected Alex's body to various machines, for the dull, rhythmic noise of the heart monitor over the bed, for the sterile, white-washed feeling of the entire place. Amy DeLuca had been in a hospital room for such a long time after her car accident and…

And what was it with this group and car accidents?

She stared at Alex, at his too pale face and his still hands, at the slow rise and fall of his chest, and she couldn't quite stop the gasp that escaped her lips. It wasn't supposed to be like this. _He_ wasn't supposed to be like this.

Isabel was sitting on one of the chairs in the room. She had pushed it back against the wall, leaving plenty of space around Alex's bed, almost as though she was afraid to get any closer, afraid of what she would see if she did.

"Where's Maria?" Isabel after as a pause.

Liz took another hesitant step into the room and did not remove her gaze from Alex's face. "She's with her mother. Ms. DeLuca is having a hard time with… with everything." She couldn't quite bring herself to say the words out loud, but the memory of the funeral, of the Sheriff's death, hung in the air between them.

"Oh," Isabel said noncommittally.

Alex's lips were just barely parted, enough for him to be able to breathe through his mouth. He was not connected to a respirator, and she knew he had been when he was first brought in, so was it a good sign that he was now able to breathe on his own?

It probably didn't matter. Breathing was not something that required higher brain function. Alex could be in a vegetative state with no hope of recovery and he would still be able to breathe on his own.

She tore her gaze away from the body of her best friend and looked at Isabel. "Where are Max and Michael?"

Isabel shook her head slowly and said in a numb tone, "I don't… I don't know." She raised bloodshot eyes to Liz and asked in a hoarse voice, "Why did this happen?"

Liz didn't have an answer, but Isabel didn't seem to need one. Instead, she continued talking in that same hoarse, pain-filled voice.

"Why did he get a flat tire? Why did Valenti have to pick him up and offer a ride? Why did there have to be an accident…?"

"He'll be okay," Liz said after a moment, though she knew it wasn't enough.

Isabel shook her head. "The doctor said there was a lot of swelling in his brain. That's _not_ a good sign, Liz, and nothing is going to be okay for Valenti… or for Tess."

Liz knew enough to know that swelling in the brain often lead to brain damage and death. She looked back at Alex and rubbed her eyes. He looked so peaceful lying there, and except for the gray pallor of his face and unnatural stillness of his body, he might have just been sleeping.

But he wasn't sleeping. He was in a coma.

It just wasn't fair. Things like this should happen to sweet, unassuming people like Alex.

"I tried to talk to him," Isabel whispered suddenly, keeping her voice low. Liz came a few steps closer, straining to hear the hushed words. "But I couldn't… I couldn't get in."

The brunette blinked a few times, trying to understand. After a moment, she realized that Isabel was referring to dream-walking, and she chewed her lip thoughtfully, slanting a quick look at Alex.

"What do you mean?" she asked. She didn't know enough about Isabel's gifts to have any idea if not being able to dream-walk someone was normal. And if it wasn't normal… what did it mean that Isabel couldn't reach Alex?

"I don't know," Isabel said. "I just… it was like there wasn't anything there. I've never… I've never dealt with anything like that before."

Liz nodded, no longer listening to Isabel. Her focus was entirely on Alex, and the beginning of an idea took shape in her mind.

* * *

They hadn't really spoken since the funeral. Several people had offered to come over to fill their house so they wouldn't have to be alone. Tess had politely declined most offers, and Kyle had just numbly shook his head at anyone who tried to talk to him. But now they were alone in their house, and had been for several hours, and had barely exchanged a word.

Kyle glanced over at Tess. She was sitting on the sofa, eyes glued to the television. But the television wasn't on, and the blank, black screen stared back at her.

"Tess?" he said, forcing out her name, willing him to look at her. She did, blonde curls falling in front of her face as though to hide her emotionless gaze, and he realized he had nothing to say. He just wanted something to break the silence, to fill the space between him because right now, Tess seemed to be drifting further and further away.

So he lapsed into silence with a tiny sigh.

She looked away sharply, averting her gaze, and said, "I know. I… I miss him, too."

Had long had it been? He honestly could not remember the last time he had eaten, let alone how many hours it had been since the deputy had shown up at his door. But he could picture it, so clearly, that split-second when he realized exactly what was happening and Tess' face had lost all expression and the world had seemed to stop spinning.

It _should_ be like any other night. His father _should_ be getting home from work soon. Tess _should_ have some dinner prepared for them, even if she wasn't going to be there herself, because she knew they couldn't cook. And he should be worry about nothing more than his schoolwork and whether or not he had plans with Trudy.

Trudy.

He hadn't spoken to her since that night. She'd come to the hospital and tried to comfort him, but there had been nothing she could say to make any of it easier. She'd been at the funeral afterwards, but he hadn't spoken to anyone then, though he thought Tess might have exchanged a few words with her.

His birthday was in two days. How screwed-up was that?

Tess had gone back to staring at the television screen. He debated turning it on for a moment, thinking that at least the noise would help to break the silence. But he didn't reach for the remote, and instead continued staring at Tess, at the back of her head.

"Was it… was it alien-related?"

He hadn't meant to ask the question, and as soon as he did, he wished he could take it back. Tess' head snapped up, and this time when she looked at him there was something undeniably hostile in her eyes. And under that, he could also see some disbelief, as though she couldn't quite figure out why he was asking her that.

"_What_?"

For a moment, he debated retracting the question and telling her to forget it. But he couldn't. Ever since that night, it had been burning in the back of his mind, and the longer he let it fester, the more desperate he became for an answer.

"You dreamt about it," Kyle said finally.

"I dreamt about Andrew and Jessica," Tess corrected firmly. It was the first time he had seen real emotion in her eyes since his father's death, and it was pure fury. And it was directed at him.

He looked down, slowly wringing his hands together. He didn't know much about her alien powers, and it was entirely possible that he was reading way too much into this. But she had repeatedly dreamt about Andrew and Jessica's death… and then her current father had died. How could he look at that and _not_ be suspicious?

He took a step back from and murmured, "I'm not blaming you, Tess. I _know_ this wasn't your fault. But… but if it is alien-related, I have a right to know."

She looked at him, and he stared back. He couldn't read her expression, the anger had suddenly fizzled out and died. Her shoulders were hunched and her lips were pressed together in a thin line. When she finally speaks, she sounds deadened, like she's somehow cut off from the rest of the world.

"People die, Kyle. It happens."

He should have left it alone. He knew that, and had known it all along. His father was dead, and maybe right now was not the time for questions, not the time to discuss this. But he also knew he wouldn't get an answer from anyone else, and the longer he waited, the harder it would be to bring this up with Tess.

"They do," he agreed. "And sometimes they are killed." He didn't say the word murdered, though he thought it would be more accurate. It formed a hardened ball of _something_ in his stomach, and he watched Tess quietly, waiting to see what she would say.

She rose to her feet, gaze still locked on his.

They both had blue eyes. He'd never really thought about that before. Physically, Tess was almost nothing like him. She was short and thin, with blonde curls, a stark contrast to his dark hair and tall, muscular physique. Even her nearly translucent skin was a few shades too pale to be considered similar to his. And all these traits, and many other things, could serve as proof that they weren't biologically related.

But they both had blue eyes.

It was a silly, stupid thing to dwell on. A lot of people had blue eyes. But she did, too. And so did his father. _Their_ father.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just… I just need to know."

"There's no reason to believe it was anything other than an accident," Tess said flatly.

He didn't push the subject. Instead, he turned away from her and stared at the kitchen, half-expecting his father to appear. But he wouldn't appear, not now. Not anymore, and that thought caused his breath to hitch, a slight sob catching in his throat.

"Go sit down," Tess said heavily. "I'll heat up the leftovers. You need to eat."

Kyle glanced at her. "You need to eat, too."

She didn't answer, and he watched her walk into the kitchen in silence. He didn't know the full details of what had happened the night his father had died, but he was going to figure it out. And if there was someone, anyone, he could blame for this… that person was going to pay.

* * *

Alex's room was still and silent. It reminded Liz of a tomb, but she savagely forced that thought away. Alex was not dead yet.

It hadn't been difficult to obtain permission from Mr. Whitman to look at Alex's room. She'd simply claimed she needed to sit there, in that room, to try to find some hope that Alex would come back to them all in one piece. She knew it was looking less and less optimistic by the moment, but she had to believe…

She couldn't lost Alex.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, she looked around. The room seemed colder than usual, but maybe that was just her perception of it. And yet her entire body was shivering, and she looked down to see goose bumps on her arms.

"Why were you at the school, Alex?" she asked, her voice sounding loud and awkward in the unnatural stillness of the room. "What were you working on? And why couldn't you work on it here, at your own computer?"

More importantly, why could Isabel dream-walk him?

She slid off the bed and walked over to the desk, pulling open the top drawer. It was neatly organized with rows of pens and pencils on one side, and other various school supplies divided in groups on the others. It was so very _Alex_ that she had to bite her lip and blink several times to keep from crying again.

She closed the drawer quickly and closed her eyes for a moment, leaning against the desk. Alex's pale face flashed before her eyes, drawn and haggard and silent.

Taking a slow breath, she forced her eyes open and moved on to the next drawer. Opening it, she saw a stack of blank printer paper. She rested her hand on the smooth surface of the paper, staring at it. Then she began to slowly sort through the sheets. They were all blank. Until…

Underneath the stack of paper was a thin file folder. Liz tugged it out, bending the printer paper as she did so. She stared at the bent and slightly crumpled edges of the paper, a frown marring her expression as she thought to herself that Alex would be annoyed to know that she'd messed up his perfectly organized desk.

Then she dismissed the thought and turned her attention to the folder. Opening it, she stared at the first page in surprise. Whatever she had expected, it was not to find a long list of ones and zeros filling the entire page. They didn't appear to be in any kind of order, but maybe, she reasoned, it was some kind of binary code like what was frequently used in computer programming.

She moved on to the next page. More of the same, just ones and zeros. And then, to her surprise, the bottom of the page had a single line with the words "I can't" written over and over.

Liz chewed her lip thoughtfully. Whatever this was, it didn't seem like something Alex would normally do. Was he writing a code? Why? What was he programming? And what did the last line mean? What was it he couldn't do?

She turned the page over, moving on to the next one. It was the last page in the folder, and instead of having ones or zeros, there was a single sentence, repeated all the way down the page.

Leanna is not Leanna.

Liz stared at the page, and only one thought came to mind.

"Who's Leanna?"

* * *

Dinner was passed in tense silence.

Max hadn't really expected anything else, but it still hurt to find himself so completely unable to talk to anyone. His parents' suspicions had been put on hold as they all dealt with the death of Jim Valenti and the currently undecided fate of Alex Whitman. But the suspicion was by no means gone, and all through dinner, Max could feel his parents' gazes on him, full of questions he couldn't answer.

Isabel was silent as well. But her silence was different from his own. It was not awkward, not filled with unease. She was completely oblivious to everything around her, including their parents' inquiring looks. She stared sullenly at her good, pushing it back and forth across her plate, and did not eat.

Max twisted his napkin in his lap.

"Tomorrow's a school day," Diane said suddenly.

Isabel didn't look up from her plate, but Max answered, "Yeah, I know."

"Are you ready for that?" his mother pressed, concern in her tone. Max couldn't tell if the concern was genuine, or if she was just fishing for information about something. But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he felt sick with guilt. This was his mother. How could he even think that she would so callously use Jim's death as a means to press for details on his life?

"Do I have a choice?" he said hollowly, looking at Isabel. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling, or what Tess going through. It was hard enough for him to deal with this, but if it had been one of his parents in that car… or Liz…

When he tried to heal Alex, he'd barely been able to concentrate. He kept seeing flashes of Liz on the hospital bed, her dark hair splayed out across the white pillowcases, her tan skin bruised. They weren't real, but that hadn't kept him from reacting emotionally, hadn't kept him from nearly needing to scream.

How could this have happened? They had fought the FBI, the skins, and Rath and Lonnie, and had made it relatively intact through all of those encounters. So how could a simple, mundane, _accidental_ car crash be what finally beat them?

The feel of his mother's fingers resting on his hand caused Max to snap his attention to her, and she offered a tentative smile. "If there's anything you want to talk about…" she offered, and it was clear that she meant more than just the car accident.

He pulled away from her and pushed his chair back. "I'm not the one that needs to talk," he said stiffly, jerking his head at Isabel. She was the one who barely acknowledged anyone else's presence, who was so wrapped up in her grief she didn't even notice the rest of the world.

She hadn't tried to talk to Tess. Not since the funeral, not since… not since they'd heard the news. She had insisted that Max check on Tess while they were at the hospital, but she had not sought out the petite hybrid herself. And that surprised Max, because weren't Tess and his sister supposed to be friends?

Then again, he reasoned, had anyone tried to speak to Tess? Maria would be too busy worrying about Alex and helping her mother deal with Jim's death. And Michael would be too busy taking care of Maria as best he could. He didn't know how Liz was dealing with this, she had been distant and unapproachable at the funeral. He'd tried to talk to her several times, but she'd kept pulling away from him, from all of them.

"Isabel? Honey?" Philip asked, looking at his daughter. "How are you doing?"

Isabel raised haunted eyes towards her father and said nothing. She simply stared at him for a beat, then turned her attention back to her plate.

"Do you want to talk?" Philip continued, refusing to give up on the conversation even though it was abundantly clear that Isabel had no intention of answering him.

"You know, if there's anything at all you want to say to us," Diane added gently, "we'll listen. We're your parents."

Isabel pushed her chair back and stood up. "What do you want me to say?" she demanded, eyes flashing. Prior to this, Max had thought that any emotion at all would be better than the completely impassive look that had previously settled over her face. But now… now he wasn't so sure. The anger was not simply a flaring temper. It was furious, seething, bitter resentment, and it looked so out of place on his sister.

Diane drew back. "Izzy," she murmured.

But Isabel would not be comforted or appeased.

"Valenti is _dead_ and Alex could… could join him. Any minute." She continued to glare at both her parents as she asked heatedly, "What do you _want_ from me?"

"We're just trying to help," Philip answered quickly. "I know what you're going through, sweetheart, and…"

"_No_, no you don't!" Isabel snarled. "Because you've never gotten anyone _killed_!"

And she turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

In the five stages of grief, Isabel had just moved into anger.

Max watched her go, then looked back at his crestfallen parents. There was nothing he could say, no words of comfort he could offer, and anyway, shouldn't _they_ be the ones comforting _him_?

Fortunately, he was saved from having to say anything at all by a knock on the door. Twisting, he looked in the general direction of the noise and have a perplexed frown. He wasn't expecting anyone, so he didn't know who it could be. Unless his parents had invited company over, but that seemed unlikely given everything that had happened…

"I'll get it," he said quickly.

He didn't wait to hear his parents' response, and when he opened the front door a moment later, all thoughts of Isabel and the dinner conversation left his mind.

"Liz."

The brunette gave a faint smile that did not reach her eyes. "Hi, Max. Can I come in?"

"Sure." He stepped aside and allowed her to enter. She slid past him, and he noticed that she didn't come close enough to accidentally brush against his arm the way she usually did. She was very carefully keeping her distance, and he had no idea why.

"Oh, hello, Liz," Diane said from the doorway of the kitchen.

Liz turned towards Max's mother with a carefully neutral expression. "Hi, Mrs. Evans," she said. "I hope I'm not interrupting dinner?"

"No. We just finished," Max answered for his mother. He slid his hand onto Liz's arm and pulled her towards the stairs leading to his bedroom. She didn't resist, but she didn't lean into him either. She walked stiffly at his side, and he looked at her, not bothering to give his parents a second glance.

They waited until they were in the relative safety of his room before speaking. Max shut the door firmly and turned to look at Liz, who was staring out the window. There was a moment of silence, then he asked, "Liz? What's wrong?"

It was such a stupid question. He knew _exactly_ what was wrong. She looked at him, and he felt the ridiculousness of the question and averted his gaze for a moment, collecting his thoughts. When he looked back at Liz, she was still staring at him, but there was something hard in his eyes. Something he didn't recognize.

She held out a folder to him. "I found this in Alex's room," she said.

He took the folder from her and opened it, staring at the rows of ones and zeros on the paper before him. It hardly seemed significant, and he looked back at her, confused. He couldn't understand why she would have gone into Alex's room anyway, why she would be looking through his belongings. What did she expect to find?

"Look," she said, a hint of anger seeping into her tone. She snatched the file back from him and flipped to the next page, to more ones and zeros. Jabbing her finger at the bottom of the page, she pointed to the last line, and Max squinted as he read the words.

_I can't._

He looked at Liz again, but she was still staring at the words. She flipped to the next page, then, and he frowned.

"Who's Leanna?" he asked.

"I don't know," Liz said, "but it means _something_. Don't you see?"

Max couldn't do much besides shakes his head. He didn't see, didn't have any idea what it was she wanted him to see. As far as he could tell, it was just random words and numbers on paper, and it didn't mean anything at all.

"Max, you couldn't heal Alex," Liz protested. "Think about it. Why wouldn't you have been able to save him?"

"I didn't fail to _save_ him. He's not _dead_," Max retorted, reacting more to what she wasn't saying that what she was. He heard it now, heard the implication in her words, and the beginnings of anger formed in the pit of his stomach.

"Max, think," Liz ordered tersely, her gaze searching his, as though looking for some kind of sign that he was agreeing with her. "Isabel said she couldn't dream-walk him either. And this…" she waved the papers in front of his face, "this is just more proof."

"Proof of _what_?" Max asked, his tone sharp and cold.

"This wasn't just an accident," Liz said simply, but in a tone that made it clear just how firmly she believed in what she was saying. "There's more to it."

"It's alien, is that what you're saying?" Max demanded. "That what happened is somehow related to the four of us? Just come out and say it, Liz, if that's what you mean."

"You don't believe me," she said dully, her tone flat and unemotional.

He turned away from her and walked over to the bed, sitting down on the edge. When he looked back, Liz was still watching him with that same searching expression, waiting for him to answer.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked finally. "Why do you want to make this harder than it has to be?"

She stepped back as though she'd been slapped, and then twisted and stormed over to the door. Yanking it open, she stalked out into the hallway, pausing long enough to snap over her shoulder, "I'm right about this, Max. And if you're not going to help me with it, I'll find someone who will."

She walked away, her furious footsteps loud against the floor, and then Diane appeared in the doorway of the room, having clearly heard Liz's last comment. She raised her eyebrows at Max and asked softly, "Is everything alright?"

Max didn't bother answering. Instead he grabbed his coat and pushed past his mother, muttering, "I'm going out. I need a walk."

And Diane was left to stare at her son's disappearing back, and worry.

* * *

The silence which had enveloped the two of them since the funeral had only grown more suffocating in the passing hours since their previous argument. Kyle couldn't seem to let go of his thoughts, of the question that kept bouncing back and forth in his mind, and Tess refused to talk about it. They had eaten dinner in silence, picking at their food and pretending as though they hadn't somehow ripped through the ties that held them together with that one simple question.

Was this alien-related?

The knock at the door pulled Kyle away from the television. Tess had gone to her room after dinner, and Kyle hadn't bothered to check in on her. There didn't seem to be a need, and she didn't really want to talk to him. But now someone was at the door, and he wondered if it was for her.

He pulled the door open to find Liz standing on the step, looking at him. She blinked several times and shifted her weight, before asking nervously, "Kyle. What are you doing here?"

His lips thinned into a flat line. "I _live_ here," he answered pointedly.

"Oh. Right, I know, I'm… I'm sorry." She chewed her lip and played with the folder in her hands. "Can I come in? I… I'm looking for Tess."

Kyle shrugged and walked back to the sofa. "Shut the door behind you," he said, not looking at her. It seemed odd that Liz would be here to see Tess, unless something was going on with Max. But even if that were the case, Isabel probably would have come also. But why else would Liz seek out a girl she didn't even like?

Liz shut the door and walked further into the room.

"Uh… where's Tess?" Liz asked.

Kyle blinked. "In her room. What's this about?"

Liz's gaze flicked towards the hallway leading to Tess' room, and she didn't answer for a moment. Then she said vaguely, "I just need to talk to her."

"Is it something having to do with aliens?" Kyle asked suspiciously.

Liz looked at him them, giving him her full attention. One eyebrow lifted questioningly, and she asked, "What makes you say that?"

Again, Kyle shrugged. "Why else would you be here?"

Liz sighed. "I found some weird stuff in Alex's room. Hidden papers with ones and zeros on them, binary code, I think it's called. And these sentences that don't make any sense about a girl named Leanna. And Max couldn't heal Alex, and Isabel couldn't get into his dream… it's too much of a coincidence for this to not be related somehow, right?"

Kyle ran a hand through his hair and took a shaky breath. Liz sounded upset, and her words shook slightly. He wondered if it was Alex's predicament that was so disturbing her, or if she didn't like what she was suggesting. She clearly firmly believed in her hypothesis, but it didn't sound like she had much evidence.

Still…

"I asked Tess if it was alien-related," he admitted. "I thought… I don't know. I thought it might be."

"Why did you think that?" Liz asked, eagerly pressing for details. She hurried closer to him, coming to stand directly in front of the sofa.

"Tess kept having these dreams about Andrew and Jessica… the Hardings, I mean… about their deaths," Kyle started, stumbling through the explanation. He could so clearly picture Tess' expression, a mixture of rage and grief, when he had asked these questions before. "And then our Dad dies, and I knew… well, Tess told me that Andrew and Jessica's deaths had been alien-related. And I thought… well, she'd had other dreams that came true. Like the whole thing with the… um, I think she called it the white room. So I just… I wondered if this could be… something alien."

Liz nodded emphatically. "I know. I wanted to ask her about that, and about her powers. Like mind-warp, and how it can damage a person's bran…"

And then, quite suddenly, the lamp near Liz exploded.

The brunette jumped, and both she and Kyle spun around to find Tess standing in the hallway, eyes blazing. The chairs closest to her started rocking back and forth and the windowpane began to rattle. Kyle inhaled sharply, gazing in shock at his sister's eyes, dimly aware that they had darkened to a navy blue in her anger.

He knew all the aliens were powerful, but he had never seen her lose control. And he had a feeling she was very close to letting her fury destroy everything around her.

Kyle rose to his feet and reached out a hand towards her, almost as though he thought he could somehow calm her down.

"How _dare_ you?" she hissed, words laced with venom as her eyes narrowed on Liz. "My father is _dead_ and you barge in here and start asking questions about _my _gifts? Do you think I'm responsible?"

"No… no, no of course not," Liz backtracked quickly.

"Do you want an alibi from me?" Tess sneered. "I was with Kyle the night my father died. Is that good enough, or do I need to take a lie-detector test?"

"Tess, that's not what she was saying," Kyle instantly defended Liz, moving between the brunette and the irate hybrid.

"_Shut up_," Tess spat, not even sparing Kyle a single glance. Her eyes focused solely on Liz, she continued, "I don't care what stupid theory you've got, Liz. You don't understand _any_ of this, you're _not_ a part of our fight. So _stop_ acting like you know what happened. It was an _accident_, okay? That's all!"

"You don't know that!" Liz shot back, flushed. "I'm just trying to figure out what really happened. Don't you want that? Don't you want to know the truth?"

"I know the truth," Tess retorted, and one of the chair next to Kyle suddenly tipped backwards and fell over, slamming into the ground with a thud. "Now get out of my house, Liz. You're not ever welcome back here."

Liz turned and hurried out, wrenching the door open and slamming it shut behind her.

"Tess…" Kyle began, looking at her.

She turned frosty blue eyes to him. "Don't," she said coldly. "Just don't." And she, too, turned and stalked out of the room, disappearing down the hallway. A moment later, Kyle heard the sound of her bedroom door slamming shut, and then he sighed and sank back onto the sofa, his eyes travelling from the shattered lamp to the overturned chair.

Then he looked back at the blank television screen. Like Tess, he hadn't turned it on. Instead, he simply gazed at the dark surface, his thoughts on his father.

His _dead_ father.

* * *

Next Chapter: Drawing the Line

Due: Wed 3/10


	90. Drawing the Line

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Ninety: Drawing the Line

"This is a bad idea," Diane murmured.

"I know," Philip agreed, "but what other choice do we have?"

They were sitting at the kitchen table. The house was silent, empty. As usual, neither had any idea where Max and Isabel had gone or when they would be home. The lack of knowledge, combined with the recent news of Jim's death and Alex's coma, did little to encourage Diane to trust her children, but she desperately did not want to be the kind of mother who did something like this.

On the other hand…

"I don't know what they've gotten themselves into," Philip said gravely, "but we've waited long enough for them to come to us. I… they're our children. I'm going to protect them from everything… even themselves."

Diane nodded slowly. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay."

* * *

They made no formal plans to meet at Michael's apartment, but in the aftermath of everything that had happened, the taciturn hybrid was not surprised to find his home slowly filling. The first to arrive was Maria, and she stumbled into his arms the moment he opened them for her, a sobbing mess. Through her tears, he managed to decipher that her mother had had a rough night, and the stress of that, and of Alex's predicament, was weighing heavily on the blonde human.

Only moments after Maria arrived, however, Max stormed into the apartment, his face dark and foreboding. Michael had only a moment to think that he really needed to start enforcing a "knock before entering" policy, and then Max was pacing back and forth in a brooding manner. The hybrid King did not elaborate on what had him so upset, and Michael did not bother to press for details. Max would speak when he was ready, and until then, Michael was too busy with Maria anyway.

Isabel arrived shortly after that, announced that she had been looking for Max, and then proceeded not to talk to him. Instead, she slid onto the sofa and buried her head in her hands. Her shoulders shook with suppressed sobs, and Max paused in his pacing long enough to come to her side and offer a quick hug. But she shrugged off his attempts at reassurance, and he was soon back to his pacing.

Then Liz opened the door and stepped into the apartment, and everything went downhill from there.

Max stiffened and looked at Liz sharply. She met his gaze for a moment then moved towards Maria, automatically coming to stand next to her best friend. Michael watched the scene silently, and wondered what had happened to so firmly drive a wedge between Max and Liz.

Before he could ask any questions, however, Max spoke up with an inquiry of his own. "What are you doing here, Liz?" he questioned.

She frowned at him, then looked down at the folder she was holding in her hands. "I was looking for Maria. Ms. DeLuca said she'd be here." Turning to Maria, she forced a smile and added, "I guess she's eased up on your relationship with Michael, then."

"Yeah," Maria murmured, leaning into Michael. "I guess she did."

Michael stared at Liz and abruptly remembered the exact moment when Amy DeLuca had given her begrudging blessing to the relationship. It had been right after visiting Laurie, after the disaster with the blue crystals. Amy had confronted him on the sidewalk outside her house, and informed him that…

That Jim Valenti had told her to give Michael a chance. That Valenti had told her that Michael was a good kid, and that he truly loved Maria. That she was willing to wipe the slate clean and start over because Valenti had convinced her that Michael was worth it.

Jim Valenti was dead.

He shivered and instinctively held Maria closer.

"Liz, please…" Max said, interrupting Michael's thoughts. "Just… don't do this."

"Do what?" Maria asked immediately, wiping her eyes and looking over at Liz. "What's going on?"

"Liz has an interesting theory on what happened to Alex and Jim," Max snapped irritably.

Michael sent his friend a scrutinizing look, surprised by the annoyance he heard in Max's tone. He knew people dealt with tragedy in different ways, but this anger towards Liz seemed so out of character.

"Isabel couldn't dream-walk him and you couldn't heal him," Liz said fiercely. "Don't you think that's important, Max? Don't you think that's telling you something?"

Isabel looked up from her seat on the sofa and asked quietly, "What exactly are you implying, Liz?" Her voice was shaky, but Michael could not tell if it was from grief or anger.

He turned his attention to Liz, but it was Max who answered pointedly, "I can't heal people if I can't make a connection with them. Alex was in a coma, Liz, which meant a connection was out of the question." The brunette human raised her eyebrows at Max, and he pressed on, "Most of the time, I have to be able to look into somebody's eyes. Like I did when you were shot."

"So you think that's it?" Liz scoffed. "That there's no other possible reason you couldn't heal him?"

"Liz… what are you saying?" Maria asked, even though it was clear she knew _exactly_ what Liz was suggesting. And Michael knew it, too.

Liz pushed the folder she was holding towards Maria. "I found these in Alex's room. They mean something, Maria. Who's Leanna? Why did he type the words I can't? And what do all the ones and zeroes mean?"

Maria took the folder in trembling hands, and Michael read over her shoulder. The three pages offered very little clues as to what exactly was going on, but Liz had clearly seized on this as some kind of proof. But… Michael could barely wrap his head around what Liz was insisting had happened, and it seemed like these pages were not enough to back up a claim that would be so hurtful to everyone else.

Although, now it did make perfect sense as to why Max was frustrated with Liz.

"You think this is alien-related," Isabel said, and it wasn't a question.

Liz answered it anyway. "Yes, I do."

"Would you _listen_ to yourself?" Max exploded.

"Just think about it for a minute," Liz protested, folding her arms across her chest defensively. "If there is anything any of us should have learned over the last year and a half it is that nothing is ever what it seems!"

"What is that?" Isabel shot back, rising to her feet. "That's not evidence. That's not proof that we had anything to do this!" Her face was tearstained and her eyes were bloodshot and Michael felt a sudden rush of anger at Liz for what she was suggesting, for what it was so clearly doing to Isabel.

"Valenti is dead and Alex is in a coma. You _cannot_ deny the fact that two key members of this conspiracy just met horrible fates under suspicious circumstances."

Maria stifled a sob and Michael squeezed her shoulder gently, but he kept his gaze fixed on Liz.

"It was a _traffic accident_," Max answered firmly, eyes now blazing. "There is _nothing_ otherworldly about that."

"Then why has Tess had recurrent nightmares about the Hardings' deaths prior to Valenti dying? Just like she had nightmares about the white room before ending up there herself!" Liz demanded, hands on her hips. Glaring at Max, she pressed on, "Why couldn't Isabel dream-walk Alex?"

"Tess has nightmares because her first parents were _murdered_," Isabel interjected. "That's _normal_."

"Nothing about this group is _normal_," Liz hissed, splotches of color appearing on her cheeks.

"But why would an alien kill Valenti and put Alex in a coma?" Michael asked finally, joining the conversation.

"They could have killed Valenti to get to Tess and gone after Alex to get to Isabel," Liz answered. She turned to him, away from Max and Isabel, and elaborated, "We know that the skins want to bring Isabel back to your world. To Khivar."

Isabel's face drained of all color. "_No_!"

"They've already tried it once. Alex helped save Isabel. Maybe they thought that if they could get Alex out of the way…"

"No!" Isabel said again, her voice starting out as a whisper and then gradually growing louder until she was nearing an anguished scream. "No! No, you're just making this up! No!"

"Think about it!" Liz said coldly, spinning to face Isabel. "Think about everything I just said, Isabel. The fact that it was Alex and Valenti, two people who know about the four of you. Then you can't dream-walk Alex and Max can't heal him. Tess has dreams about the Hardings being murdered by the skins who then stage a car accident and we _know_ she's had prophetic dreams before. Alex types gibberish and odd codes on a piece of paper, and ends with something about Leanna not being Leanna. How can you not find that suspicious?"

"_No_," Isabel sobbed again.

"We _know_ the skins have a reason for wanting Alex out of the way and we can come up with plenty of reasons for Valenti as well…"

Michael watched Liz cautiously. Max was seething and Isabel was close to having a meltdown. Maria had stayed silent through all of this, but she had closed her eyes several times and was now almost completely sagging against Michael.

And that left only Michael to rationally and unemotionally listen to Liz's words, and think.

The problem wasn't that Liz was throwing around unfounded accusations and blaming them for something that she could not prove they did. The problem wasn't that there was no merit to her ideas, no logic to what she was saying. The problem wasn't that she sounded crazy.

The problem was that she _didn't_.

She sounded perfectly sane and reasonable. She sounded like someone who had noticed a suspicious pattern and wanted to investigate it.

She sounded _right_.

But she had accused Isabel of being implicit in what had happened to Alex, and that had driven Isabel to further tears. And nobody, not even Liz, could hurt Isabel like that and not end up on the receiving end of Max's wrath.

Striding forward, Max approached Liz and stood face-to-face with her, his taller frame giving him the advantage of height. She lifted her chin and looked at him, and he spat, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about! You don't know anything about Khivar or our world."  
To which Liz replied venomously, "You don't want to think that this was done by an alien because that would mean you are responsible."

Michael felt his stomach clench. Even if this was suspicious, how could Liz throw around an accusation like that? How could she be so caught up in her determination to get justice for Alex that she had no idea what her words were doing to her boyfriend and her friends? The people she claimed to care about?

Valenti was dead and Alex was in a coma, and Liz was not the only one grieving. This was a time to stick together, not a time to drive everyone even further apart.

"Let's go," Max said to Isabel, and without a backward glance for the supposed love of his life, he walked out of the apartment.

Liz watched him go with a detached expression, then said, "I know what I know. And I am going to find out the truth. I owe that to my friend." And she, too, left.

* * *

"Isabel? Are you… how are you?"

The tall blonde looked up from where she lay sprawled on her bed. Wiping a hand across her eyes to get rid of the few stray tears that continued to fall, she gestured for her brother to enter the room. Once Max had closed the door behind him, she whispered, "How could she?"

Max chewed his lip. It was clear he had been just as startled and just as furious at the confrontation with Liz.

She stared up at the ceiling. "It was a car accident. Just a car accident," she muttered.

Alex might be one of Liz's best friends, but he was Isabel's boy friend. And Valenti was Tess' father. And Liz did _not_ have a monopoly on grief. So how dare she pretend like she was the only one who cared enough about Alex and Valenti to do anything?

"I didn't kill him," she whispered. "I _didn't_."

"I know," Max agreed. "You didn't have anything to do with the accident. Liz is just… she's just wrong. Completely wrong." And there was a hard edge to his voice, one that Isabel had never heard him use when talking about Liz.

She wondered, then, if he was saying the words to convince her or to convince himself.

She licked her lips. "Alex… he was… he shouldn't have been at the school, Max. He shouldn't have… this shouldn't have happened…" She trailed off, and there was more she wanted to say, but Max interrupted her.

"Alex isn't dead. And this is _not_ your fault. It's not any of our faults, okay?"

She rubbed her eyes. Alex might not be dead, but she'd heard the doctors talking to each other, and she knew that there was little chance he would ever wake up. The scans had been inconclusive and they were still waiting for more tests, but with the amount of swelling in his brain…

She choked back the words she wanted to say and felt a lump form in her throat.

It wasn't fair. None of it was fair.

She barely noticed it, but several of the books on her desk rose into the air, along with a few shirts she had discarded onto her chair and a pair of shoes lying by the door.

There was a perfectly logical reason why Max couldn't heal Alex if he couldn't form a connection with the comatose human. And those pieces of paper with random ones and zeroes weren't proof of anything. And just because she couldn't dream-walk Alex and Tess had had recurrent nightmares… it _didn't_ mean anything.

The objects rose higher in the room, circling around each other, forming a mini tornado with her at the center.

"Isabel?" Max asked hesitantly.

Isabel bit her lip. Alex _shouldn't_ have been at the school that night. He _shouldn't_ have been driving back. None of this should have happened.

The shoes bumped into the wall and books flipped over and over, pages bending strangely as they continued to soar around her.

"Isabel," Max said again, his voice louder.

She flung out her hands and the objects fell to the ground, books landing on the bed, shoes hitting the desk, clothing falling haphazardly on the dresser and the chair.

"Just leave me alone, Max," she said.

And he did, quietly exiting the room.

And neither of them noticed the video camera hidden on Isabel's bookshelf, with the red flashing light indicating that it had just recorded the entire thing.

* * *

Next Chapter: Leanna

Due: Sun 3/14


	91. Leanna

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Ninety-One: Leanna

For Diane Evans, motherhood was always providing the unexpected. She never knew what to expect next, never knew what her children would do. It was part of watching them grow up and find themselves, find their way in the world. They aged and they changed, and sometimes, it was like watching them become entirely new people before her very eyes.

When Max and Isabel were younger, she had often wondered if other parents felt so entirely unable to comprehend this rapid change she saw in her children. She'd expressed this concern a few times, but all the more seasoned parents had rushed to assure her that it was normal to feel this way. And she had remembered those reassurances, and clung to that comfort for the past nearly two years as her children drifted further and further away from her.

Because despite it all, the one thing that she had always known, that she would not waver on, was that these were _her_ children.

Except…

Except that now, as she tightly clutched Philip's hand and stared at the image on the television screen with wide eyes, she couldn't help but wonder if that was still true.

"How?" she breathed, turning her head to catch Philip's gaze. "How is this… what is she… what's going on?"

Philip didn't answer. He _couldn't_ answer. Instead, he stared at the screen and tried to comprehend what he was seeing. His son and daughter were there, their images reflected back and at him and…

He swallowed uneasily, his throat and mouth dry.

What was going on?

"We need to talk to Max and Isabel," he said finally, because _that_ at least he knew was true. If anyone could explain this, it would be the two people involved in it. "We need to… they need to tell us…" He stopped, shook his head. His children had been more than a little secretive, and part of him could not suppress the bitter thought that they probably wouldn't want to provide answers now, either.

But this time was different. This time it wasn't just two worried parents with suspicions. This time they had proof.

But proof of _what_? He still couldn't understand what he was seeing. A dull shock had settled over him, numbing his senses, and he swallowed again and tore his gaze from the television long enough to look at Diane.

"We need to talk to them," he said again.

Diane nodded mutely and reached for the remote. She stopped the video in the VCR and ejected it, and then turned off the television. But even with the image gone, Philip could not forget what he had seen.

Isabel and Max. In Isabel's room, talking.

And using some inhuman power to make objects fly through the air.

* * *

If Kyle was at all surprised to find Liz approaching him in the middle of the school hallway, he didn't show it. She shifted nervously from foot to foot and he stared impassively at her, waiting for an explanation for her presence. There was little emotion in his eyes, and she wondered fleetingly if this was a good idea.

Kyle was being accompanied by Trudy and Cliff, both of whom seemed determined to stay at his side as much as possible. She had no doubt that Kyle was entirely unaware of the amount of effort they were putting into being with him, talking to him, keeping him distracted. He seemed unaware of everything around him, and perhaps that was a good thing.

That way, he didn't see the sea of eyes that followed him everywhere, the rest of the student body unable to hide their morbid curiosity for the tragedy that had struck the town.

Liz licked her lips and again wondered if this was a good idea.

But Kyle had believed her. Kyle wanted the truth. Kyle could help her.

To Trudy and Cliff, she said, "Can I talk to Kyle for a moment? In private?"

Both Cliff and Trudy looked at Kyle, and he gave the smallest of nods. That was enough for Cliff, who surprisingly made no mocking comment to Liz as he departed. Or perhaps it wasn't so surprising. They might never have liked her, but Liz knew that Kyle's friends did truly care about him, and now was not the right time to bring up past issues.

Trudy rested a hand on Kyle's arm and said softly, "I'll see you in class?"

He nodded, and she kissed him on the cheek. Then, with a searching stare for Liz, Trudy departed.

Liz watched her go. She knew it must seem off for her to be requesting to speak to her ex-boyfriend alone, particularly since everyone knew they had not been on great terms for a very long time. And Trudy had a reason to be suspicious and a bit worried, since Liz knew that the relationship between the sweet-tempered popular girl and Kyle had gotten off to a rocky start because of Kyle's lingering resentment for the way Liz had ended things with him.

Of course, that was back when he thought she had been cheating on him with Max. Before he knew the truth.

Once Trudy was out of earshot, Kyle asked bluntly, "What do you want, Liz?"

Liz bit her lip, then asked hesitantly, "I need your help."

"With what?" Kyle asked emotionlessly. "I don't have a whole lot of time. Someone… someone from CPS is coming over after school and…"

"CPS?" Liz interrupted, furrowing her brow as she tried to place the acronym.

Kyle was silent for a moment, then said, "Children Protective Services. They deal with… with orphans and foster children…" He trailed off and said nothing else, and Liz nodded quickly, knowing not to push the subject.

"I just… I'm looking into what happened that night and Max and Isabel won't help me. So I thought maybe you could."

Something dark passed through Kyle's eyes and then he asked, "What do you need?"

"Alex spent a lot of time working on the school computers over the past few weeks," Liz said briskly, lowering her voice as she noted several students unabashedly listening to the conversation. "I checked with the teacher who runs the computer lab, and he always used the same computer. What if there's something on that computer?"

"Like what?" Kyle asked, and for the first time she heard a hint of interest in his tone.

"I don't know," Liz admitted. "But that whole _Leanna is not Leanna_ bit?" She began to whisper, and grabbed Kyle's arm to lead him away from the crowds, from all the people she didn't want to eavesdrop. "What if it means that Leanna is a shape-shifter or a skin or some other type of alien we don't even know about yet?"

"We don't even know who Leanna is," Kyle countered. "How can we figure out who she _isn't_?"

"There might be something on that computer," Liz answered determinedly.

Kyle seemed to be thinking about something, and he glanced around him once, finally noting all the other students in the hallway, their eyes fixed on him. Several of them looked away almost as soon as he caught their eyes, and Kyle let out a sigh.

"Okay, let's go," he said.

"Right now?" Liz questioned as Kyle started walking towards the computer lab.

Kyle shrugged. "Why not? No teacher is going to get me in trouble for skipping class today."

It was a fair point, Liz agreed. There was almost nothing Tess or Kyle could do right now that would get them in any serious trouble. And with Alex in the hospital, the teachers would no doubt be understanding of her skipping class as well. Particularly given how good of a student she usually was.

Moments later, the two of them were seated in front of the computer Alex had been using so frequently over the past several days. Like most of the school computers, it stored data from all of its users on the main administration log-on page, and it had not taken much more than a tearful request from Liz to get the computer lab teacher to log in for her. All she'd said was that she needed to get what Alex was working on so she could finish it up for him and…

And the teacher had looked at her, looked at Kyle, and caved instantly.

"What makes you think we'll even understand what we find?" Kyle asked as Liz typed quickly on the keyboard. "Alex was the computer geek. Not us."

Liz stopped and swiveled around in her chair so that she was looking directly at Kyle. "Is," she said firmly. He gave her a confused look, and she pressed, "Alex _is_ the computer geek. Present tense, Kyle. He's _not_ dead." Kyle flinched, and Liz felt a sudden regret for the fact that she was demanding he acknowledge that Alex was still alive despite the fact that Jim Valenti was dead.

But Kyle just nodded to the computer screen and asked, "Well? Find anything?"

The first several documents that Alex had worked on were just standard homework assignments. Most of them were only the outlines of essays or a few answered questions on problem sets, and it was clear that he had been working on these things in his spare time. But she had yet to find his main project.

When she opened the next document, a string of ones and zeroes filled the page.

"What is that?" Kyle demanded, leaning forward.

"I don't know," Liz murmured. She scrolled through all the pages, but the ones and zeroes did not yield any answers. "I'll print it. Maybe it will mean something eventually."

The next icon she opened was a password protected file, and she stared at it for a long time, then looked at Kyle. He shrugged, obviously they couldn't get past it without either knowing Alex's password or how to hack a computer.

"I didn't realize we could even create password-protected files on a school computer," Liz mused.

Kyle frowned, then looked over at the computer lab teacher who was currently helping another student with something. Leaning forward, he murmured to Liz, "If the Administrator password gives us access to any students logged-on front end, wouldn't it also opened any password-protected file?"

A smile grew on Liz's features. But then it faded and she said, "We don't know the administrator password. I didn't see what Ms. Carlson typed when she logged us on."

To which Kyle said with a grin, "I did."

Liz had only a moment to reflect that Kyle was continually managing to surprise her on this particular morning, and then Kyle had leaned forward and typed the password into the prompt field. A moment later, the screen was filled with several emails, all of them cascading horizontally before her eyes.

"Oh my God," Liz whispered.

They were emails sent back and forth between Alex and someone named Leanna.

She flicked through them quickly, printing each one in turn. None of them said much, and were mostly just random words and phrases stuck together in odd ways. There were a few that contained whole sentences and a few that were just a string of numbers.

"Leanna's email address is at the New Mexico State University at Las Cruces," Kyle said slowly, scanning the address line on one of the emails. "Do you think she's a student there?"

"I don't know," Liz answered quietly. "But whatever she is, she can't be trusted."

"Are you finding everything you need, Ms. Parker?"

Liz spun around in surprise and found the computer lab teacher, Ms. Carlson, standing behind her. Forcing a smile, she nodded and said, "Yes, thank you."

"I didn't realize you were working with Alex on this project," the woman continued pleasantly, flicking a few loose strands of graying hair from out of her eyes. "He said it wasn't for school, you know, and usually we don't let students use the computers so extensively unless it is for a class, but… Alex was such a dedicated student. And had so many promising skills…"

She trailed off and Liz lowered her gaze uncomfortably. She had no idea Alex had been working on anything like this. She remembered Isabel complaining on a few occasions about how much time Alex spent on the computer, but other than that… had she really completely lost touch with her best friend's day-to-day life?

"What was he working on?" Kyle asked.

Ms. Carlson raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, did Liz not tell you? Alex was working on translation programs. You know, translating old languages based on grammatical patterns and internal character strings." She smiled fondly and recalled in a wistful tone, "He was so intrigued by the program we were able to borrow from the Museum of Technology. He liked code-breaking, I guess. Anyway, we only had access to that program for a couple weeks, but he managed to contact someone at Las Cruces and use their program there as well."

"Oh… fascinating," Kyle deadpanned.

"Well, I think we have everything," Liz said, quickly closing the emails and logging out of the computer. "Kyle, can you grab the printed pages?" As Kyle shuffled away to pick up all the documents they had printed, Liz gave her best smile and said, "Thank you again, Ms. Carlson. I know this would be important to Alex."

"My pleasure, Liz. Just let me know if you need anything else, alright?"

Liz nodded, and Ms. Carlson drifted off to help another student. Kyle reappeared a moment later and handed Liz the stack of papers. She took them and quickly stuffed them into her backpack, already planning out the next step.

"So… what now?" Kyle asked.

Liz looked at him, then looked at the computer. "Alex was working on translating something. I want to know what it was. And I think… I think I need to go to Las Cruces to figure it out."

* * *

"Hey, Izzy," Max called out as he hurried to catch up with his sister. She paused and looked back at him, and several other students scurried out of the way. He slowed down as he reached her side, and then said, "Liz and Kyle weren't in class."

Isabel chewed her lip. "Why would Kyle do anything with Liz?" she questioned. "I thought they didn't get along anymore."

Max ran a hand through his hair and said, "They've been getting along better. But…" He looked around quickly, checking to make sure that none of Tess' friends were in the vicinity as he really didn't want this to get back to her as she would not be pleased that he was sharing it with anyone else, even Isabel, "Apparently Liz went to talk to Tess last night. Before coming over to Michael's."

"Why?" Isabel asked, surprised.

Max shrugged. "Tess was less than forthcoming with the details, but she didn't seem at all surprised when I informed her of Liz's theory." He didn't need to elaborate beyond that, Isabel knew instantly what he was saying.

"You think Liz told Tess that she thought we were responsible for what happened?" Isabel said in disbelief. "But… but Valenti's dead. How could she… and with everything… with everything that happened to Andrew and Jessica Harding, how could Liz even _think_ that telling Tess her theory so soon after the funeral was a good idea?"

Max didn't answer. He knew Liz wasn't thinking about anyone besides Alex right now, and that scared him. Not only because she was hurting him and his friends and family with her accusations, but also because it meant she might do something stupid and rash… and that would draw attention to the group.

She didn't have anything to lose, but the four hybrids… Max sighed heavily. They had everything to lose.

Over Isabel's shoulder, Max caught sight of Michael approaching, and he raised a hand in greeting. Isabel turned and saw Michael, and gave him a tense smile.

"What's going on?" Michael asked, looking between the two siblings.

"Liz and Kyle cut class, and apparently Liz told Tess her theory about what actually happened," Isabel said flatly.

Michael let out a low whistle. "That was stupid."

"Yeah." Isabel looked around, then said angrily, "God, I hate this. Everyone is looking at me like… like I'm going to explode. All the teachers are tiptoeing around me and I don't even want to be here." She had raised her voice loud enough to be heard by the surrounding students, and several of them backed off quickly, scooting away from her. But it was still clear they were intrigued by Isabel, and had no intention of leaving her completely alone.

"Izzy."

All three hybrids turned as Sara and Jessica approached. Isabel offered a pained smile. "Hi."

"You want to go out to the quad?" Sara asked. Isabel looked confused, and Sara elaborated, "You've got math, right? Not the most fascinating of subjects. We can go to the quad, you can get away from everyone else… your teacher will understand. And you look like you could use a break from school."

Isabel considered this for a moment, then agreed, "That sounds… really nice." To Max and Michael, she said, "I'll see you later," and hurried away with her two friends.

"How is she doing?" Michael asked as they watched Isabel disappear into the crowd of students.

Max snorted. "How do you think?" There was a tense pause, and Max found himself looking everywhere except at Michael. There was a question on the tip of his tongue, and he wanted to ask it, wanted to know what Michael truly thought. But he was almost afraid to hear the answer, and that made forming the words much more difficult.

"Have you spoken to Liz today?" Michael asked.

Max shook his head. "No. And I don't… I don't know how. It's like I don't even know her, Michael." He hesitated, then forced himself to ask the question, "Do you think she's right? Do you think we have something to do with everything?"

Michael shrugged. "I have no idea. I just wouldn't want you to be forming opinions based on what he wants to be true instead of what really is true."

* * *

"Why were you in the computer lab with Liz?"

Kyle turned towards Tess, lips pursed together at her question. She could see the annoyance in his gaze, and the frustration, but it didn't matter to her. She wanted answers, and she was going to get them.

"Keeping tabs on me?" Kyle demanded.

She rolled her eyes in a bored sort of manner, and said, "I was a little surprised when Trudy told me you'd runoff with Liz. _She_ was a little surprised, too, but at least your girlfriend is understanding."

"It wasn't anything. Liz needed a shoulder to cry on."

Tess actually laughed at that, a cold, bitter sound. There was no merriment in her eyes as she countered, "And so she went to you? Somehow, I don't believe that." She paused, chewing her lip for a moment, and though the determination in her eyes did not waver, when she spoke, her voice was quieter gentler. Pleading. "Don't lie to me, Kyle."

Kyle didn't answer right away. Then he took a few steps away from her and sank onto the sofa. "She wanted to see what Alex had been working on before… before the car accident."

"And?" Tess prompted.

Kyle rubbed the back of his head absently and stared off into space. "And he was translating something. And sending emails back and forth to a Leanna Coleman at Las Cruces." She slanted a look at Tess, and then said, "She's got these paper's from Alex's room, and they say things like _Leanna is not Leanna_. I don't know what it means but… but it means something."

"So you agree with Liz," Tess said flatly. It didn't really surprise her, as Kyle had brought up the issue of alien-involvement on his own, before Liz had shown up at their house.

"I'm not… I just… I'm not taking sides, Tess. I just want to know what happened."

"So you think we're responsible?" Tess pressed, eyes narrowed on him.

"No. No, of course not. Tess, I don't…"

"Liz does," Tess interrupted coolly. "Liz blames us for this. Liz thinks its our fault – _my_ fault – that Jim is dead."

"She didn't accuse you of that," Kyle protested. Tess started pacing nervously, angrily, and he pushed on, "That wasn't why she showed up here. She's just trying to gather information. She wants the truth, which is more than I can say for anyone else."

She whirled on him, eyes blazing. "So you think I don't care? Is that it?"

"Our father is dead, Tess. I just want to find out what really happened. I owe him that," Kyle defended himself, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the sofa's cushions.

Tess gave him a hard look, and then said, "No. You just want someone to blame." And she turned and stalked from the room. Slamming the door shut behind her, she crossed to her bed and sat down, dangling her feet over the edge and trying her best not to start sobbing.

It took a moment, but after drawing a few shaky breaths, she regained control of her emotions. Staring at the door, she let her mind wander to Kyle's stubborn expression. He wasn't going to stop and he wasn't going to back down. She knew that, had pretty much known it since he first asked the question.

And that left her with a choice.

She could ignore it, and assume that they would find nothing because this couldn't be alien-related, or…

She reached for her phone.

Max wouldn't be able to help her. She hadn't spoken to him much during the school day, but the brief conversation in which he told her about Liz's accusations… well, that had been enough to inform her that he and Liz were very estranged at the moment.

And she couldn't get through to Kyle, she knew that. She also doubted anyone could get through to Liz, particularly if Max was out of the question. But Liz didn't do things without Maria, and so that meant…

She dialed a number, and Michael picked up on the second ring.

"Tess? What is it?"

"Liz is investigating Alex's recent activities, and she's dragged Kyle into it."

There was a pause at the other end of the line, and then Michael asked, "Did you try talking Kyle out of it?"

"Obviously," Tess answered with a derisive tone. Again, there was a pause then she said, "Look, Michael, Kyle thinks they found something. He mentioned something about Las Cruces and a girl named Leanna… I don't know, but he's not going to stop looking into this and…"

"And what? Tess, what do you want me to do?" Michael asked, a clear edge to his tone. It was obvious he did not like being put in the middle of this situation, but Tess didn't particularly care.

"Can you talk to Maria? Maybe she can talk Liz out of it. Or… at the very least… she can tell you what Liz plans to do next."

There was a heavy sigh in response. "Tess…"

"Michael, I… I just… am worried, alright? What Liz is doing is stupid and dangerous and could get her in a lot of trouble. What if she brings the FBI back? What if she leads the remaining skins to us? What if she draws too much attention to Roswell?"

"Tess… what if she's _right_?" Michael asked, his voice echoing through the phone line. Tess said nothing, and he pressed forward valiantly, "I know you don't want to think that we could have had anything to do with this, but what if Liz is right about it? What if it was… what if it wasn't an accident?"

Tess didn't answer. She didn't want to say what she was thinking, didn't want to have to admit it out loud. But deep down, some part of her was wondering the same thing, because she'd seen too many seemingly normal deaths turn out to be alien-related to think that this was something she could just ignore.

But Jim… Jim was her father. How could she even consider the possibility that she had done this to him, that she was the reason he had been killed?

"She's going to drag Maria into it. And if she's right," Tess said, forcing the words out through barely parted lips, "that means she's dragging Maria into danger."

Michael was silent.

"And Kyle. She's dragging him into danger as well," Tess continued. "And after Andrew and Jessica, and now Jim…" She stopped for a moment, trailing off, before saying in a barely audible tone, "Dying seems to be the one thing my family is good at."

She didn't want to lose Kyle, too.

Michael remained quiet for a long moment, then said, "I'll talk to Maria."

Whatever Tess was going to say in response was cut off by the sound of a knock on the front door, and she winced. She knew who it was, knew who had come to visit them, and this was not a conversation she wanted to have. But they couldn't put it off forever, unfortunately.

She hung up on Michael without bothering to say goodbye, tossed the phone onto the bed, and walked out of her room. Kyle was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, and the social worker, Samantha Dawson, was carefully closing the front door behind her as she entered the house.

"Hello, Tess," Ms. Dawson said, her brown eyes fixing on the petite blonde.

Tess swallowed uneasily. "I guess it is time we talk about those options."

* * *

"Liz, you totally bailed on me," Maria said as her best friend walked into the kitchen. "You said you were coming over after school and we were going to hang out and do homework and…" She stopped, shot a quick look at the living room. Her mother was sitting on the sofa, drinking a cup of tea, and staring blankly at nothing with her perpetually teary eyes.

Maria hadn't had the heart to leave the house, not when her mother was so clearly lost and confused. But that meant she had spent the entire afternoon, and most of the weekend before that, without seeing her friends. Only the brief trip to Michael's, and then Liz had shown up and it had turned into an argument that had split them all apart…

She really needed her best friend right now.

"I know, I'm sorry but I had something really important to do," Liz replied dismissively.

Maria stepped back, surprised, and wiped at her eyes. What was more important than keeping a promise to spend time with her best friend?

"But I'm close to closing in on this Leanna girl. I know where she is okay, and I have all these emails that Alex sent to her and that she sent back. Now, I know that she couldn't have done anything to him through the emails, but Las Cruces is only about five hours away by car. So what if this Leanna actually came here?"

"Would you listen to yourself?" Maria interrupted.

"Or it is possible Alex went there. Maybe at night? I don't know, but they could have met and that's how she did something to him and…"

"Stop it," Maria said, her voice louder. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her mother look up at them, and she quickly tried to speak in a quieter tone. But her emotions were getting the better of her and the words came tumbling out. "Stop it and _listen_ to me, alright? I need my best friend right now because my mother's boyfriend just died and my other best friend is in a coma and could be _dying_ to and I feel _lost_ and scared and just _completely_ wrecked and I know that I'm _supposed_ to do things like go to school and go to work and look after my mother but I just… I _can't_. I don't have a handle on things. I feel like everything is just slipping by me and I'm _stuck_ and I… I just really need you. So can't you please just… just stop focusing on this long enough to remember that you made a promise and…"

Liz stepped away from her. "You don't believe me," she said, her tone accusatory. "I came here to ask if you'd go to Las Cruces with me because _I_ really needed _your_ support and you don't… you don't even believe me."

Maria sniffled and sat down heavily on a chair by the kitchen table. "Liz, I know you're doing this for Alex, but it just seems like… like you don't even care about anyone else right now."

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Michael, who had apparently opted to enter the house unannounced. Maria thought briefly that it was odd she hadn't even heard the door open.

"Hey, can I talk to Maria for a minute?"

Liz gave him a sharp look, and Maria saw the hostility in the brunette's eyes. Michael, too, seemed ready to be on the defensive, but Liz just shrugged and said, "Sure," before walking out of the room.

Once Liz was out of earshot, Michael asked bitterly, "So what's Liz accusing us of now?"

"You know what," Maria muttered, rubbing her temples with two fingers from each hand and closing her eyes against the pain and stress, "if you're here to trash-talk, I need to take a rain check. Because that's the only way I'm going to get through a single day without losing it."

Michael considered her thoughtfully, then said, "You need to tell her to get off this investigation, then."

Maria looked at him for a beat, then asked in a weary voice, "What if she's right?"

"All the more reason for her not to get involved," Michael answered firmly. "It's dangerous. It's not for Liz to look into, and she certainly shouldn't be dragging you or Kyle Valenti into it, either."

"God, I hate this," Maria groaned, rising to her feet and taking a few steps towards Michael. "I just hate that there is this division between all of us."

Michael snorted. "Well, then maybe Liz shouldn't have blamed us for killing Valenti and putting Alex in a coma."

"That's not what she said," Maria protested immediately.

Michel scratched his eyebrow and gave her a vague look. "Okay, just… whatever Liz drags you into, promise that you will call me at the first sign of trouble."

Maria forced a tense smile. "I promise."

Michael turned to go, but at the doorway to the kitchen, he paused and looked back at her. Amy DeLuca was still sitting on the sofa in the living room, so he stepped closer to Maria and said in a low voice and a very pointed tone, "You know, I was _right there_, Maria, when Liz told Max that he didn't want to think it could be alien-related because it would make him responsible."

Maria looked down.

"You can say that Liz is just trying to do what is best for Alex, but… but she did blame us for this. So don't be surprised when we don't respond all that well."

The silence between them was stressed and heavy, and Maria didn't know what to say. She could perfectly understand Liz's need to find the truth, but she also couldn't really blame the four hybrids for their anger. She remembered Isabel's tear-stained, horrified face as Liz spat out her accusations, and…

And right now, it felt like she didn't even know her best friend anymore.

"What do you believe?" she asked finally.

Michael gave her a long, searching stare, then took both her hands in his and said, "What I know is that I'm not willing to let anything happen to you."

After Michael left, Liz reentered the kitchen. Maria walked back to the table and sat down heavily, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. The clock on the wall continued to tick-tock the seconds and minutes, and the room was silent, neither girl sure what to say.

"What did Michael want?" Liz asked finally.

Maria sniffed and twisted a strand of hair around her finger. "He wanted me to be careful."

Liz crossed quickly to Maria's side and sat down next to her at the table. "Maria… I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you. I'm sorry I bailed on you today. I'm sorry… I'm sorry about all of this. But… but Alex isn't dead yet, and if there is any chance of saving him, then I need to know _exactly_ what happened in the first place."

Maria couldn't really argue with that logic, and, as Liz had said, this was Alex. If there was any chance of saving him…

"So," she asked, "when do we leave for Las Cruces?"

* * *

Finding Leanna was proving to be impossible. Finding her work, however, was not.

A few students had been able to point Liz and Maria in the direction of the computer sciences department where Leanna apparently spent most of her time. She did not have a dorm room on campus, and most people weren't sure if she even attended classes at the school. They described her as a withdrawn, quiet, antisocial young woman of indiscernible age who spent all her time working on computers.

For Liz, that raised several red flags and sent off alarm bells in her mind.

The Litvack Computer Sciences building was a maze of corridors and hallways that connected various computer labs. The receptionist had explained that most of the different labs focused on different computer programs – molecular modeling, security systems, and translations and code-breaking being the three major areas – and directed them towards the computers most frequented by Leanna.

Which was where they ran into Professor Goldberg, a portly, elderly man with a bright smile who was eager to talk about computers with anyone who would listen.

"So… what's so special about these computers, anyway?" Liz asked. There were only three computers in the lab, and though they were slightly larger than a normal desktop computer, they did not appear to be anything particularly out of the ordinary.

Professor Goldberg chuckled and shook his head. "Nothing yet. Right now, they're just multimillion dollar toys." He patted the top of one computer affectionately. "The greatest potential is in the field of cryptography. In theory, a quantum computer can break just about any code."

"And translations, right?" Maria pressed, frowning intently at the screen. "It can translate anything into English."

"Translating and code-breaking are pretty much the same thing," the professor replied with a nod of his head. "Essentially, language _is_ a code. Symbols – in this case letters – are strung together to mean something."

"So did you help Leanna with her project?" Liz pressed as Professor Goldberg slid into a seat in front of one of the computers. "Do you know what she was working on? Was it for a class?"

"She didn't ask for help. She didn't really like talking much," the man replied with a shrug. "Seemed like a nice enough girl, but kept to herself. And no, it wasn't for a class. She said it was a special project. I don't know specifically for whom…" He trailed off as an inquiry box appeared on the screen. "Here we go. She was definitely trying to decode something. Something major. I'll see if I can pull it up for you."

Several symbols appeared on the computer screen. Lines and dashes, squiggles, circles… Liz reached out with one hand and touched the screen, tracing her fingers over the symbols. They looked familiar, though she couldn't quite place where she had seen them before.

"It's some kind of language," the professor murmured. "Native American, maybe?"

A shadow moved past the window and Liz looked up, brown eyes scanning for any sign of movement. But everything went still, and there was nothing else. Maybe it was her imagination? Maybe she was paranoid? But she could have sworn she'd seen something… Maybe just a tree branch shaking in the wind.

"Looks like she also sent some other emails. Hm… a lot of them, actually, during the time she was working here. Mostly fragments, must have needed them for the translation…" Professor Goldberg was now clearly speaking to himself, musing over what he had found. His words trailed off, and he was silent, thoughtful.

Liz forced her attention away from the window and back to the computer screen. "What's a fragment?"

"A part of the code that's already been broken. Having a fragment already translated would facilitate the conversion if the internal code doesn't follow most normal rules…" the professor explained.

"So Leanna was emailing back and forth with someone getting fragments? Already deciphered codes? From who?"

A few more key strokes, then the professor answered, "Um… let's see... here's the email address. Looks like it belongs to an Alex Whitman."

Liz and Maria exchanged a brief look. "Alex?" Liz whispered incredulously.

On a whim, Maria asked, "Do you have a picture of Leanna?"

The professor looked startled, but shook his head, "No, but there is probably one in the system. All students have to enter information into the system to access these computers without supervision. That usually includes photographs."

There was a knock at the door, and a student poked his head and said, "Hey, Prof? You've got that meeting with Landon and Perk, remember?"

The kindly man jumped to his feet, looking distressed. "Oh, I completely forgot." To Liz and Maria, he added, "Can you log out of the computer and show yourselves out? I'm sorry to run like this, but I forgot I had this meeting and…"

He looked flustered, and Liz instantly took pity on the man. "Of course. Thank you for all your help, Professor."

The man left, and Maria took his seat and pulled up an Internet page. Choosing the directory option, she quickly searched for Leanna Coleman and pulled up a picture.

And both she and Liz froze.

"Oh my God," Maria breathed. "That's… that's…"

Liz stared at the image of the familiar blonde-haired, pale-eyed woman, and was only barely able to finish the statement Maria had started.

"That's _Courtney_."

Then there was the sound of footsteps racing in the hall, and someone called out a warning that came just a fraction of a second too late as the air grew suddenly hot, followed by a deafening explosion, and everything went dark.

* * *

Next Chapter: Lost in Translation

Due: Wed 3/17


	92. Lost in Translation

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Two: Lost in Translation

When Liz opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself lying in the backseat of a car. She tried to sit up, blinking several times to clear the fog from her vision. There was a dull pain in her head, and her entire body felt sore and bruised. But there did not appear to be any blood anywhere, and she hoped that meant she had no serious injuries.

But what was she doing in a car?

Maria was in the front seat. Her eyes were closed, and there was a gash along her forehead. Her breathing was labored, each rise and fall of her chest sounding like a struggle.

"Maria!" Liz cried, horrified.

Then her gaze switched to the person driving the car, and her jaw dropped.

"_Jared_?"

The alien in question nodded briskly. "You are awake," he said, his tone devoid of any emotion. He pulled the car sharply around, and it was then that Liz noticed they were entering a hospital emergency room parking lot.

"What are we… how… what _happened_?" Liz stammered, her gaze moving back to Maria.

"I am concerned she may have internal bleeding," Jared said in a crisp tone. "There is not time to take her back to the King. A human hospital will have to be enough."

That said, he hit the breaks of the car and Liz felt her body jerk forward before falling back into the seat. As she struggled to gain her bearings, Jared jumped out of the car and hurried around to the passenger side. Pulling Maria into his arms, he gestured for Liz to follow him and then turned towards the hospital entrance, not bothering to look back.

He knew Liz would follow. After all, he was carrying her unconscious best friend.

As Liz struggled to keep up, she could not help but wonder what exactly had happened. There were too many unanswered questions. What had caused the explosion? Where had Jared come from? And what was Courtney doing at Las Cruces under the name of Leanna?

They passed through the double doors of the emergency room and an doctor was suddenly at Jared's side.

"Sir! What happened?"

Jared quickly transferred Maria to the doctor and answered, "We were hiking in the desert, and she slipped and fell down a rocky incline. We thought she was alright, just the gash on her head, but then she passed out when we got back to the car."

The doctor nodded seriously and placed Maria on a gurney, then signaled one of the nurses to come over. "Were either of you injured?" he asked Jared.

Jared pursed his lips and nodded towards Liz. "She tripped a bit on the way down. We were going so quickly, wanting to reach out friend, I don't think we really paid much attention to anything…"

"Alright, Ms… uh…"

"Parker," Liz supplied. "Liz Parker." Belatedly, she wondered if perhaps she shouldn't have used her real name, but then maybe it didn't really matter. After all, they would need to supply insurance information for Maria's treatment, and they couldn't really fake _that_.

"Right. Ms. Parker. Please take a seat and someone will be along shortly to take you down to X-ray and give you a quick exam. I'll take your friend…"

"Maria DeLuca," Liz filled in as the intern paused.

"Ms. DeLuca to X-ray now." To the nurse who had joined him, he said, "Get an MRI also. Look for head trauma. I was a neurological consult."

"Right away, Doctor," the nurse said with a nod and a warm smile for Liz.

"Can't I go with her?" Liz protested as the nurse began to wheel the unconscious Maria out of sight. She took a few steps forward, trying to follow her friend, but the doctor gave a sympathetic shake of his head and barred Liz from moving any further.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Parker. Doctor's only. But I'll come give you an update shortly. In the mean time, perhaps it would be best if you called one of Ms. DeLuca's parents?"

Liz paled instantly, knowing there would be no way to explain this to Amy DeLuca. She could already see the terrified mother's furious expression when she found out that Maria was in a hospital now, so soon after Valenti's death.

Guilt twisted in her stomach and she blinked back tears.

But she had no time to dwell on that. Jared was already pulling her away from the doctor, and as soon as they were out of earshot, he turned to Liz and said briskly, "Keep to the cover story. If anyone asks, it was just a hike and Maria tripped and fell. I will be back shortly."

"But… where are you going? What were you even doing in Las Cruces? Jared, what _happened_?" Liz demanded, refusing to let him leave without giving answers. She latched onto his arm and met his gaze without flinching, hoping he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was serious. And she was not going to let go until he started explaining.

"I followed you from Roswell," Jared said. "We have been keeping tabs on all of you, particularly after the death of the Queen's father. When it became clear that you and your friend intended on coming to Las Cruces, I followed."

"Why?" Liz questioned. She did not fully trust the Royalist, and she knew Max had his reservations as well. But more than that, she found it difficult to believe that a man whose soul purpose on Earth seemed to be to protect the Royal Four until they chose to return to their planet would care about the wellbeing of two human girls.

"You believe the skins are behind this. If Khivar has made a move, if he is responsible, then I would like to know as much as possible about his plans," Jared said simply. Liz gazed at him, stunned, and he said with a dismissive wave of one hand, "Do not be so surprised at how much we know about you and your friends' responses to the recent accident. The King asked that we stay silent and keep our peace for now, and we will obey that request. But simply because the Royal Four are not ready to fight does not mean that a fight will not come to them, and I have no intention of letting down my guard."

"So you followed us to see what we would learn?" Liz asked skeptically. "Why not just wait until we get back and tell the others?"

Jared frowned and looked around the hospital waiting room. "That presumed that you would make it back in one piece." Liz licked her lips uneasily, and Jared said in a low tone, "You apparently did not have enough common sense to realize that rushing off on this hunt would only end up putting you in danger. If an alien is behind this – and now it appears that your suspicions were correct – they would know enough to cover their tracks. And to get rid of anyone who got too close to the truth."

"So you followed us to see what we would find and to keep us safe?" Liz summed up.

Jared snorted. "Well, somebody had to, and it was clear that the King, Queen, and Princess certainly were not going to join you on this. And the General, too, has been reticent." He looked over his shoulder. "I have to go. I will be back shortly. Just keep your mouth shut and we'll be able to get out of this without arousing any suspicion."

"But where are you going? And what caused that explosion?"

"An alien device of some sort," Jared explained quickly. "I arrived at the room just as it reached the two of you. In was unable to do anything to protect you, but I did contain the explosion. It did not leave the room."

Liz accepted all of this in silence, digesting the information. Jared made another move to leave, but she asked, "So it was _you_ I heard calling out to us right before the explosion? And you were the one moving past the window?"

"Yes, yes," Jared answered impatiently. "I will explain everything later. But we are running out of time, and I need to take care of this. Just _wait_ here, I'll be back."

He left, and this time, Liz did not try to stop him. Instead, she walked over to the uncomfortable hospital chairs and sat down, eyes moving towards the direction Maria had gone, waiting for news of her friend.

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Max asked heatedly as he paced back and forth across the floor of Michael's apartment and glared at his girlfriend with all the fury and frustration he could muster. Then, without waiting for Liz's response, he spun around to face Jared and questioned, "Why didn't you tell us you were following them? Why didn't you tell me where they were going?"

"Forgive me, your Majesty," Jared said softly, "but it did not appear as though you would listen." There was a faint rebuke in his voice, or perhaps Max was just imagining it, but either way, the hybrid King felt his anger and guilt grow.

They had gathered at Michael's apartment, all of them. Liz and Maria were sitting on the sofa, Maria holding her head in her hands, her eyes shut tightly. She had apparently suffered a severe concussion and two fractured ribs. Jared had been quick to point out that it could have been much worse.

Michael was standing behind Maria, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. He had not left her side since she walked in the door and, to his great dismay, refused to let Max heal her. But, as she had pointed out, her mother would get the bill from the hospital and be a little suspicious if she had been treated for injuries she no longer had.

"How could you do this, Liz? Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have caused? You could have lead the FBI or some other government agency back to us!" Isabel admonished from where she sat perched on a chair opposite them, her expression blank and entirely unreadable. She would not meet Max's gaze, and that worried him, but he had little time to dwell on that. There were more pressing concerns to deal with at the moment.

Liz glowered and shot back, "I was right, wasn't I? About this being more than just an accident."

There was a tense silence, then Tess said bluntly, "Was it worth nearly getting yourself and Maria killed? Will it be worth it if the FBI come after us because of this and we end up back… back in that _room_?"

Liz didn't answer right away, and Max thought Tess' words were a bit of a low blow, even if she wasn't saying anything that wasn't true. He knew Liz, and while she might not have been thinking clearly at the time, she never would have knowingly put Maria in danger.

"I found out a clue," Liz said at last, brown eyes focusing on Tess. "I found out that there was something alien about your father's death. Don't you want to know the truth?"

"Liz, what you found out is that at some point Alex sent something to Courtney at Las Cruces," Tess countered. "There is no proof whatsoever that this has anything to do with Jim's death."

Kyle, who was standing near the door and looking incredibly uncomfortable at being included in this meeting, stared at Tess incredulously. "You can't seriously think that this isn't related to Dad's death?"

Tess chewed her lip and said nothing.

"Have you spoken to your mother, yet?" Max asked, breaking into the conversation and giving Maria a quick look. "Does she know?"

Maria shook her head, and then winced as the movement obviously caused her pain. "Not yet. Jared brought us right here." She looked at Jared, who was standing next to Kristalia. The two Royalists had been surprisingly quiet during Liz's recitation of the events that had led them to Las Cruces and all that they had found there.

"It seemed prudent to have our stories straight before dealing with anything else," Jared said simply, and Kristalia gave a nod of agreement.

"And what is our story? How are you going to cover an explosion in a computer lab?" Michael scoffed.

Jared gave a thin smile in response. "The story is that Maria and Liz were hiking in the desert outside of Las Cruces and Maria slipped and fell down the side of a small cliff. As for taking care of the explosion in the computer lab, I already did that," he answered.

That surprised Max, and he raised his eyebrows questioningly. Nasedo had often taken it upon himself to cover their tracks, and his methods usually ended with people dying. How many innocents had Jared killed to keep Liz's foolishness under wraps?

"How?" Isabel asked, and it was clear from the edge in her voice and the stiffening of her posture that she was expecting the same answer as Max. Something that they would not like.

"As I informed Liz at the hospital, I was able to keep the explosion contained to that room via an energy field. I created a barrier that blocked sound waves as well, so no one else in the building was aware of what had happened."

"They'll figure it out when they see the room completely destroyed, won't they?" Maria questioned.

Jared shrugged. "I tracked down the professor – Goldberg, I believe was his name – and the receptionist that you and Liz spoke to when you first entered. Also, the student whom I saw accompanying Professor Goldberg from the computer lab. They are the only ones who knew you were there. So yes, they will find a destroyed room, and yes, they will wonder about it. But I took care of the three witnesses, and erased all memory from the computer you had used, so none of this should lead back to you."

"You _took care_ of the witnesses?" Liz said, horrified. Then her expression changed to one of anger, and she spat, "Just say what you mean. Say that you killed them…"

"What do you care?" Tess shot at her, eyes flashing. "If you'd just thought about what you were doing before hand, nobody would be dead right now…"

Liz flinched and Max realized instantly that that was the problem. The brunette did blame herself for what had happened – as well she should, Max thought viciously – and she already had Maria's injuries on her conscious. If she had to deal with the deaths of innocent people as well…

"I didn't… I'm not…" Liz stammered an incoherent defense and trailed off into silence.

"What?" Kristalia interjected, her gaze switching back and forth between Liz and Jared. To her companion Royalist, she asked sharply, "What does she mean?"

But Jared appeared just as bewildered as Kristalia. "I don't understand," he said, frowning at Liz. "Why would I kill them?"

"You didn't kill them?" Isabel questioned, seeking confirmation.

"Of course not," Jared answered, sounding a little affronted by their assumptions. "I just modified their memories. It was entirely unnecessary to kill them, and they were innocent in all this. I don't murder people simply because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Nasedo does," Isabel murmured.

Jared's expression grew even colder, and he said in a glacial tone, "I'm _not_ Nasedo."

Kristalia shifted uncomfortably and looked at the ground. It was clear there was some history between the shape-shifter and the two Royalists, but Max didn't press for an explanation. It didn't really seem important.

"Thank you for watching over Liz and Maria," Max said stiffly, inclining his head to Jared. "And for cleaning up this mess. In the future, though… I would appreciate it if you would inform me of your activities prior to driving to a different city in pursuit of my friends."

Jared smiled, but his eyes conveyed his reluctance, "Of course, your Majesty."

"Well, it's good that no one is dead, although Liz and Maria could have easily ended up being killed," Tess said shortly, "but I'm not sure why we're all still here. Shouldn't the meeting be over now?"

"Tess, we have to talk about what Liz and Maria found," Kyle protested. "This discovery…"

"The only thing I've discovered so far is that Liz is insane and Maria apparently has no common sense or at least enough survival instinct not to walk into a trap," Tess spat.

"Courtney is translating something, some ancient-looking language, and Alex was helping her with it. What do you think that means, Tess?" Liz demanded hotly. "How can you continue to ignore the truth? You know this is important, you know…"

"Why would Alex work with Courtney?" Tess asked skeptically.

"He wasn't."

Isabel's words were so soft, so quiet, that Max though he had misheard. She wasn't looking at any of them, but instead had shifted her gaze down to her hands, idly pulling at a loose thread on her blouse.

"What do you mean?" Maria cut in sharply. "Liz and I saw…"

"I know what you saw," Isabel interrupted, and this time she did meet Maria's gaze, but only for a second. "But I assure you, Alex wasn't working with Courtney. At least not knowingly."

"How do you know that?" Maria asked, folding her arms over her chest and wincing slightly at the pain the movement caused. "How do you know he didn't know exactly what he was doing?"

Michael snorted. "You think Whitman would have decided to work with Courtney and not tell any of us?"

"I agree with Maria," Liz said, looking over at Michael. "Just because Courtney took on the name Leanna doesn't mean she didn't tell Alex who she really was. Right?"

Max glanced in between his girlfriend and his best friend. Michael was rolling his eyes at Liz's comment, and Liz was staring hard at him, refusing to back down. But then Tess moved in between the two, stepping closer to Isabel, and Max noted the shrewd expression on her face as she regarded the hybrid Princess.

"What aren't you telling us, Isabel?" Tess questioned.

There was a moment of silence, and Max thought Isabel might deny that she knew anything beyond what she had said. But then she raised her gaze to Tess' suspicious blue eyes and said flatly, "He was translating the Destiny Book."

"_What_?"

Even though it was Max who had spoken, Isabel did not look away from Tess as she continued, "I know he didn't know he was working with Courtney, because he was working with me. And he would have told me if he knew Courtney was involved."

"Keep explaining," Tess ordered brusquely, and it was a good thing she had managed to make the request, because Max didn't think he could form a coherent thought at the moment. Michael and Liz looked equally surprised, and Maria looked angry. Kyle's expression was unreadable, but there was something dark and foreboding in his brown eyes, and Max didn't like it.

"Ever since the school borrowed that code-breaking technology, Alex had been going on and on about it. It got me thinking about the Destiny Book, about how we can't read it. I asked Alex if the technology would be able to decipher what was in the book. He said he thought so, but because it was a symbol-based language, it would probably take a really long time. But the computers at Las Cruces could do it faster because they were more powerful…" She trailed off, unsure, and looked over at Max.

"So you asked him to go to Las Cruces?" Maria questioned. There was something faintly accusatory about her words, and Isabel flinched. But the pixie blonde did not seem to notice. Either that, or she did not care.

"No, that was his idea. I… I don't know, I didn't think…" She chewed her lip and looked down at her hands again. "I didn't like the idea of sending the Book to complete strangers, but there was no way Alex could take off enough time to go to Las Cruces. But he said he could send some fragments from the Book, enough to get the computer program to figure out the conversion. Um… well, I don't really understand it, but he said that if the program could analyze of few phrases and figure out some of the basic rules of this language, then when we brought the Book over, it would be a lot easier and a lot faster. Because the computer would already have done most of the hard work. So he contacted a graduate student there. I guess it was Leanna, I never knew her name. And she agreed to help him translate…"

"You sent part of the Destiny Book to someone you'd never even met?" Michael interrupted furiously. "Are you insane? Izzy, what were you _thinking_?"

"They were just fragments," Isabel said defensively. "They wouldn't mean anything to anyone."

"You knew," Liz said in a hollow voice. "All this time… you knew that this was alien related."

"_No_! No," Isabel cried. "They were in a _car accident_, Liz. How was I supposed to know there was anything at all suspicious about that? I didn't know that Leanna was Courtney! I didn't know that…"

"You knew there was a reason someone might be after Alex," Liz said bitterly, her words cold and calculating. "You knew he was involved in something alien. You knew, because you're the one who sent him into it!"

"No. No, I… I… you don't understand. I didn't think…"

"Obviously," Liz said coolly.

"Stop it," Max broke in fiercely, glaring at Liz. Isabel was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks, and Liz's face was suffused with pink, a sure sign that she was angry. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she looked at him, but she did lapse into silence.

"Why didn't you tell us what you were doing?" Michael questioned.

"I thought you'd disagree. I thought you'd… I thought you'd want to stop me. You'd say it was too reckless, too dangerous… that you didn't want anyone at Las Cruces to see any part of the Destiny Book and…"

"It _is_ too dangerous!" Max exploded. "What if…"

"You _don't_ understand," Isabel interrupted him, jumping to her feet. She cheeks were flushed with splotches of red, and her eyes were filled with tears. But there was a note of hysteria in her voice that worried Max more than anything else. "You _don't_ get what this is like for me."

"What _are_ you talking about?" Liz asked.

"Khivar almost _had_ me," Isabel said, her voice rising in volume. "In my past life, I was this horrible person who betrayed _everyone_ she was supposed to care about. I got us all _killed_ and… And I have spent this _entire_ school year trying to understand that, trying to find out why and then… then Nicolas turned me _again_ and I wanted to go back to Khivar. I _wanted_ him and I don't… I don't even _understand_ why or how or what could have made me be this… this _traitor_… in the past. But she's _still_ inside of me and it could all happen again – it almost _did_ happen again. And if that Book has _any_ information, any explanation, I _have_ to know. I have to understand. Because she's… she's _still_ here, inside of me. And I… I don't want her to come back."

She was pacing, her movements jerky and agitated, and she repeatedly brushed angrily at her eyes, at the tears that fell from them, unchecked. The room had gone entirely silent, and everyone was staring at her, giving her their full attention.

"But Alex understood that. He said he'd help… he wanted to help." Her voice was softer now, but the raw pain in her voice had not abated and the panic and frenzy continued to flash periodically through her eyes. "He knew that I couldn't… that I _couldn't_ go on not knowing why… I _needed_ answers. I needed to… to know about the past so that I could finally bury it. So that I wouldn't… wouldn't always be haunted by her."

"That's why he was at the school that night," Liz said quietly. "Isn't it?"

Isabel replied with a barely perceptible nod. After a tense moment, she elaborated in a choked voice, "He said he had to send a couple more emails. He had to use some of the programs they had because his Las Cruces contact had asked him for something. It was all computer language, and I didn't understand… something about needing to send the appropriate binary code to her. It would help speed up the translation. He'd used those school computers a lot, and the computer lab teacher didn't mind if he worked on things in the evening, as long as someone else was there to supervise. A lot of the teachers stay late, so it was never a problem…"

"But why was he in the car with the Sheriff?"

Isabel shrugged. "I heard he had a flat tire. I don't know anything else." She blinked a few times. "I gave him a hard time about being there. I wanted to hang out with him that night, and I know… I know he was doing this for us, but still… I was annoyed about how little time he spent with me. So he said he'd hurry and finish up and come back. He was going to stay later to work on it, but I made him come back. I made him leave what he was doing because I was being selfish and I wanted to see my boyfriend. I was the reason he was out there in the first place, and I was the reason he was coming back when…" She broke off, unable to finish the sentence through her tears.

"It's not your fault," Max said automatically. Isabel hunched over, shoulder shaking as she cried, and he felt his stomach clench painfully at the simple fact that there was little he could offer her, little that would ease the pain.

"Max is right," Michael agreed, and even Liz and Maria, who were both clearly still angry with Isabel for withholding this information, nodded in agreement.

"You didn't cause the accident," Maria murmured.

"Okay, but… we're assuming Courtney has something to do with what happened to Alex and my Dad, right?" Kyle questioned as Isabel continued to sob. "But… Courtney's an alien. Why would she need to translate this… this Book. Can't she just read it? I mean… doesn't she speak Antarian… or whatever the language is?"

"There are several languages on Antar," Kristalia said, sharing a brief look with Jared. "Lady Courtney speaks some, but not all, of them. However, the Destiny Book was written in code."

"Code?" Max repeated blankly. "Why?"

"In case it fell into the wrong hands," Kristalia answered, eyebrows raised. She seemed surprised he even had to ask, as though the answer should be obvious. "They could not take the risk that Khivar or any of his skins would discover the Book. It contains far too much valuable information, particularly about the Granolith."

"Only few were privy to the code," Jared added. "Kristalia and I cannot read it. It was a code used only very rarely, and only by the royal families and their most loyal subjects. If you had retained your memories of Antar as was intended, you would have been able to read it. Courtney, however, cannot."

"So Courtney could have used Alex and Isabel to figure out what was in the Book," Max mused thoughtfully. "But how will we know for certain if she's responsible? I doubt she'd admit to it."

"If you would like, your Majesty," Kristalia offered, "I can find out. If we can locate and apprehend Courtney, I can easily read her mind."

"Read her mind?" Michael said. "You mean like mind-rape? Like what Nicolas could do?"

Kristalia nodded.

Max shifted uneasily. Kristalia's offer was tempting, particularly because they desperately needed answers. But though both Royalists had provided necessary assistance in the rescue of Isabel from the skin stronghold, and though Jared had saved Michael and Max from the midnight attack of the skins and Maria and Liz from the alien device in the computer laboratory at Las Cruces, he still could not bring himself to trust them fully.

He'd trusted Courtney, after all, and it was starting to look like that had been a bad idea.

And what if Kristalia did not impart all the information she found in Courtney's mind? Or what if she found something that could be detrimental to them?

Tess apparently shared Max's reluctance, because she said abruptly, "I can do it."

"Do what?" Max asked.

She continued to stare at Kristalia as she answered, "I can mind-warp Courtney. Not effective as a mind-rape, but it could still work. I can trick her into telling me the truth."

Max gaped. Tess had refused for so long to use her mind-warping abilities. Since Kyle's near-death experience, she had been adamant that it was not worth the risk, not worth possibly killing someone and accidentally turning herself into a murderer. But now she was actually _volunteering_ to do what she had been so afraid of?

"But... what about… I thought you weren't mind-warping anymore," Max said in bewilderment. "I thought you didn't want to take the chance that…" He trailed off and continued to look at her, brows furrowed.

Tess gave him an expressionless stare and replied flatly, "If Courtney had something to do with Jim's death, then I don't particularly care whether or not my mind-warp kills her."

* * *

If Isabel thought returning to her own house, away from the accusatory stare of her brother and friends, would make things easier for her, she soon found that she was sorely mistaken.

Her more was sitting on the sofa in front of the television, holding a remote in her hand. Her father was pacing back and forth across the floor, his expression grim and strained. They both looked up as Isabel entered the house, and for a moment, the entire room was frozen.

Then Diane asked in an oddly flat voice, "Is Max with you?"

"No," Isabel said shortly, having no desire to go into any details about where Max currently was. She assumed he was still at Michael's apartment, but she didn't know for certain, and she didn't really care.

Philip and Diane exchanged a look, and then Philip said, "Can you sit down for a moment? Your mother and I have something that we want to share with you."

Isabel rolled her eyes, not interested in whatever her parents had to say, but she took a seat anyway. Her thoughts on Alex, she barely noticed as her father turned on the television and started placing the tape in the VCR. Then she realized what exactly she was seeing, and time seemed to stand still.

Her eyes were glued to the television screen, and she did not dare look at her parents, did not even manage to take a single breath as the scene played out before her.

_It was her room. She was lying on the bed and Max was standing by the door and… and the air was filled with objects. Books, clothing, shoes… all flying around above her in a circle, an outlet for her fear and frustration and guilt._

"_Isabel," Max said warily._

_Shoes bumped into the wall and books flipped over and over, pages bending strangely as they continued to soar around her._

"_Isabel," Max said again, his voice louder._

_She flung out her hands and the objects fell to the ground, books landing on the bed, shoes hitting the desk, clothing falling haphazardly on the dresser and the chair._

"_Just leave me alone, Max," she said._

Philip pressed the pause button and the tape stopped.

"I… oh, God." Isabel was on her feet a moment later, backing away from her parents. "I can't believe that you spied on me."

"I'm sorry, honey," Diane said, and there was regret and desperation in her voice, "but we didn't know what else to do!"

"Can you please just tell us what this means?" Philip asked, his voice thick with emotion, gesturing towards the television screen. "Who are you?"

The question was like a blow to the stomach, and Isabel gasped, stumbling backwards. "I'm your daughter!" she answered forcefully, both terrified and furious that they actually had to ask.

"Are you?" Philip pressed.

"Yes! God, yes! How could you do this?" Philip moved closer to her, and Diane rose to her feet, but Isabel continued to back away, shaking her head in denial. "I can't believe you actually… oh, God, how could you…?"

"Isabel, please. Just talk to us," her mother begged.

But Isabel did not listen. Instead, she turned and ran, fleeing the room. Yanking open the front door of the house, she ran out onto the lawn, ignoring her parents' shouts. She'd gotten a ride home from Tess, and she didn't have a car with her, or her car keys. But it didn't matter. She kept running, away from the house, as though somehow she could outrun all her problems.

As though they wouldn't follow her everywhere she went.

* * *

Next Chapter: Conflict

Due: Thurs 3/18


	93. Conflict

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So sorry for the delay. I meant to have this posted last Thursday, but I was on vacation, and we had really spotty Internet. So it didn't quite work out. But I've posted two chapters at this update (so that I can stay on track with my schedule) to make up for it.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Three: Conflict

Tess paced uneasily back and forth across the sidewalk in front of the high school. She had no idea if Courtney had been spying on them, if she already knew that they were suspicious of her. If she did, though, wouldn't she stay away from them? It would make it that much harder to locate her…

But maybe she didn't know. Certainly she couldn't think that they would be doing anything other than grieving, struggling to find their way in the aftermath of the accident. If it really was an accident…

There were still so many things that didn't add up. If it was something more than an accident, if Alex had been the target, why was it Jim's car that was destroyed? And why would Courtney or whoever was behind this have needed to kill them? It didn't appear that Courtney was in any danger of being revealed at the time.

She let her thoughts wander to Isabel. She could understand the other girl's desperation, her frantic need for answers. In the face of all that had happened to her, both in their past life and in this one, she would feel so wrong-footed, so unsure. And that desire to protect herself and the people she cared about, to make sure that Vilandra never resurfaced, had clearly outweighed any need she would have felt to work as a group. It was true that Michael and Max would have been reluctant to show any part of the Destiny Book to anyone at Las Cruces, and true also that they wouldn't have been able to do this without getting help from the people there…

She could understand Isabel's decision, even if she didn't agree with it.

She closed her eyes and thought of Liz. She had never seen the brunette so angry, so cold. All the times that she had every right to be angry, particularly during Max's short time under the influence of Zan, she had only been depressed and hesitant. But now… this Liz was sharp and hard and full of edges and steely resolve.

With a grim shake of her head, Tess reflected that she might have actually liked this Liz, if it weren't for the fact that all the brunette's anger was directed at the people Tess loved.

"Tess?"

She spun around in surprise, having not heard Courtney approach. Both hands immediately curled into fists, and she moved them behind her back and forced a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Courtney."

"Is everything alright?" Courtney asked, glancing towards the school. "I mean… besides the obvious."

Tess shut her eyes at the allusion to Jim and inhaled slowly. "I'm managing," she said softly.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Courtney said sincerely. She seemed so honest, so candid, that it made it hard for Tess to believe that she could have anything to do with this. But the petite hybrid knew better than to judge something by appearances, and she forced herself to focus on Courtney again.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Oh… just walking," Courtney admitted. "With the skins gone and Nicolas dead… well, I figure I don't have to hide as much. I'm not a double agent anymore. And when Khivar comes to Earth…" She looked away from Tess, out towards the rest of the town. "Being around you four is probably the safest for me."

Tess nodded slowly. She noted that Courtney had said _when_ Khivar cmes to Earth, and not _if_. Was it inevitable, then? She supposed it had to be, because he wouldn't just leave them all alone. She sighed.

"What are you doing here?" Courtney asked. "School's over for the day."

Tess nodded mutely. School was over for the day. And now she couldn't even remember what she had done at school that day. Liz and Maria hadn't been there, obviously, and she knew that had worried Michael and Max. She had paid little attention to their worry, but in the end she'd realized they were right with the revelation that the two humans had gone to Las Cruces. But beyond that, the details of the school day were hazy, completely eclipsed by the conversation they had had that afternoon in Michael's apartment.

She wondered briefly if Maria had told her mother about her injuries yet. And she wondered how Amy DeLuca would take it, finding her daughter had been taken to the hospital so soon after Jim's death… Probably not well.

Yet another thing Liz and Maria should have thought about before rushing off on their detective mission.

"Tess?" Courtney prompted.

Tess started, drawing from her thoughts. "Sorry," she murmured. "I was just thinking…" She looked at the school.

She was here because if Courtney really was involved in what had happened, then no doubt the skin would come back to the school to clean up after herself, to make sure nothing could lead back to her. She'd been here, waiting for Courtney, on the hunch that those school computers still held enough relevant information that Courtney would not be willing to leave them alone.

And she had apparently been right.

"That's alright," Courtney said. "I know how hard this must be for you."

Tess shrugged. "Well, it's not like I haven't had practice losing people in car accidents," she replied bitterly.

Courtney nodded and didn't say anything.

They were still out in the open. Granted, there was nobody outside at the moment, and Tess doubted they would be seen, but she still didn't want to take any chances. She needed to get Courtney some place more secluded.

"I left some stuff in my locker," Tess said finally, "and I need to go in and get it. I was just going to use my gifts to unlock the doors, but…"

"But what?"

Tess laughed coldly and shook her head. "It's stupid. I just… Alex was here, on that night. And he got a flat tire, and Jim was in the neighborhood and picked him up and… and this was the last place Alex was before the accident. He was doing work, I think. And I can't… I just can't bring myself to go in."

She held her breath, hoping, praying, Courtney would take the opportunity to…

"Do you want me to go in with you?"

Tess felt a glimmer of triumph in her chest, then nodded. "Thanks."

They entered the school in silence. No one else was there. It was apparently one of the rare days that none of the teachers had decided to stick around or come back to do work after dinner. At least that meant they wouldn't have to find an empty classroom. If there were no teachers around, they could do this anywhere…

Tess wasn't really sure how to do exactly what she wanted to do. She knew she'd have to somehow force open Courtney's mind with her own mind-warp, and then maybe that would allow her to get a flash. Or something like that. A mind-warp could also place emotions inside someone's brain, so maybe she could get Courtney to think that she wanted to reveal what had happened…

As the double doors to the school swung shut behind them, Tess turned to Courtney, took a slow breath, and summoned a gift she had not used in several months. Then she slammed her way forcefully into Courtney's mind.

Courtney was not prepared for the attack, and dropped to her knees. But she regrouped quickly, trying to force Tess out, trying to subdue the other girl. For a moment, it seemed like she might succeed, but then Tess thought of Jim, of his coffin, of the hollow sound of dirt striking the wooden lid, and her fury made her gifts explode from her, beyond her control, and far too powerful for Courtney to stop.

She grabbed Courtney's arms, dimly aware that she had no idea what she was doing or if she could even make it stop when she was done. It didn't really matter at the moment. There was the vague knowledge that this could kill Courtney, but that didn't matter either. Nothing matter, except the need to know, to get information, to see if she was involved.

If she had killed Jim.

The world swam before Tess' eyes, shimmering red with fury and fiery anger, and Courtney's face, twisted in pain and shock and fear, blurred in her vision.

And then the flashes started.

"_You're behind this. You… you're Leanna."_

"_Alex. Alex, wait. Listen to me, okay, I can explain," Courtney said, taking a few wary steps towards the panicking human boy._

"_Explain to Max," Alex said, pushing away from her. "I'm going to go tell him, and then you can explain why you pretended to be Leanna Coleman. Why you were so desperate to get your hands on the Book…"_

"_No! No," Courtney cried, reaching out and grabbing his arm. _

_He spun around to look at her, "Do you think you can stop me? How are you going to convince me not to tell Max?"_

_But she didn't give him a chance to pull away. Reaching up, she touched the side of his forehead with one hand and said, "You won't remember."_

_There was a flash of white, a bright light that washed away that scene and brought up another one._

_Courtney glanced at the sleeping Alex as she moved silently into his room. He was sprawled on his bed, completely oblivious to her presence. Taking care not to wake him, she did a quick, methodical search of his room._

_And found the Destiny Book, hidden underneath several stacks of computer paper in one of the drawers of his desk. She carefully withdrew it and smiled. The computers at Las Cruces were ready._

_It was time._

_Another flash of white, a bit longer this time. When the light was gone, the scene had switched to the school._

_Alex was slumped against the outside wall, his eyes unfocused. Courtney stood over him, a worried expression on her face._

"_You did this to me," Alex gasped, groaning as he tried to stand. "You did something to my mind. You kept trying to take away memories and now there's nothing left! You destroyed me, you ruined my mind. How could you do this to me?"_

"_Alex, hold on. I can fix this. Okay, just… you need to calm down."_

"_Who's there?"_

_Courtney spun around quickly at the sound of the voice, her eyes scanning the darkness. A figure was approaching, holding a flashlight in one hand. She recognized the voice, she'd heard it before. It was the Sherriff._

"_Damn it!" she swore under her breath._

"_Help… me…" Alex said, attempting to raise his voice. It came out soft and confused, and his expression was rapidly becoming more and more forlorn. But there was still pain in his eyes._

"_Be quiet," Courtney snapped, grabbing Alex's head in her hands. She tried to focus on him, on fixing what she had done, but then the beam of the flashlight caught her full in the face and Sheriff Valenti was there._

"_What's going… Courtney? Alex! What are you doing? Get away from him!"_

_Alex suddenly slipped form her grasp and fell to the ground, seizing. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and after a moment of twitching uncontrollably, he fell still._

"_Alex!" The Sheriff rushed forward, one hand reaching for his gun as he did so._

_Courtney looked at his hand on the gun, and reacted._

_Jim was dead before he hit the ground._

Tess was suddenly thrown forcefully backwards, and she slammed into the wall, momentarily stunned. Her eyes were burning, and she was dimly aware of the fact that she was crying, tears spilling down her cheeks. But the grief was faint, and completely overwhelmed by the fury and hatred coursing through her veins.

Courtney struggled to her feet, obviously drained from Tess' attack. "Tess… I never meant for anyone to get hurt," she gasped. "I just… I saw an opening to… to find out what was in the Book and… and I took it. But they weren't… it wasn't supposed to… to end like… that."

But Tess didn't care.

She was on her feet in an instant, and though her entire body protested the action, though she was barely able to find the energy to move, let alone attack, she still stretched out one hand and felt the electricity running down her arm towards her fingers.

"You killed him," she spat, eyes darkening. "You _murdered_ my father."

The electricity jumped from her hand towards Courtney, but the skin blocked it. Courtney was still leaning heavily against the wall, and her expression was strained, but despite all this, she was not going to go down without a fight. And, Tess reflected grimly, they didn't know the full extent of Courtney's powers.

"I didn't mean to," Courtney retorted, licking her dry lips. "It was instinct. He had a gun, I thought he was going to kill me…"

"He should have," Tess snarled, attacking again. Another bolt of electricity left her hand, and again Courtney blocked it. Frustrated, Tess moved forward, closing the gap between herself and the skin. "I can't believe we ever trusted you."

"Tess, listen to me," Courtney said. "You have to listen. Please."

Tess didn't hesitate. Alien powers forgotten, she lifted her arm and slapped Courtney across the face, hard enough to make the skin' head snap back, twisting her neck painfully. Courtney fell back against the wall once more, and lifted an arm to defend herself against Tess' continued blows.

"Fight back!" Tess hissed, grabbing Courtney by the lace collar of her shirt. "Damn it, fight back!" And she flung Courtney away from her, towards the middle of the hallway. The skin landed sprawled on the ground and quickly rolled to her side then pulled herself into a crouching position, eyeing Tess warily.

The hybrid Queen advanced, lips pressed into a thin line, a deathly cold look in her eyes.

Someone suddenly grabbed Tess' arm, surprising her, and she whipped around to find Max standing in the hallway. She hadn't heard him enter the school, hadn't seen him until that moment. She'd been so focused on Courtney…

"Tess, wait," Max said, "don't do this."

She yanked her arm out of his grip and backed away from him, shaking her head in disbelief. "What are you doing here, Max?" she demanded.

"Stopping you from making a mistake," Max answered seriously.

"A mistake? Courtney _killed_ Jim. How is this a mistake?" As she said the words, she spun around to gesture towards Courtney in anger, and found herself staring instead at an empty hallway.

Courtney was gone.

* * *

"How could you? You let her escape!"

Max watched as Tess paced back and forth across the pebble-strewn floor of the school parking lot. He'd gotten her out of the hallway, away from the place where she had attacked Courtney, but now she refused to get into her car. Instead, she was glaring at him with utter loathing and a glimmer of betrayal.

"We'll find her again," Max said with a confidence he did not quite feel. But bringing Courtney to justice was not more important than stopping Tess from killing her.

"You don't know that," Tess snapped.

Max hesitated, then nodded. There was really no point denying her words, particularly since she wasn't really listening to him anyway. Her rage and her grief made it impossible for her to see anything outside of her own pain. At that moment, he knew Tess truly wanted to kill Courtney.

He ran a hand through his hair and asked wearily, "What did you see?"

Tess licked her lips and stopped pacing long enough to look at Max. "Courtney found out what Alex was doing and started posing as Leanna. Offered to help him. Then Alex found out that Leanna was Courtney, and confronted Courtney about it. He said he was going to go to you, and she… she erased his memory. It wasn't a mind-warp, it was more like… like she actually physically removed the memory from his mind. But… it had side-effects. It screwed up the rest of his mind, and she kept having to do things to him, to keep him on track, to keep him from acting funny, to make sure he didn't get suspicious again."

"That's why he's in a coma?"

Tess nodded. In a hollow, deadened voice, she continued, "Once the computers at Las Cruces were ready to do the translation, she stole the Destiny Book from Alex. She took it to Las Cruces and translated it. Then… then Alex realized the Book was gone and that night… at the school… he was trying to figure out who Leanna was again. He realized it was her and she… she tried to erase his memory again. He collapsed, started seizing. He said she had destroyed his mind."

She finished the entire explanation in the same hollow voice, devoid of emotion. Her eyes were blank and unreadable, and her body had stopped trembling with rage and was now completely still.

Max decided he liked it better when she was angry.

"How was… how was Jim involved?" Max asked with some hesitation, unsure how she would respond.

There was a flicker of fury in her gaze, but then it was gone, and she said flatly, "He was at the school, investigating the noise. He ran up and saw what had happened. He tried to get to Alex, turned on Courtney and reached for his gun and she… she killed him."

She turned away from Max and resumed her pacing. She was no longer as agitated, and the movements seemed methodically and firm. The frantic anger, the simmer hatred… all of it seemed to be replaced by an emotionless expression and a hollow look in her eyes.

"I'm going to kill her," she said.

"No, you're not," Max said, reaching out an grabbing Tess' arm. She didn't pull away from him, but her arm was still in his grasp and she continued to look straight ahead, refusing to meet his gaze.

This Tess was so distant. So unreachable. He didn't know what to say to her, didn't know how to get her to listen to him, to understand why he had to stop her. He didn't know _this_ Tess, and he didn't like it. Didn't like the fact that staring at her familiar blue eyes and golden curls was somehow like staring at the face of a stranger.

"I killed Pierce," Max said after a long, tense pause, "and it… Tess, do you remember what I was like at the beginning of this year? Do you remember how upset Isabel was after she killed Whitaker? And both those times, we were acting in self-defense. You… you want to kill Courtney in cold blood. It won't bring Jim back, it won't fix any of this. But you… you're not a killer, Tess. Don't let her take that from you."

Tess turned to face him, lifting her gaze to study his face. "When Liz showed up at my door asking about my mind-warping abilities… I was so angry. I know she wasn't accusing me of mind-warping Alex or killing Jim. But at the time… that was all I could hear."

"We were all angry with Liz," Max said. _And some of us still are_, he added silently.

"But I wasn't even thinking about Liz. I was thinking about the white room. I was thinking about Agent Pierce standing in front of me with pictures of Jessica and Andrew's broken, bloodied bodies, asking me why I'd killed them. Do you know what he said to me?"

Max wordlessly shook his head.

Tess folded her arms over her chest and started reciting the lines she had clearly had memorized for the past year, words that must have haunted her. "What were they? A means to an end? Someone to stay with until you found the rest of your kind? Did you kill them yourself, or did you ask someone else to do it? Did you even pretend to cry at their funeral? Or were you too busy moving on to the next part of your plan? Too busy figuring out how to get to Roswell to care about the lives you'd just destroyed. Did they feel pain when they died? Jessica looks scared, doesn't she? Was she scared? Did she beg for her life? Did it even matter to you?"

"Tess, I…"

"And there was Liz, standing at my door, asking me about my mind-warping ability because she thought it might give her a clue as to how Jim had died. And I…" Tess gave a bitter chuckle. "I was so angry. And terrified. Because, even though I wasn't the one to kill Andrew and Jessica, they were killed because of me. Because they had the misfortune of adopting me, and I dragged them into this life. This mess."

Max searched frantically for the right words, but he didn't know what to say. Didn't know how he could make this any easier for her. Didn't know how he could convince her not to blame herself when everything she said was technically true.

"And now Jim is dead. And once again, it is because of us. Because of me." Her expression hardened, the familiar disgust and rage firmly back in place. "And Courtney _will_ pay for it."

"I don't want you to become a killer because of this," Max said desperately.

She looked at him, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. But there was no amusement in her voice as she answered, "And I didn't want Jim to die. We don't always get what we want, Max."

* * *

Michael watched in amusement as Amy DeLuca hovered around her daughter, almost afraid that if she closed her eyes for even a second, Maria would disappear. Maria looked more than a little annoyed by this, but she said nothing, and her mother seemed not to notice.

His thoughts turned darker, however, as he looked away from Maria towards the window and allowed his mind to wander. The phone call he had just received from Max had been both infuriating and troubling. He felt tight knots form in his stomach at the knowledge that Courtney had been behind this all along, but he was far more concerned with Max's description of Tess' reaction.

They had already lost the Sheriff, and could easily lose Alex as well. And now Tess…

He could perfectly understand her desire for revenge. He, too, wanted Courtney dead. But to actually hunt someone down and kill them in cold blood… No, he couldn't let Tess do that.

The ringing of the phone interrupted his thoughts.

Amy looked up in surprise, then turned to Maria and said, "I'll be right back. You stay right here," and hurried away to get the phone.

Maria grimaced and looked as though she wanted to stand up, but Michael crossed to her side and put a hand on her shoulder. She pouted at him, and he rolled his eyes in response.

"I'm not some weak damsel in distress," she said finally.

Michael almost laughed. "Don't worry," he assured her with a slight grim, "no one will ever accuse you of that." Then his expression sobered and he added, "But I do think your mother has had enough to worry about for right now."

Maria didn't answer. She laced her fingers together around a cup of tea her mother had made for her, and stared in moody silence at the dark liquid. "The call you took a few minutes ago," she said, her voice strained, "that was Max."

It wasn't a question.

He answered anyway, "Yeah."

"Well?"

"Courtney was behind it," he said heavily. He glanced quickly towards the living room and saw Amy on the phone, nodding her head and listening intently to whoever was speaking. "I'll give you the full details later. But yeah… she was behind it all."

Maria's hands clenched tightly around the cup, her knuckles turning white. "So it wasn't an accident?"

Michael hesitated, studying Maria intently. "Promise me you won't go after her," he said firmly, taking the seat across from her at the kitchen table. "Promise me you aren't going to run off on some crazy…"

"It wasn't crazy!" Maria protested, glaring at him.

"Yeah, it was," Michael retorted, keeping his voice low even though some of his anger slipped into his tone. Leaning forward, he said, "I know you're trying to do the right thing for Alex and for Liz. But it isn't just you, Alex, and Liz anymore Maria, and it hasn't been like that for a very long time. Do you have any idea how terrified your mother was to see you walk in the house covered in bandages?"

Maria bit her lip, then looked away and said bitterly, "Nobody else was doing anything."

"That's not the point," Michael snapped.

"That's _exactly_ the point," Maria said, shaking her head at him. "Alex is my best friend and…"

"And you _promised_ you would call me if you walked into danger," Michael said. He tried to keep the fear at bay, but he couldn't quite do it, and it must have been reflected in his eyes. Maria's expression softened, but he pressed on regardless, "And I _trusted_ you to keep that promise because I thought you would have enough common sense not to risk your own life and all of ours as well. But instead, you went to Las Cruces without telling anyone. How was I suppose to protect you when I didn't even know where you were? And don't tell me that you don't need protection, because that's not true. This isn't some feminist argument, this is a _war_, and you could have died, and it's like you didn't even care about that."

"Michael…"

"No, think about it. Think about how _you_ feel right now knowing that Alex is in a coma and might never wake up. Knowing that Valenti is dead. You _know_ how much that hurts. _Why_ would you go off and get yourself killed knowing what it would feel like for the rest of us?"

He was breathing heavily by the time he was done, and he let his gaze move away from her, down to the scratched top of the kitchen table. His eyes followed the tiny details – the imperfections and flaws – in the wood as he tried to get a handle of his emotions.

If Maria had died, he honestly didn't know what he would have done.

And he knew it would have been just as devastating, possibly even more devastating, for her mother.

He slanted a look at Maria, and saw she was staring at her mother. She must have realized the same thing, because her expression was one of guilt as she watched her mother continue the phone conversation. It was clear she hadn't meant for anyone to get hurt, and maybe Liz hadn't meant for that either.

But did it really matter?

Look what _had_ happened. And what could have happened, if Jared hadn't been there.

"I'm sorry," Maria offered. "But… I was desperate. And I thought you'd stop me." She smiled a little, and then said with an ironic laugh, "And I think I've recently heard that argument in defense of someone else doing something really stupid."

Michael thought of Isabel, and sighed. "Yeah." Scratching his eyebrow, he added, "Just… don't do anything like this again, okay? I don't want…" He stopped, the words stuck in his throat.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, squeezing in slightly. "I love you," she said.

"I love you, too."

* * *

"They know."

"What?"

"Mom and Dad. They put a video camera in my room, they saw… they saw us talking after Liz said all that stuff, they saw me using my powers to cause that tornado… Max, they _know_."

A myriad of emotions flashed across Max's face, but Isabel was too busing panicking to pay much attention to them. She hadn't returned home since her parents had confronted her that evening, and now it was close to eleven o'clock at night, and the two of them were sitting on the curb at the corner of their street, taking. She'd been waiting for him all evening, knowing he would need a warning before facing their parents.

Max rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "I don't… okay… well…" He couldn't find the right words, and he stammered for a moment, flustered, before falling silent.

"Max, what do we do?" Isabel asked him, wide-eyed and flushed.

Any anger he might have felt towards her after their conversation at Michael's that afternoon was gone, replaced now by the realization that they were both in this together. Whatever they did regarding their parents… they had to both be able to live with the consequences of it.

"We could ask Tess to mind-warp them and destroy the tape," Isabel said, not waiting for Max to answer. "I don't know if she'd agree, but she does seem to be okay with mind-warping people now…"

"Only people she wants to kill," Max said grimly. He hadn't told Isabel the truth about Courtney yet, but he saw something in her eyes that lead him to believe she had already guessed what they had discovered.

Isabel licked her lips and nodded. "Yeah, okay. So not that…" She tried not to think about Courtney and Tess and what they must have learned. She didn't want to know, not right now. Unless they had come up with a way to save Alex – and Max would have told her instantly if that was the case – then it didn't really do her any good to know the rest of the details.

Not with her parents demanding answers.

"We could tell them the truth," she said finally. "I mean… Jim was okay with it, in the end…" Except, of course, that it had apparently gotten him killed.

Max frowned. "I don't want them involved in this."

"Me neither," Isabel agreed, "but what other choice do we have?"

* * *

Next Chapter: Unpleasant Truths

Due: Now


	94. Unpleasant Truths

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: IMPORTANT. I've posted two chapters with this update. So if you haven't read Chapter Ninety-Three: Conflict, go back and do so. Otherwise you're going to miss a whole lot…

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Four: Unpleasant Truths

Tess apparently had prophetic dreams, Isabel often had visions, and Liz was visited by people from the future. Michael occasionally wondered if it was a girl thing, and would Maria suddenly inform him that she'd developed the ability to have premonitions? She wasn't an alien, she didn't have gifts, but she'd seen that crazy fortune teller enough to believe in a lot of other weird things.

Michael glanced at the darkened school. It was nearly midnight, and the faint yellow glow of the streetlamps illuminated the fence around the parking lot and the path leading up towards the steps that ended at the double doors. He couldn't see the future, he didn't have any special gifts that made him clairvoyant. But something was telling him that this place, where Courtney had apparently killed Jim and put Alex in a coma, still had more answers to offer. Maybe it was some kind of intuition or sixth sense, or maybe just deductive reasoning.

But he continued to pace along the sidewalk outside the school, staring at the silhouette of the darkened structure and wondering what would happen next.

His anger at Liz had not faded, but rather grown stronger with each passing moment. Who cared if she had been right? She'd had no disregard whatsoever for any of the rest of them, and her single-minded pursuit could have gotten Maria killed.

His stomach twisted painfully. He wanted to yell at Liz. He wanted to hold her accountable for what she had done, to demand that she explain what the hell she had been thinking when she ran off on what could have easily become a suicide mission. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and shake her until she gave him something, _anything_, to indicate that…

That what? What could she possibly say that would make him less angry? Maria was injured, Alex was in a coma and Jim was dead and…

He clenched his hands into fists.

He just didn't understand. Courtney had helped them numerous times, even going as far as to risk her own life and blow her cover as a spy to get Isabel out of the skins' compound. Had it all been a lie? Had she never been on their side? Had she merely been using them…?

He gazed moodily at the school building and thought about Isabel. He understood her desperation, and knew that, in the end, she was only trying to figure out the answers that would keep them all safe. But even if her heart had been in the right place, her head clearly hadn't.

He scratched his eyebrow and paused in his pacing as a shadow came closer to him. Turning, he squinted into the gloom and knew even before he saw the figure who it would be.

"Nasedo," he greeted warily.

The shape-shifter stepped into the light. He was wearing Sean's face.

"Michael," Nasedo greeted. "I heard… and I'm sorry."

Michael nearly choked on his own laughter, but just barely managed to muffle the sound. He stared away from Nasedo, towards the school, letting his thoughts drift down darker routes. "Did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That Courtney was…" Michael stopped, sighed inwardly. Whatever Nasedo knew, the shape-shifter clearly would not admit to it. He'd told half-truths and lies the entire time he was here, why should this be any different?

Tensing, he turned to face Nasedo, wondering vaguely, worriedly, why the shape-shifter was here.

"I suspected she had her own agenda," Nasedo answered evenly, "but I never imagined it would end like this. Courtney was never one to kill."

Michael raised an eyebrow. "She's killed," he said bluntly, thinking of the fight against the skins in the compound where Isabel had been held. Likewise, he remembered, she'd killed at least once to save Maria from a skin attack. "We've seen it."

Nasedo nodded grimly. "Oh, she does kill, if there is no other choice. But she doesn't like it. Says it is messy, says it is the last, desperate measure of a poor planner, and she's better than that." He looked towards the school, and Michael studied him thoughtfully.

He didn't trust Nasedo. He'd trusted the shape-shifter once, and it was true that the enigmatic alien had proven helpful on a variety of occasions. But, Michael thought with angry resolve, he'd trusted Courtney, too, and look how that had turned out.

"How well did you know Courntey on Antar?" Michael asked.

Nasedo shrugged. "Not as well as I had thought, apparently."

"Is that so?" a cool voice asked angrily. Michael and Nasedo both turned and stared guardedly at the woman who had approached. The light of the streetlamp reflected off her fiery red hair, and her eyes were narrowed dangerously at Nasedo. There was something about her stance that put Michael on his guard, even though he could tell the fury was directed towards Nasedo.

"Kristalia," Nasedo said, nodding slowly.

"What brings you to the school, Nasedo? I doubt that what you are looking for will be found here."

Something flickered in Nasedo's eyes, and he said firmly, "You don't know what I am looking for, Kristi."

The Royalist smirked dangerously. "Don't I?" she challenged. She looked towards the outline of the building that rose in front of them. "Courtney is no fool. If the translation of the Book was here, she would have already removed it."

"You're looking for the Destiny Book?" Michael demanded, spinning towards the shape-shifter. "Why?"

"Don't believe Kristalia," Nasedo sneered, "she's just trying to spread discord."

"Why wouldn't he be looking for the Book?" Kristalia said, ignoring Nasedo's words. "It gives him power, control. And that's what he has always wanted." Lips pursed firmly together, she regarded Nasedo with contempt and distaste.

Nasedo shook his head. "You don't know what you're talking about," he snapped.

"Don't I?" she challenged. "You led Khivar's army to the man who was supposed to be the real protector for the Royal Four. You had him killed. Then you killed his replacement so that you could come to Earth with them. You destroyed the safety device so that they would emerge with no memory of their past lives. You wanted control, and you wanted to get it by controlling _them_."

Michael listened with abated his breath, his anger steadily growing. The two Royalists had made reference to Nasedo's betrayal, but they had not spelled it out so explicitly. It had been a suspicion, a rumor, not hard, concrete fact.

Nasedo flushed darkly. "Prove it," he spat.

"Defensive, aren't you?" Kristalia sneered. "And to think that once upon a time, I actually trusted you. But Jared was right, wasn't he? You're nothing but an opportunistic coward, hiding and biding your time until you get what you want."

"Coward? You think I'm a _coward_?"

"Of course," Kristalia answered bitingly. "When did you learn what Courtney was planning, Nasedo? How long did it take you to figure out that she was making a bid for the Book?"

"I didn't…"

"Yes, you _did_!" The Royalist's eyes were narrowed dangerously, furiously. Her cheeks were tinged pink, splotches of color that showed her anger. It was a personal anger, more than just fury for the death of Jim Valenti and the betrayal of the Royal Four. Once again, Michael was struck with the suspicion that there was a history between the shape-shfiter and the two Royalists, but he did not ask.

He was too busy thinking about something else.

"What is she talking about?" he asked in a deathly quiet voice, taking a step closer to Nasedo. "What did you know?"

Nasedo spun towards Michael, eyes darkening with anger. "You believe her? I didn't know anything, Michael, and I would have stopped Courtney if I had. I'm not a fool, I would never be stupid enough to incur your wrath like that…"

"Is everything else true?" Michael interrupted, his tone hard and cold, demanding answers. "Everything Kristalia said about the safety devices and the guardians who were killed. Was that all true?"

"Of course not? Why would I…"

Kristalia, once again, did not let Nasedo finish. "Because," she snarled, "you wanted power. It is the only thing you've ever wanted, and you've always been more than willing to dispose of anyone who stood in your way." She moved closer to him, her body tensing. "I didn't see that before, in the past. But I learn from my mistakes, Nasedo. I know the type of person you are."

"I am a person who wants to survive," Nasedo answered reasonably. "Can you blame me for that?"

"Do you think you've ensured our survival?" the Royalist snapped. "You've destroyed us. Do you think the Queen will fight for us now that her father is dead? Or the Princess, once she loses her love? You fool, don't you see what this has done?"

"I had nothing to do with this!" Nasedo cried furiously.

Michael, tired of listening to the argument, lifted his hand and sent the two of them careening away from each other. Kristalia landed on her feet, but Nasedo hit the chain link fence surrounding the school's parking lot and fell to the ground, winded.

Advancing on Nasedo, he ordered tersely, "Tell me the truth. Did you know what Courtney was doing?"

Nasedo looked up at Michael as the hybrid General loomed over him. "I knew she had her own agenda, Michael, but I didn't know what it was. I didn't know she was going to do this. I swear, I had no idea. I would have stopped her, I wouldn't have let her kill the Sheriff and put Alex in a coma."

Michael studied him, unsure what to believe.

"I didn't know," Nasedo said again, his words emphatic, pleading. "I didn't know."

* * *

It was nearly one in the morning when Max and Isabel pushed open the door to their house and walked inside. Diane was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, a phone in her hand, and Philip was flipping through his own cell phone. Both of them looked up at the entrance of their children, eyes wide with shock.

They were silent, the air thick with tension. Diane's gaze was clouded with something like fear, and Philip just looked confused. Max's heart was hammering in his chest, so loudly he was sure everyone else could hear it.

"Where have you been?" Philip demanded, apparently the first of the four of them able to find his voice.

"Uh… out?" Isabel answered, the single word more of a question. Her eyes darted towards Max, but he didn't have any reassurances to offer.

"Out?" Philip repeated numbly. He shook his head in disbelief. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

The television was no longer on, but Max found his gaze drawn to it all the same. He wondered if the tape was still there, in the VCR, waiting to be played.

"Your mother and I have been calling everyone we could think of," Philip continued. "I even woke up Amy DeLuca to ask her if she'd seen either of you, and God knows the last thing she needs right now is _more_ stress."

"Why? Why were you trying to find us?" Isabel asked, a slight bitterness in her tone. Her parent's actions, however well-meaning they might be, had come too close to the accident, to the revelation of what Courtney had done. She couldn't separate one from the other in her mind.

"Why?" Diane repeated, speaking for the first time. "Why wouldn't we? Honey, it's one if the morning. We thought something might have happened…" She trailed off, looking unsure.

Some of the tightness around Max's chest eased ever so slightly, making it easier for him to breathe. Whatever else his parents thought of him, it was obvious that they still cared enough to try to figure out if he was alright. They had been worried that something had happened to Max and Isabel, not that Max and Isabel had done something to someone else.

It was a relief, and perhaps more than it should have been. Maybe he should have known, all along, that they would love him unconditionally. But he didn't know that, and even now, he couldn't help but have a few lingering doubts.

"I told Max about the tape," Isabel said suddenly.

"Why don't you two sit down?" Philip said finally, and it was not a request. "I think we have a conversation we need to finish before we all go to bed."

Isabel walked over to the sofa and sat down on it. Max hesitated, then opted instead to stand behind her, too nervous to sit comfortably. Diane and Philip both sat, their eyes moving between their two children, darting back and forth as though expecting one or both of them to suddenly disappear.

"I don't know what to ask," Diane said finally. "I can't even think of the right question. Isabel… what was that? What did you do to the items in your room? And _how_?"

Max looked down at his hands, which were now resting on either side of the sofa cushions behind Isabel. The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. He couldn't begin to explain it all, not now, not when he was so exhausted, so weary, so _tired_ of everything.

Jim was dead and Alex was in a coma and Courtney was…

He bit his lip, the action holding back his anger at least long enough to form an answer, "Isabel and I aren't… we're not completely human."

"Not completely?" Diane murmured faintly.

At the same time, Philip asked in a sharp tone, "Then _what_ are you?"

Isabel stared hard at the television, the blank screen that had earlier that evening shown her secret, displayed it for her parents to see. "I… Max and I… we're part alien."

"What?"

At any other time, it might have been comically. Diane's jaw dropped open, and Philip's eyes widened drastically. Whatever answer they were expecting, it was not that.

"That's how I was able to do those things on the tape," Isabel continued.

"This doesn't make any sense," Diane said, her voice choked as her eyes snapped back and forth between Max and Isabel. She was clearly looking for something in their expressions, but Isabel didn't know if she found it. She had no idea what her mother saw when she looked at them.

Philip agreed, nodding his head, "You don't look any different."

"I'm half human," Isabel whispered.

"And the other half?"

Isabel said nothing.

"We're still your children," Max pleaded. "That hasn't changed. We haven't changed, not really. We're still your kids. Please, you _have_ to believe that."

Diane looked lost, confused, and a little scared. She reached out towards Isabel, but instead of taking her daughter's hand, she let her arm drop to her side again. Her lips parted several times, but no words came out.

Philip rose to his feet. "Go to bed," he said.

Max gaped at his father incredulously. "What?"

"It's past one in the morning on a school night," Philip said firmly. "Go to bed. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Isabel scrambled to her feet and bolted from the room. Max followed, a bit more slowly. At the doorway, he glanced back at his parents. His father was sitting again, one arm wrapped around his mother's shoulders. Diane had her head rested on Philip's chest, and her body was shaking, as though she was crying. Or trembling in fear.

But… they hadn't flat-out rejected Max and Isabel. Hadn't threatened to turn them over to any government agency, hadn't decided they were a threat. Hadn't decided they couldn't be trusted. That was a good sign… wasn't it?

At this point, Max wasn't really sure of anything.

He sighed, and walked from the room.

* * *

The steady rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the only noise in the sterile, whitewashed room. Alex's ashen face nearly blended into the white pillow blankets. The baby blue sheets and blanket were pulled up close to his shoulders, but his arms lay on top of them, still and unmoving at his sides.

Isabel reached up tentatively and rested her fingers on the top of his hand. His skin felt dry and fragile, and she wondered vaguely if he had felt any pain. Nobody had given her much in the way of details, and she hadn't yet been able to bring herself to ask. But if he had suffered…

Unconsciously, her hand tightened around his fingers, squeezing perhaps a bit too hard as she thought of Courtney.

"I'm sorry, Alex," she murmured. "I am so sorry. If I could have done something… I would never have let this happen to you. _Never_."

The day had been so long, so stressful. School was a painstakingly difficult affair, each second drifting by so slowly that she thought a single hour might stretch on for eternity. The only thing that had made it even slightly bearable was the knowledge that she could come visit Alex after it was over… and the fact that her parents hadn't completely rejected her.

Sure, they had been wary and uneasy, and she had seen the apprehension and beginnings of fear in their eyes as they looked at their own children, but… but it was still a better reaction than she had ever really allowed herself to hope for. And shouldn't that count for something?

But even her parents' acceptance could not fully push away the dark and bitter thoughts of Courtney's betrayal.

The sound of footsteps in the hall pulled her attention away from Alex, and she released his hand. The doctor that entered the room wore a friendly, sympathetic smile, as though he had seen this many times before.

"Visiting hours are almost over, my dear," he said as he grabbed Alex's chart and flipped through it briefly.

Isabel shook her head and looked towards Alex. "I'm not… I'm not ready to go," she whispered.

The doctor looked up from the chart for a moment, regarding Isabel with a scrutinizing look. Then he placed the chart on the edge of Alex's bed and said, "You're a friend of Alex's? I know I've seen you in here a few times since the accident."

"I'm his girlfriend," Isabel replied. "Isabel. Isabel Evans." She looked at Alex, then reached up and brushed some of his hair out of his eyes, even though it wouldn't make any different right now. Even though he wasn't awake, wouldn't open his eyes, couldn't see.

She sniffled a little and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"He's alone most of the day," she said. "I don't want to leave him quite yet. I'm not… I'm not ready."

The doctor rested his hand on Isabel's shoulder. "Sometimes, Ms. Evans, we have to say goodbye long before we're ready."

She tilted her chin, met his gaze. "It's not looking good for Alex, is it?" she asked tentatively.

He gave her a sad smile. "No, it's not."

* * *

Dinner was a silent, strained affair. The school day had been worse, but Kyle had managed to get through most of it by simply not paying attention to anything. He had a vague idea that he had spoken to his friends, that Trudy had squeezed his hand tightly and hadn't left his side, but he couldn't remember anything concrete.

He'd spent most of the day dreading this conversation.

The casserole should have looked appetizing, but it didn't. He didn't want to be sitting here, eating, pretending that what he had to say wouldn't tear them apart.

Tess put down her fork and looked at him, a silent question in her eyes. He averted his gaze for a moment, silently steeling himself. He had to say this, had to make her understand why he needed to do this. She had to know that this wasn't about her, that it had never been about her.

That she wasn't what he was running from.

"A recruiter came to see me a few weeks ago, before Dad… before he died."

"A recruiter?" Tess echoed.

Kyle nodded, forcing himself to look at her. There was a bitter taste in his mouth, and his throat was dry. "For San Francisco. Football. They… they're prepared to offer me a scholarship if I play for their team."

Tess pulled at a curl and studied him. "That's… that's great, Kyle," she said. And her words were sincere, but behind the praise, he could hear the worry and fear. She seemed to know that it really wasn't as great as she wanted it to be. She seemed to know that there would be consequences.

"Yeah, I know," Kyle agreed. "Especially because I haven't even graduated yet. I still have another year…" He chewed his lip and looked down at the tabletop. "I can't go back to my mother. I… I don't want to, and I am sure she doesn't want anything to do with me."

She hadn't even sent a card. She knew Jim had died, the social worker had informed Kyle and Tess of that. She had been contacted by Child Protective Services as soon as it became apparent that Kyle didn't have anyone else to serve as his legal guardian. And though she had given up all custodial rights, that could be changed, undone, now that Jim was dead.

But she hadn't even sent a card.

Once upon a time, Kyle thought bitterly, his parents must have been in love. He knew his father had loved his mother for a long time, and her departure had nearly destroyed them. Could love really fade so quickly, disappear so completely, that the woman who had once been his mother did not even care that her ex-husband was dead?

How had she managed to cut them out of her life so completely?

"You don't have to go back to her," Tess said. "There are other options. Ms. Dawson said…"

"I know," Kyle agreed, cutting her off quickly. "I'm going to sue for emancipation. I… I assumed you would take that option also, rather than go back to foster care."

She nodded mutely.

Kyle scraped at the sides of his plate, pushing the food around. "The things is… San Francisco… they'll let me train with the team. This coming year. Even though… even though I won't have graduated yet. They um… they have a program for it. I can take community college classes nearby and finish my high school education that way and…" Now that he had finally started to say what needed to be said, the words wouldn't stop. They came pouring out, but even as he said them, he couldn't look at Tess. He didn't want to see her face, didn't want to see how she was reacting.

Because he _knew_ how she'd react.

"And it's a great opportunity for me. I mean, football is the only thing I've ever really been good at, and this way I can have more time to play with college kids and to…"

"You're leaving," Tess said, cutting into his words.

He reluctantly looked up at her, and then looked away as quickly as he could. But not quickly enough to avoid seeing the hurt in her eyes.

"Tess… I can't stay here. Not now, not after…"

"When?" she asked emotionlessly. "When are you going to… leave?"

"Over the summer," Kyle answered. "I haven't got all the details worked out yet, but… but I think I can make this happen soon enough. I think I can… I think I can move out the end of June."

Tess pushed her chair back and stood up. "Whatever makes you happy," she said tonelessly.

"Tess! Tess, wait!" Kyle jumped to his feet and grabbed her arm. "I know that I'm… I know what I am saying probably isn't easy for you to…"

"No, it's fine," Tess cut him off sharply. "You have a right to get away from this alien mess. It never should have involved you, anyway. And I get why you don't want…"

"I'm not saying that," he interrupted. "Tess, I'm not… you have to understand, I'm not trying to get away from you. I don't want to leave you, okay? I never wanted… you're my sister. And that doesn't change, even if you are part alien."

"But you _are_ leaving," Tess answered, pulling her arm from his grip.

"Can we please just sit down and talk about this?" Kyle pleaded, gesturing towards the table.

"You've made up your mind," Tess said. "What is there to talk about?"

He wished she would be angry. He wished she would yell or cry or threaten him. He wished she would do something besides stand there and give him permission to leave as though it wasn't hurting both of them. As though she didn't want him to stay.

"Just listen to me, okay?" Kyle said finally. "Please? Just hear me out, let me say what… what I need to say."

She gave him a long, unreadable look, and replied, "You don't need to say anything. I'm not asking you to justify your decisions."

But she returned to the table and took her seat, and Kyle took that as a good sign.

He sat down next to her, glancing briefly at his plate. He was tired, suddenly so exhausted that all he wanted was to go to sleep for the next year. Or, even better, to lie down tonight and wake up tomorrow to discover that this was all a nightmare.

"I just need you to understand that this isn't… I'm not leaving _you_. I'm leaving _Roswell_ because… because with everything that has happened over the past few months, I just really need to start over. Dad's dead, and I don't think I could ever escape that, not if I stayed here. I don't think I could move on with my life, and I need… I need that. I need a fresh start, away from this. Some place where I… where I can figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life."

He caught Tess' hand in his and squeezed, and after a moment, she returned the gesture.

"I'm not leaving you," he said again. "You are not a part of this life that I want to forget. Everything else… yeah, I want – no, _need_ – to get away from it. But I don't want you to think that I'm trying to get away from you. I don't want that, I couldn't ever want that."

Tears pooled in Tess' eyes. She swatted at them in irritation.

"I'll call every day if you want," he pushed on. "I'll write emails. I'll write letters and send them to you through the post office. Because the way I see it, no matter how much this whole alien thing messed up my life, you're the one part of it that is still worthwhile."

For a long moment, the petite blonde was silent. She looked away from Kyle, her gaze lingering over everything else in the kitchen, as though she was trying to buy time to figure out what she wanted to say. Kyle waited patiently, but with abated breath, for her answer.

"I could go with you," Tess said finally, her tone soft.

Kyle responded with a dark chuckle. "You won't," he countered, because they both knew it was true. Even after everything that had happened, everything that they had just learned about Courtney and their father's death, Tess wouldn't leave. Max, Michael, and Isabel depended on her too much, and she was too loyal to them – to her family – to turn her back and walk away as a war fast approached.

Tess sighed. "No," she agreed, "no, I won't." She hesitated, then said, "If you're sure this is the right thing for you…"

"It is," Kyle said firmly. "But if you ever need anything from me, just call. And I'll be on the first flight home."

"What I need from you," Tess replied heavily, "is a promise that you'll stay safe."

"Only if you promise me something, also," Kyle replied, a faint smile gracing his lips as he bargained with her. She raised an eyebrow, almost smirking, and inclined her head as though to tell him to proceed with his request.

He stared at her seriously, and her expression grew sober, the almost-smirk fading.

"Promise me you'll always be my sister," he said firmly.

Brows furrowed, Tess asked, "Do you really think that is going to change?"

He shrugged, then looked down at his plate and used his fork to idly push the casserole back and forth. "Before Grandpa went crazy hunting aliens, he was in the army. I don't really know much about it, about what he did, but… Dad said he was never really the same after that. War… it does things. It changes people. And usually not for the better. I don't want…" He glanced up at her, "I don't want you to become someone I don't recognize."

"I won't," Tess murmured after a long pause. "I promise."

* * *

Next Chapter: Picking Up the Pieces (and Throwing Them Down Again)

Due: Thurs 3/25


	95. Picking Up the Pieces

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Remember on the show how nobody seemed to care that Liz had basically accused all of the hybrids of being responsible for Alex's death and then went off on a mission that lead her and Maria into danger and could have resulted in unforeseen consequences for everyone? Well, that's not quite the way it's going to work in this chapter…

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Five: Picking Up the Pieces (and Throwing Then Back Down Again)

"Hey, Evans. Got a minute?"

Max stared in slight surprise at Kyle. He could count on one hand the number of times Kyle had actually started a conversation with him at school, and yet here the football jock was, standing in front of his locker with a forced smile on his face, trying to appear friendly.

Or at least not his usual angry self.

"Yeah, sure," Max said. He closed his locker and followed Kyle through the crowded hallway, trying not to think about his parents. Breakfast had been tense, his parents lingering in the kitchen just long enough to wish him and Isabel a good day at school, and then his father had hurried off to work and his mother had buried herself in her room, claiming she had something important to do.

They were going to have to talk tonight, probably at dinner. He was not looking forward to that conversation. But there was little he could do to delay the inevitable, and some part of him still kept expecting that the FBI would come arrest him any moment.

He knew he should give him parents more credit, but he couldn't forget his mother's fearful expression as she handed Isabel a glass of orange juice, and the way his father watched him carefully whenever they were in the same room.

He and Kyle passed through the doors leading out to the quad, and Max blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight. They were skipping class, but that didn't seem to matter much to him. And it clearly didn't matter to Kyle.

Kyle sat down on one of the steps and Max quickly followed suit. He still felt incredibly wrong-footed and unsure, and had no idea why Kyle would want to talk to him. Unless it was something about Courtney…

"I'm leaving," Kyle said abruptly.

Max raised his eyebrows. "Leaving?"

"Roswell."

"Now?" Max demanded incredulously. "You're just going to walk out on Tess after everything that's happened?"

Eyes narrowed, Kyle said coldly, "You mean like how your alien issues took over my life and got my Dad murdered? Gee, why would I want to stay around?" Max flinched, but Kyle continued without noticing this, "I spoke to Tess about it, and she didn't seem to have any problems with me leaving."

"Now, see, _that_ I don't believe," Max countered. Kyle had never been his favorite person, but he had assumed that the human at least cared for Tess as much as she obviously cared for him. How could he be so callous as to walk out now, just as everything else was falling apart as well. Didn't he see what that would do to Tess?

Didn't he care?

"I don't care what you believe," Kyle snapped. "I didn't come here for your permission. I'm not one of your loyal subjects, Evans, and you can't make me stay."

"Trust me, I don't care about your plans," Max retorted, flushing with anger. If he had only been called out here to be insulted, he would just as soon go back inside. He had nothing to talk to Kyle about, and never had. Any link that had existed between them had been solely due to Tess, and he'd much rather deal with her – and her mood swings – any day.

Kyle folded his arms over his chest and glared mutinously at the ground in front of him.

Max sighed. "What do you want?" he asked.

Kyle turned and looked at him, his blue eyes darkening. There was something dangerous in them, something that reminded Max so much of Tess' expression when she realized that Courtney had escaped, that he felt shivers run down his spine. His stomach clenched painfully, acutely aware of just how much this alien mess had cost someone who shouldn't have even been involved.

This wasn't Kyle's fight. This had never been Kyle's fight.

"I want to know that Courtney's going to pay for what she did," Kyle said, forcing the words through clenched teeth. His tone was viciously serious, without the slightest bit of mercy, and the lines of his face had hardened into sharp, foreboding features.

Max nodded slowly. He had no idea how he would make Courtney pay, given that they didn't know where she was. And it wasn't as though he could simply hand her over to the police. They were not in any way equipped to keep her in jail, and drawing attention to her significant gifts would only end up leading the FBI back to them.

Max's nod was apparently not enough for Kyle, and he said again, simmering rage in his tone, "She betrayed you and she killed my father. I want you to promise me that, no matter what, you will make her pay."

"I will," Max said, wondering even as he did so how he would keep that promise.

Kyle frowned as he stared hard at Max, and then nodded, satisfied. Climbing back to his feet, he turned to go, but then paused. "And Evans…?"

Max looked up, lifting one hand to shade his eyes from the hot sun. "Yeah?"

"Look after my sister," Kyle said. It was not a request, but it didn't need to be. They both knew that protecting his family – Tess included – was a responsibility Max would never take lightly. Not after Jim's death.

"I will," Max murmured, more to himself than to Kyle.

The football jock walked back inside the school, and Max watched him go. It was the first civil conversation he could ever remembering having with Kyle, and soon enough, the other teenager would walk out of their lives, desperate to leave Roswell and everything else behind.

He envied Kyle. He actually could leave this behind.

But, Max reminded himself as he slowly rose to his feet and wandered back into the now empty hallways of the school, leaving this behind had required that Kyle leave Tess as well. And he'd already lost his father.

And Max was not about to trade Isabel and Philip for the ability to lead a normal life.

Expression set into a grim line, he walked towards class.

* * *

When Michael stumbled across Liz and found himself staring at the one person he had been trying to avoid, she was flipping frantically through the pages of her journal. She looked up at him, briefly, and gave a smile, and some of the rage that had been simmering in his chest for so long start to expand.

"What are you doing, Parker?" he asked, tossing his coat on the table. The Crashdown was nearly empty, only a few scattered patrons. Maria wasn't there – Mr. Parker had quickly told her she should not come in for any of her shifts until she'd completely healed – and Liz was covering for her friend. With a resigned sigh, Michael knew he should have expected this, because he had to work, too, and that meant running into her.

But it didn't mean he had to like it.

"Looking for something," Liz said vaguely. When Michael clicked his tongue impatiently, wanting more than that for an explanation, she looked up with a huff of impatience and continued, "It wasn't an accident. So maybe whatever happened to Alex can be reversed."

"And you think you'll find the answers in your diary?" Michael asked skeptically.

She flushed and answered in a clipped tone, "It's a journal, Michael."

He didn't really care about the semantics. Whatever it was, it held her thoughts and musings for the past few years, and he just didn't see how that could be of any help. What was she expecting to find?

"I wrote down almost everything that happened," Liz explained, lowering her voice some. "If there was any mention of… of undoing the damage to a person's mind, I would have put it in here. So maybe I can find a clue. And then I need to talk to Tess about it…"

"Because it worked so well last time?" Michael asked sarcastically, rolling his eyes. He could perfectly picture Tess' reaction to having Liz show up at her door, _again_, and demand answers about her gifts. And it didn't end well for Liz.

Slamming the journal shut, Liz said bitterly, "At least I'm doing something. You all don't even seem to care!"

Michael reeled backwards, surprised by the ferocity of her words. Before he could stop himself, he had retorted angrily, "And you do? I haven't seen any proof whatsoever that you give a damn what happens to any of us. You're so wrapped up in helping Alex, you're willing to get everyone else killed."

"That's not true," Liz growled. Rising, she snatched her journal and stomped away from Michael, towards the relative privacy of the back room. Michael followed quickly, his heart rate increasing with each step. Blood pounded in his ears as he watched Liz storm away from him. Did she really still think she'd been _right_?

The back room was empty, and Liz moved towards the door leading into the kitchen, but Michael grabbed her arm before she could leave. She looked up at him, tilting her head back slightly to meet his gaze but refusing to be intimidated by the fury reflected there.

For a moment, there was a complete silence.

Then Michael exploded, "Have you even been to see Maria since this all happened? Have you spoken to Ms. DeLuca? Do you have any idea how terrified she was that her daughter had been hurt? Do you care?"

Liz ran a hand through her hair. "Michael, this happened less than two days ago. And I saw Maria at school both days. She's doing okay. And she wants to figure out how to save Alex just as much as I do. And since nobody else is willing to help me, I'm going to do this on my own if I have to. But it's Alex, and he's dying, so don't you dare accuse me of being self-centered."

"I'm not accusing you of that," Michael answered grimly. And he wasn't, not really. He knew Liz wasn't being self-absorbed. She was being naïve and self-righteous, but that was something else entirely. "I'm accusing you of being unable to see beyond your own plans. I'm accusing you of not listening to anyone else. I'm accusing you of nearly getting yourself and Maria _killed_. Or did you conveniently forget about that?"

"About as conveniently as everyone forgot about Alex," Liz said.

"Do you really think we forgot?" Michael retorted, flushed a dull red.

"Well, have you even bothered thinking about how to save him?" Liz shot back, her words an icy accusation. She had lowered her voice again, no longer yelling at him, but the fervor in her tone had not dampened, and the rage in her usually soft brown eyes had not faded. "I get that there are other problems to deal with. I _know_ that Max and Isabel are trying to figure out what to do about their parents. I _know_ that Tess and Kyle are dealing with Valenti's death. But we _don't_ know how much time Alex has, so why isn't _anyone_ thinking about that? About _him_? We've already lost Valenti, why aren't we doing everything possible to not lose Alex, too?"

"You mean like dragging our best friend on a wild goose chase across the state and nearly getting blown up?" Michael shot back sarcastically.

"It wasn't a wild goose chase!" Liz protested. "We _found_ the answers. But nobody seems to care about that. God, Michael, how can you actually act as though you're all doing the right thing?"

"How can you?" Michael replied. "Parker, just think about what you're doing. About what the consequences of it would have been if Jared hadn't been there. Is this really worth killing yourself?"

"To save Alex? How can you even _ask_ that?" Liz answered incredulously.

"Is it worth killing _Maria_? And the rest of us? If Jared hadn't been there, you both would be dead and no one would have been able to clean up the mess, so the government would have been lead right back to us. And if you're really going to go request answers from Tess at a time like this, why don't you ask her for her memories of the white room. Then you can see, first hand, what kind of life you were willing to condemn all of us to."

"Why don't you go visit Alex," Liz said. "Then you can see what kind of life he's got right now, and just how quickly you're condemning him to death!"

"My God, Parker, are you even listening to a single word I am saying?"

"Are you listening to anything _I_ am saying?"

Michael drew a slow breath, trying to calm his frayed nerves. He couldn't deny that Liz had a point, they hadn't been investigating ways to save Alex as much as she clearly wanted. But it was not because they did not care. Isabel had visited him every day, talking to him, trying to get him to hold on until they could save him.

If they could save him.

All Tess could tell them was that whatever Courtney had done was not a mind-warp. Which meant that she had no idea how to undo it. And his mind was far too fragile for her to just go poking around, looking for answers that might not even be there. So what was left? What could they do, what answers could they find?

They didn't even know where to start looking.

Courtney could probably help them, but Michael would not believe a single thing that came out of her mouth. And Tess would no doubt kill her on sight, and not bother waiting to hear her explanations or offers of assistance.

But as he looked at Liz, he saw instead Maria's pale, strained face, wincing with pain as the slightest movement cause an ache to flare in her fractured ribs. And he simply could not believe that Liz didn't think of that also, didn't wonder if it had been the right choice.

But this Liz was staring back at him without remorse, without anything but single-minded determination.

"You might not care about anyone besides Alex," Michael said, "but I do. And if you do anything to put any of us – including Maria – in danger again, you will regret it."

His tone was casual, calm, almost off-hand. There was no menace, no threat. This wasn't a warning, it was a simple statement of fact. She _would_ regret it.

The conversation was halted by the arrival of Max, who pushed open the door and stepped into the back room. He glanced between the two of them, eyebrows raised at the tension in the air. His expression was still cold, almost detached as he looked at Liz, and there was no warmth in her eyes as she stared back.

"Am In interrupting?" he asked.

"No," Liz muttered, glaring at Michael. "Michael was just leaving."

The hybrid General shrugged. There really was no reason to stay around now, he'd said all he could say to Liz. She clearly wasn't listening, but it didn't matter. He'd keep an eye on her. He was not going to let her put them in danger again. He was not going to allow anything to happen to Maria.

Giving Max a brief nod, he turned and strode from the room.

"Hi, Max," Liz said, shifting her weight back and forth as she regarded Max.

He stared at her silently for a moment, noting that she held her journal tightly in her arms, then said, "Hi. What were you talking to Michael about?"

"Alex," Liz answered. "How to save him. And… and I was thinking a little bit about Trevor, too."

"Why?" Max asked, surprised. It took some amount of strain to keep his voice level, to keep the frustration out of his eyes. The space between the two of them had grown, and the chasm seemed almost unsurpassable now. But he could at least try to be civil.

"Future Michael… he told me not to trust Trevor. In his future, Trevor is too busy trying to find and kill Courtney that he doesn't warn us about something. An attack of some kind, and I think Maria died." She paused, stumbling over Maria's name, over the revelation of her death in that alternate future, before continuing, "Michael thought it was because Trevor and Courtney hated each other, that something in their pasts had driven them to this feud. But I wonder… maybe Trevor knew what Courtney had planned. Maybe the whole reason that he was trying so hard to kill her was because he wanted to protect us. Because she really was the enemy and… and he wasn't."

Max accepted this in silence, thinking through her words. It made sense, in a weird, twisted way. "Did Michael warn us about anyone else?" he asked, trying to remember all that Liz had told him about the visit from the Future.

Liz scrunched up her forehead in thought. "Uh… just Nasedo, I think. Not to trust him, either."

Max snorted. "I already knew that one."

Liz didn't reply to that comment. Instead, she said, "We really need to focus on helping Alex. Now that we know a little bit more about what happened to him, that it wasn't just an accident…"

Max sighed heavily. It hadn't been just an accident, Liz had been right about that all along. They knew the truth, knew what had really happened. So why didn't he feel more guilty about his reaction to Liz's theories? He loved Liz, he loved her so much, and yet he felt no remorse. The only fault he could find was in his own refusal to consider what she had said, and not in his reaction back to her.

Liz trailed off, looking at him carefully. She'd clearly picked up on the fact that he was mulling over something, and she was waiting to see what he would say.

"I didn't want you to be right," Max admitted, "because I didn't want to be responsible."

Liz blinked a few times, then replied, "I never blamed you for this, Max."

He stared at her, wondering how she could possibly say that to him. Anger crept into his voice as he remembered Isabel's tear-streaked face and Liz's harsh words, and he said, "Yes, Liz. Yes, you did. How can you completely ignore that? How can you actually stand here and tell me that you didn't blame us for this when your exact words were _you don't want to think that this was done by an alien because that would mean you are responsible_?"

For a moment, Liz looked unsure. "Max, I was just… you weren't doing anything about it. You weren't looking into the truth. And I couldn't figure out _why_. You just… you kept insisting on being completely blind to what had happened, to the fact that things didn't add up."

"And you were completely blind to how the rest of us were feeling," Max snapped. "You blamed all of us so soon as the funeral, when we still hadn't had a chance to think over what had happened. You demanded answers from Tess without any consideration for the fact that she was still grieving because her father had just died. And you told Isabel that it was probably Khivar who was behind this, playing into her biggest fear that Vilandra was going to be responsible for the deaths of all the people she cared about. Then you nearly got yourself and Maria killed and the rest of us exposed. How could you do this, Liz?"

"Because someone had to stand up for Alex," Liz said. "Someone had to fight for him, and the rest of you sure as hell weren't going to do it!"

"And you couldn't have come up with a more considerate way of looking for the truth?" Max questioned sarcastically.

Liz expelled a breath. "Max, once upon a time, you would listen to what I had to say. You would believe it, because you knew I wasn't going to lie to you. You trusted me. And then all of a sudden… you didn't. You wouldn't listen to anything. Do you think it would have made a difference how I said it? You were so determined to believe that this was a normal car accident that nothing was going to change your mind."

"I might have listened to you," Max said quietly, "if you had acted in any way like the Liz I know, the Liz I love. _That_ Liz – she's compassionate. She's sympathetic towards her friends. That Liz tries to keep the peace, tries to keep us all together, to remind everyone that we're family. But the person you are right now… I don't know _this_ Liz."

"And I don't know you, Max," she answered. "Not anymore. Because the person I'm in love with… he doesn't refuse to listen to the truth just because he doesn't like it."

She turned away from him and pushed open the door to the kitchen, entering the room. Michael was standing at the grill, flipping hamburgers and scowling to himself. Liz walked past him, out of the kitchen and through the entrance on the other side that lead to the back alley.

Max watched her go, then turned and walked back into the diner.

* * *

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

"What?" Michael asked, slanting a confused look at Maria.

She met his gaze squarely. "Watching someone you care about run into danger because they feel they need to do something. Like they've got some kind of destiny."

Michael heaved a sigh and nodded slowly. His shift at the Crashdown was over, and, as usual, he found himself back at Maria's house. Amy was in the kitchen, fiddling with the broken garbage disposal, and Maria was slumped over on the sofa, watching Michael through wary eyes.

"I get that you're worried. And I shouldn't have run off without telling you where I was going. But I don't know what else you expected me to do, Michael. Because if the situation was reversed, if Max or Isabel or Tess was the one in the coma… are you honestly telling me you wouldn't do everything possible to save them?"

Michael opened his mouth to say something, then closed it with a snap.

"And before you answer that," she added, "don't forget that not too long ago you went rushing into a compound filled with skins – with Nicolas – to save Isabel."

"I would have come with you," Michael answered firmly. "I would have gone to Las Cruces."

"Really?" Maria asked skeptically. "Instead of trying to talk me out of it? I'm not sure I believe that one."

"If it was that important to you…" Michael trailed off with a sigh. "I'd be here for you. You can count on me. Don't you know that?"

"Yeah… yeah, I do."

In frustration, Michel demanded, "Then why didn't you call me? Why are you shutting me out?" Maria didn't answer, didn't even look at him, and he ran his hands through his hair and practically hissed, "Maria! Talk to me."

"You're here now, but you won't always be," Maria murmured softly, looking briefly towards the kitchen, towards her mother. Keeping her voice low, she continued, "One day you're going to leave me. You're going to get on a spaceship and go away."

Michael was at a loss for words. He knew that was a definite possibility, but he had never really thought about it in any concrete way. It had always been an abstract idea, not something tangible. And he always knew he'd be leaving with Max, Isabel, and Tess, so it wasn't like he was really leaving anything behind.

Until now.

"You've got this whole destiny," Maria said. "And it doesn't include me. And one day, you're going to have to leave, and I don't know if I can handle that. I don't know if… I just can't lose anyone else, Michael. I just… I _can't_."

She got up and hurried from the room, and Michael watched her go, unsure what to say. He wanted to call her back, but if all he had to offer was silence, he doubted it would do much good.

And wasn't she right? Wasn't it true that sooner or later he would be forced to leave her, to go on to some destiny, some war, that would dictate the rest of his life? He could make all the promises in the world, but it wouldn't change the simple truth that sooner or later, necessity would force him to go somewhere she couldn't follow.

Climbing to his feet, he walked into the kitchen in time to hear Amy mutter under her breath and hit one of the pipes under the sink.

"Need some help?" Michael offered. "I'm pretty good with this kind of thing."

Amy pulled her head out from under the sink and frowned at him. "Michael, you're in a house full of very self-sufficient women," she replied, wiping her hands on the fabric of her jeans and sitting up.

"Why don't you just get a new one?" Michael asked, peering into the sink to see dirty water filling the white porcelain tub. Clearly, the garbage disposal had broken down enough to cause a clog in the drainage pipe, rendering the sink utterly useless.

Amy patted her hand against the base of the sink above her head. "Me and this garbage disposal have had a pretty good relationship. I don't want to give up on it now."

Michael scratched his eyebrow. "Yeah, but what if it broke down for good?" he pressed. "What if… in his own way, he wanted out? Permanently?"

Amy studied him for a moment, then let her gaze slide towards the living room where Maria had been only moments before. "Do you think he's thinking of leaving?" she asked.

Michael shrugged. "Maybe he realizes he can't be around forever. And to just stay and be here… to crush garbage until he leaves… will give people a false sense of security."

Amy twisted and looked at the pipes behind her. "Look, Michael," she said, reaching into the cupboard underneath the sink to fiddle with one of the valves, "we're both getting what we need out of this situation. And sure, the disposal won't be around forever, but… but so what? Maybe tomorrow isn't something to worry about right now."

"Maybe," Michael muttered reluctantly.

"Give me that hammer," Amy directed, and Michael grabbed the hammer from the counter and handed it to her. Lying down, she slid back under the sink and began to pound on the pipes, filling the kitchen with the loud, jarring noise and metal scraping against metal.

Making sure Amy couldn't see him, Michael quickly ran his hand over the disposal, fixing it. then he watched with a smile as the dirty water drained into the pipes, leaving the sink empty.

"Oh my God! Did you see that? I fixed it!" Amy said, pulling herself out from under the sink and climbing to her feet with a broad grin.

"Nice one, Ms. DeLuca," Michael answered.

* * *

Next Chapter: Necessary Evils

Due Sun 3/28


	96. Necessary Evils

**T**itle: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: So, this is a pretty short chapter, but important things do happen in it. And I leave several parts vague, but the final few chapters in this story should explain a lot.  


* * *

Chapter Ninety-Six: Necessary Evils

He knew better than to trust Nasedo.

In the all the decades since the fall of the original Royal Four, Jared had had plenty of time to mull over the bits and pieces of the story that they knew, fitting all the various clues into place. The picture that resulted was hardly favorable towards the ambitious shape-shifter, but it had been years before Kristalia would see the truth for what it was. See Nasedo for who he was.

And after the discovery of Nasedo's presence at the school, the conversation… he'd sworn to the General that he'd had nothing to do with the supposed car accident, but Kristalia hadn't believed him. And it didn't seem as though Michael had either.

Which was good, Jared thought grimly, because they could hardly afford to trust the wrong people right now.

He followed Nasedo at a distance, careful to stay concealed. It was harder to find places to hide in the bright sunlight of a Roswell afternoon, and no doubt that was why Nasedo had chosen now for the meeting. He obviously thought he would not be followed, and that nothing bad would happen to him.

Jared knew better.

He crossed the grounds outside of City Hall without much trouble. There were a few security guards about, but they were old and portly and mostly just for show. After all, why would the mayor of the city council of Roswell ever need to worry about being in danger? This was Roswell, after all. Just a sleepy desert town.

He hadn't expected the mayor to be so cavalier about such a meeting, but then, Jared mused, perhaps the meeting hadn't been scheduled. Perhaps Nasedo had just decided to show up and demand an audience.

Jared snorted. It would be so very like the egotistical shape-shifter.

Inside the building, no one gave him a second glance. He slipped into the hallway leading towards the mayor's office without much difficulty, and hurried towards the far door that lead into the room in question. As he came closer, he was able to sense the mayor's presence, the aura of power that surrounded the powerful skin.

He hesitated.

If he walked in now, it would stop the meeting, and he would never know what they were speaking about. He didn't want to give away his presence now, not before he knew exactly what was going on. On the other hand, he couldn't hear much from outside the closed door, and every moment that he stood here he risked the possibility of being spotted and asked to leave.

He took a chance.

Placing his hand on the flat wood of the door, he closed his eyes and focused on rearranging the molecules, just enough so that he could hear the conversation in the other room.

"…won't get you anywhere," Nasedo said, his voice low and furious. "You should never have allowed this in the first place."

"You knew the plan and you didn't try to stop us," was the calm and collected answer from the mayor. "What's done is done. Courtney screwed up, and now all we can do is damage control."

"Damage control? Is that what you really think this is?" Nasedo spat. "It will take more than just damage control to clean up this mess. Anyway, I don't think there is anything you can do. They know Courtney killed the Sheriff and put Alex Whitman in a coma. They'll never trust you or anyone else in your faction ever again."

"But will they trust you?" the mayor answered, his words a clear challenge.

Jared held his breath, listening to the conversation carefully. There was proof here, enough evidence that Nasedo had known all along what Courtney was planning. And he had never tried to stop it, never once attempted to betray Courtney to the Royal Four. Had he actually joined the rebel skins? Or was he simply that desperate to get his hands on the Destiny Book and believed Courtney was his best chance?

More to the point, did Courtney actually have the translation of the Destiny Book? That part of the story had been a little unclear, and no one really seemed to know the answer.

There was a heavy sigh that Jared thought might have been Nasedo, and then the shape-shifter said, "At this point, trust is a moot point. I have the answers. They need me."

"But you don't have the answers. You never got your hands on the translation of the Book," the mayor countered.

"Not yet," Nasedo agreed. "But I will."

There was a silence, and then Jared felt an increase in the intense power from within the room, and the air crackled with heat and electricity. He drew his hand back quickly, stepping away from the door with a start as the energy that passed through the wood nearly burnt his skin.

There was a silence from within the room, and after a moment, Jared tentatively put his hand on the door again, trying to listen. But there was no sign of movement except for a rustle of wind, a breeze that he was sure had not been there before.

Some sixth sense pushed him forward, directing his hand to the doorknob. It was unlocked, and he pushed the door open and stepped into the room, ready for a fight.

But there was no reason to be worried.

The far window was open, the curtain blowing about in the cool wind. Nasedo was gone, having clearly made his escape through the open window, and had left behind nothing to indicate that he had even been there.

Nothing but the pile of shredded skin on the floor, skin that was already disintegrating into dust and blowing away.

The remains of the now dead mayor.

* * *

"He killed the mayor? Are you sure?" Max asked warily, glancing at Jared.

"Yes," Jared said emphatically. "Yes, I'm sure. And he's going after Courtney next. He wants the translation of the Destiny Book, and he clearly thinks that she either has it or can lead him to it."

Max was silent for a moment, thinking this over. He looked at Michael, who stood with his arms folded over his chest, eyes fixed firmly on Jared. The taciturn hybrid did not appear to have anything to add to the conversation, but Max knew exactly how he felt about Nasedo, and he had been even less trusting of the shape-shifter after their conversation at the school.

"We can't let him get the translation," Max said grimly. He didn't know what was in it, but he knew that if it was worth killing Jim over, than he had to make sure it did not fall into the hands of people he did not trust.

And Nasedo was currently near the top of that list.

"We need to get it away from Courtney, too," Michael said finally. "Although if she's already had time to read it then it will be too late."

"We can cross that bridge when we get there," Max muttered.

"I'm not sure that's good enough, your Majesty," Jared countered. "We need to be prepared for whatever Courtney throws at us. If she already has the Book, or if Nasedo gets his hands on it…" He trailed off for a moment, then said quietly, "What's to keep them from trading it to Khivar for more power? Or for safety?"

That was certainly a possibility, and Max felt his stomach clench at the thought.

"What are you suggesting?" Michael asked.

Jared gave him a hard look and replied, "I'm suggesting you allow me to summon the Royalist army. War is coming."

"No," Max said immediately, "not yet." Again, he glanced at Michael. He needed to think about this, needed to figure out if it was really the best option. He seriously doubted that a conflict was avoidable, but still…

Michael sighed loudly. "I'm not sure your typical plan of wait and see if going to work on this one, Maxwell."

"I know," Max answered in frustration. He really didn't need the obvious pointed out to him. "I just need…" Trailing off with a sigh, he said wearily, "Jared, can you find Nasedo again? Figure out what he's up to and… and stop him."

"There is only one way to permanently stop Nasedo," Jared said. Max blanched and Michael looked uncomfortable, but Jared said, "This _is_ a war. It is you or him, your Majesty. Who would you rather have live?"

* * *

Once again, Jared found himself following Nasedo through the streets of Roswell. This time, however, the sun was setting and long shadows stretched out across the streets, offering him more of a place to hide. This time, too, Nasedo was more wary, constantly glancing over his shoulder and doubling back to take different, more complicated routes. Did he know he was being followed?

Jared clenched his jaw tightly, dark eyes never leaving the shape-shifter.

Until Nasedo turned the corner and walked into the center of the park, and Jared saw a familiar blonde step out of the shade of several trees and join him.

Courtney.

Jared crept closer, holding his breath as he strained to hear their conversation.

"…don't know why you would bother. We're not on the same side, Nasedo."

"Aren't we? We were most certainly on the same side when I agreed to keep your secret and you asked for my help. Where's the Book, Courtney?"

The blonde looked furious. "Why do you care? You made it perfectly clear where you stood when you murdered our leader." There was a pause, and Jared caught sight of a flicker of surprise on Nasedo's features, and then Courtney demanded, "Did you really think I wouldn't know what happened?"

"I was cleaning up your mess," Nasedo snapped in reply.

"My mess? Is that really what you think?" Courtney said, turning away from him and walking to a nearby bench. Her complete dismissal of the possibility that he could pose any threat to her was suprising to Jared, but it seemed only to anger Nasedo.

"You screwed it up," Nasedo pressed, striding forward. She turned to face him, and he pushed against her chest, knocking her backwards. She hit the bench and stumbled, falling into a sitting position on the stone slab and looked up at him.

Anger flashed in her eyes.

"I have managed to hold their trust for two years," Nasedo growled. "Even when they knew that I killed the man they thought was Maria's father and impersonated him… I still had their trust, at least somewhat. But now… don't you see what you've done, Courtney? There's no chance for us here. _You_ can't clean up this mess."

"And you can?" Courtney asked dangerously, lips thinning into a straight line.

"Yes," Nasedo said emphatically. "Just hear me out, alright?" Courtney glared at him, but he pointed out coolly, "What do you possibly have to lose? You already lost their trust, and if you don't fix this, and quickly, you'll most likely end up losing your life as well. Or was the Queen all that _forgiving_ of your actions?"

Courtney huffed, but said nothing. Jared smiled grimly at that – she was afraid. She knew, just as they did, that she could not take on the Royal Four, and there was nothing at all that would stop Tess from hunting her down, searching for vengeance.

"Give me the Destiny Book. I can take it back to Max and Michael, and tell them that you and the mayor are dead. That I killed the two of you, fighting to get the Book. They'll believe me, they'll have to. After all, I'll have the Book."

"And then what?" Courtney asked skeptically. "I just disappear?"

"What do you gain from having the Book, Courtney? Without their trust…"

"What do I gain?" she countered, incredulous. "You mean besides knowledge on how to activate the Granolith? How to summon a Royalist army? You mean besides names of Generals who are still loyal to Zan the few spies in Khivar's ranks, the hidden royalist strongholds on Antar? Besides information on the technology used to create the hybrids? Besides royal secrets?"

"But you still need the Royal Four to…"

"I need Rath. Michael. That's all. I never needed Zan, Vilandra's a liability, and Ava's a waste of time. All I need is Rath." Courtney turned away from him. "My faction will regroup. Someone will come to take the mayor's place, and we'll continue as we always did. We'll win this, Nasedo. We aren't going to give up. I'm not going to give up. If you can't believe anything else, then at least believe that. I won't give up."

"Pity…" Nasedo drawled under his breath.

Courtney studied him for a moment, and Jared crept closer to the two arguing aliens, listening, waiting.

Then Courtney said, "You were never going to work with me, were you?" At Nasedo's startled expression, she continued, "You say that you'll tell the Royal Four that you've killed me… but you don't plan on lying. You didn't come here to make a deal with me. You can to get me to tell you where the translation of the Destiny Book is, and then you plan on killing me."

Nasedo hesitated, then shrugged. "I do," he agreed, apparently seeing no reason to lie. "But don't you think we should worry about Jared first?"

* * *

When they found Jared's body, Kristalia fell to her knees in horror. There were no tears in her eyes, no sobs, and soon the horror was gone, too, replaced by an empty void. A blank, unemotional gaze. Her grief was too far buried to be seen, but she stared straight in front of her, oblivious to the two hybrids behind her, and Max knew that was a sign of unbearable agony. Of loss.

Max looked around the alley where the body had been dumped. He knew they needed to dispose of the body before it was found by anyone else. It would not do to have an alien body in government custody, and though Max knew very little about the Royalist, he found it difficult to believe Jared would have ever wanted his corpse to be dissected for research purposes.

But he couldn't bring himself to suggest that, not yet.

Kristalia reached out and touched Jared's arm, her fingers lingering over his skin. Then her body went rigid and her eyes snapped shut. She gasped for breath, a tremor running through her…

"What is it?" Michael asked worriedly.

Kristalia pulled herself away from Jared and rose shakily to her feet. "He summoned them," she whispered.

"What? Who?" Max questioned sharply, but some part of him already knew the answer.

She turned to look at him, pushing dark red hair out of her eyes. "The Royalist army," she said. "It was his last act, before he died. He summoned them here. To Roswell. To you."

* * *

For a moment, all Liz could do was stare.

She had been prepared for a lot of things. Max or Michael showing up to yell at her, perhaps, or her parents coming to express their concern over her emotional and physical wellbeing. Or even Maria, come to talk about Alex, to help look for a solution. If there even was one.

What she had not expected was to find Courtney standing in her room, waiting for her.

The moment was over quickly enough, and Liz lunged for the phone, a desperate attempt to call for help before Courtney killed her. But even as her fingers closed around the object, she knew it was a futile attempt.

Courtney grabbed her wrist and wrenched it backwards, causing Liz to drop the phone and nearly cry out in pain. The brunette bit her lip to forestall the moan and backed away from Courtney, eyes searching the room for anything that could aid her escape.

"Calm down," Courtney said tersely. "I just want to talk."

"Talk?" Liz echoed, her voice an octave higher than usual. "About what? You murdered Valenti and put Alex in a coma!"

"I didn't mean to," Courtney defended herself. "Valenti had a gun and was clearly going to use it on me, so my instincts took over. And Alex… I never meant to hurt him. That was an unfortunate side effect, but _not_ what I meant to do."

"Am I suppose to believe that?" Liz snapped. "Am I suppose to actually believe that you _care_?" Her eyes landed on the lamp behind Courtney and she remembered being told that a skin could be killed by breaking its husk with something heavy.

"Don't bother," Courtney said. "I'm still faster, stronger, and more powerful than you. You won't get to the lamp before I do."

Liz tried to her best not to look too startled that Courtney evidently knew exactly what she was thinking.

The rebel skin started pacing. "Look, if you don't want to believe that I care about any of you, that's fine. But you have to at least believe that I care about myself. About avoiding death."

"And what do you want me to do about that?" Liz asked sarcastically.

"I want you to convince the others not to look for me," Courtney answered bluntly. "I'll happily disappear, get out of Roswell and not look back. But I want a promise from all of you that you aren't going to go looking for me."

Liz swallowed uneasily. She sincerely doubted that Courtney would just give up, stop trying to win this battle. Why would she condemn herself to life on Earth if she could have some hand in this war, in returning to Antar.

At last, Liz said, "And why would I do that?"

"Because I can tell you how to save Alex."

* * *

Next Chapter: No Easy Walk

Due: Tue 3/30


	97. No Easy Walk

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Sorry for the delay (again). I actually had this chapter all written, but then a sibling broke an arm a couple days ago and we ended up in the emergency room listening to all the different possibilities for surgery… and things really haven't calmed down until now. But everything is going to be okay, and that's the important thing.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Seven: No Easy Walk

The room was silent, the air thick with a tension that would not abate. Isabel sat stiffly, her back straight, her eyes focused on a spot on the wall just to the right of her mother. Max stood behind her, fingers digging into the cushions on the back of the armchair, staring down at the top of Isabel's head. Philip and Diane were sitting side-by-side on the sofa, studying their children with an intensity that was unsettling.

Finally, Philip said, "You were supposed to be home for dinner an hour ago, Max. Where did you go after school?"

There was no accusation in his voice, and in fact, it was phrased as no more than a simple question. But Max flinched all the same. He opened his mouth to answer, and then stopped, unsure what to say. "Something came up," he offered finally. "I'm… sorry."

"What came up?" Diane asked softly. Like Philip, her tone was casual, almost conciliatory. But her eyes were firm, her stare unblinking. She wanted answers, that much was obvious. The question, Max mused to himself, was how far would his parents go to get an explanation?

He shivered. Shouldn't he trust them more than this?

"Kyle Valenti is leaving Roswell," he answered honestly. "And he wanted to talk about it. About… Tess."

It wasn't the full truth. In fact, Kyle's announcement, while troubling, had nothing to do with why he had been late getting home. But he could not bring himself to admit to his parents that he had been late because he was involved in political intrigue. Political intrigue that had ended with the murder of a Royalist.

"Tess Harding?" Diane murmured, eyes moving automatically to Isabel. "I know she's friends with you, Izzy, but I didn't realize that you were friends with her too, Max…" She trailed off, a flash of suspicion in her expression, then asked tentatively, "Is she… one of you?"

Max nodded slowly. "Yeah. Yeah, she's…" What would he say? That she was the reincarnation of his wife on a planet where he was once king? "She's our family," he finished with a shrug.

"And Michael?" Diane pressed, returning her gaze to Max.

Max met his mother's eyes and sighed. "Yes. And Michael, too." He didn't want to drag either of them into this, but there was really no way to keep them out. The circumstances of Michael's arrival in Roswell were far too similar to Max and Isabel's for their parents to not ask questions about him. And even Tess… how many people in Roswell were adopted? The four of them did stand out somewhat because of that.

"Why is Kyle leaving?" Philip questioned, eyebrows raised.

Isabel shifted uncomfortably in the chair and said in a low voice, "I guess he doesn't see a reason to stay anymore." She blinked rapidly, her eyes suddenly watery, and took a shaky breath. "God, I can't believe he'd do that to Tess…" she murmured.

If either Philip or Diane agreed with that sentiment, they did not comment on it. Instead, Diane said, "Who else knows that you two… you four… are… um…"

"We prefer the term not of this Earth," Max quipped, but the humor that should have been in his voice was absent, making his words sound flat and dull. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he added a bit sourly, "Does it matter who else knows?"

For a moment, no one said anything. Then Philip asked, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Isabel gazed at him incredulously, her mouth opening and closing several times, but she could not find the right words. Instead, she simply gaped in mute disbelief.

Max bit his lip for a moment, giving his father a thoughtful look. Then he said, "We were afraid how you would react. You don't seem to be taking it all that well."

That comment was met with a strangled chuckle from Diane. "Not taking it well?" she repeated, shaking her head. The laughter continued for a moment, strained and oddly distant, and there was no amusement in her eyes. "I just found out my children aren't fully human. I think I'm actually taking this pretty well, Max, all things considered."

Isabel ran a hand through her hair. "Really?" she muttered under her breath, loud enough for only Max to hear.

"Look, Mom… there are bad people out there," Max said reasonably. "People who want to hurt us. We just… wanted to be careful."

"Why? What were you so afraid of?" Philip demanded before Diane could say anything. "Did you really think we'd hand you over to… to whoever it is you're so afraid of?"

Again, neither Max nor Isabel could think of the right answer.

Max looked away briefly and attempted to gather his thoughts. The familiar guilt was back, the feeling that reared its head every time he had to lie to his parents. And the tiny voice in the back of his head kept asking how he could possibly have had such an unfavorable opinion of them, how he could have ever assumed that they would turn on him once they knew the truth…

"You don't know what the past two years have been like," Isabel said suddenly, eyes flashing angrily. "All the stuff that has happened, all the enemies we've dealt with…"

"Sweetheart, we're trying to understand," Diane started, but Isabel cut her off.

"Is that why you kept asking questions, investigating us? Is that why you planted a camera in my room, spied on me, invaded my privacy?"

"Actually, yes," Philip answered firmly. "We were worried about the two of you, and you weren't giving us any reason _not_ to be worried." He looked at Max and said, "You told me that you were still our kids. That _that_ hadn't changed. So then we're still your parents. And we're _supposed_ to look out for you."

"You can't," Max replied bluntly. "Not anymore."

"Max…"

"No!" Isabel snapped. "It's not that simple. You can't just… you can't just act like you should be involved in this. You don't understand – you don't _know_ – what happens to people when they get involved. There is a reason we kept you out of this, there is a reason we lied. And you should have let us! You should have let us keep you safe."

"Safe?" Diane echoed. "From what?"

"From the FBI. From the government. From the enemy aliens. From everything," Isabel answered, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

The color had slowly drained from Philip's face at the realization that the danger his children faced was very real and very deadly, and Diane said in a hushed whisper, "Why are all these people after you?"

"Does it matter?" Isabel said, a sob muffling her words.

With a shrewd look in his eyes, Philip said, "Something's happening right now, isn't it? Something bad?"

Max nodded mutely, refusing to meet his father's gaze. He did not want to talk about it, didn't want to have to admit aloud what had happened. His parents did seem to be a bit more accepting of this now than they had last night, and at least they were asking questions, trying to understand, instead of denying it all or disowning them. But if he admitted that Jim was dead because of them… would that change anything?

"What is it?" Diane asked.

Max said nothing, but Isabel dissolved into tears, and that was enough of a clue for their parents.

"The accident… with Jim and Alex…?" Diane ventured, but she did not ask the question fully, did not put into words what she suspected.

After a long, tense pause, Max said, "As I told you before, there are bad people out there. People who want to hurt us. But sometimes… sometimes they hurt other people instead."

Diane rubbed at her eyes, her expression a mixture of horror and fear. And something that looked like disgust. Philip got up and started pacing, his footsteps loud and angry, his entire body shaking with pent-up frustration. Isabel, her head buried in her hands, did not see her parents' reactions, but Max didn't, and he felt his heart slowly sink.

Was this it? Was this the moment that they would discover exactly who their children were and kick them out?

Then Philip spun around to face Max and demanded, "Do you have to do this?"

Max blinked. "Do what?" he asked, confused.

"I… I don't know. Whatever it is you're doing. Can't you… isn't there a way you can not… not have these people after you?"

"They're not after us because of anything we did, Dad," Max said sharply. "They're after us because of who we are, and we can't change that."

"But can't you report them to anyone? Isn't there… some law enforcement…"

"The Special Unit worked outside the law," Isabel spoke up, "and Pierce wasn't answerable to anyone. And for the aliens… there isn't anyone here equipped to deal with the skins. Trust me."

"You're seventeen!" Diane protested. "You shouldn't have to do this. You shouldn't… you should be safe. I want you to be safe."

Isabel forced a bitter smile. "So do I, Mom. But it doesn't work like that."

"Can't we help you, then?" Diane pushed, looking frantically between her children, the full weight of what they were up against finally crashing down on her. "There has to be something we can do to protect you."

"Jim wanted to protect us, and now he's dead," Max said harshly. Diane flinched and Philip dropped his gaze. The truth of the statement hung in the air between them, and even though neither adult knew the details, it was clear to everyone that both Max and Isabel blamed themselves for what had happened.

Max watched as his mother slanted a look at his father and wished he could decipher the silent conversation that passed through them. It was by now clear to him that his parents had no intention of disowning him, and that they were even desperate to come up with a way to keep him safe. But the tension was still there, lingering, and he couldn't quite convince himself that everything was going to be okay.

Diane rose slowly to her feet. She reached out and took Philip's hand, fingers intertwining. Isabel slowly lifted her head, raising bloodshot eyes to look at her parents. Max held his breath, his entire body stiffening as he waited.

"This will take some… adjusting… for us," Diane said quietly. "You have to understand… it's a lot for us to take in. But we're a family and I know we can get through this, we can figure it out. We can adjust. But I think… your father and I think… it would be best if you don't lie to us anymore."

"We want to know the whole story," Philip agreed.

Max caught Isabel's gaze, a questioning look in his eyes. She shrugged in reply, a silent reminder that even if they didn't like the idea of telling their parents everything, they didn't really have much of a choice.

"I know you think it is dangerous and difficult," Philip continued, "but now that we know… well, we do have a lot of questions. And we're not going to _stop_ having those questions just because they might be difficult. But you have to remember that even though we're asking for an explanation of all this, we don't love you any less. You are still our children."

"What do you want to know?" Max asked.

"The dreams I had," Diane said quickly, "where you attacked your father and killed some crystal thing… were those really dreams?"

Max groaned inwardly. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

The knock at the door was a surprise, and Tess looked up, brows furrowed. She had not expected anyone, and Kyle was out, spending some time with Trudy and most likely breaking the news to her that she was going to be leaving Roswell.

She crossed to the door and yanked it open, eyes widening as her gaze fell on a nervous looking Liz Parker.

"Um… hi, Tess. Do you have a minute?"

Warning bells went off in Tess' head, but she nodded slowly and stepped aside. Her initial anger at Liz was gone now, replaced instead by a vicious and all-consuming hatred for Courtney. She had no time or energy to waste on feeling anything towards the brunette human.

Liz stepped into the room and looked around. "Kyle here?"

"No," Tess said shortly, closing the door and walking over to the sofa. "What do you want?" If her words were blunt to the point of being rude, she didn't particularly care.

Liz twirled a strand of hair around her fingers and said quietly, "Courtney came to see me."

Tess blinked, wondering if she'd heard right. But Liz was staring at her in apprehension, and the truth in her eyes was to blatant to ignore. Something twisted painfully in Tess' stomach, and a rush of anger rose into her chest. But the loathing was dampened – only slightly – by the more pressing concern of the moment.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "Did she hurt you?"

Liz gave a choked laugh. "No," she muttered. Shaking her head, she looked away from Tess for a long moment, then said, "She said she can fix Alex. Or… well, she can tell us how to save him."

Tess pressed her lips together firmly as the anger grew, blood rushing to her face. "What are the terms of that deal?" she asked bitterly, snapping out the words. She knew the terms, or suspected them, but she had to hear it aloud. She had to hear Liz actually say what Courtney wanted, or else she would not be able to bring herself to believe that anyone, even Liz, could ask her to…

"She wants you four to agree to let her go," Liz said. "She said she'll leave Roswell and not look back… she said she won't bother us ever again. We just have to promise not to come looking for her."

Tess closed her eyes and drew a shaky breath. "She can't be trusted," she said sourly, furiously. "She'll come back. I don't believe that she'll just let us go, decide to no longer interfere."

"I know," Liz agreed instantly.

Tess snapped her eyes opened and looked at Liz with a mixture of surprise and incredulity. "If you know that, then why are you here? How could you possibly expect any of us to agree to this when you _know_ she can't be trusted?"

Liz twisted her hands together nervously, then said, "Because it's Alex. We can't just… not do anything."

"And we can't trust that Courtney isn't lying about being able to save him," Tess retorted coldly. She knew she was casually disregarding Alex's predicament and she knew that she should care about him. It was their fault, after all, that he was in a coma, so close to death. It was their fault, and they should help him, but…

But this was Courtney. This was the person who had murdered her father.

How could she care about _anything_ besides that?

"We have to do something," Liz said emphatically, her voice getting stronger as she took a step closer to Tess. "We can't just _not_ help him."

"So you want to let my father's murderer go free?" Tess spat, enraged.

Kyle's haunted expression floated before her eyes, and then she remembered Pierce's cruel words and the photographs of Andrew and Jessica he had shown her, and the flash of Courtney so callously killing Jim, not even giving him a chance to defend himself and…

The picture frame on the table by the sofa exploded, glass slicing through the photograph inside, poking holes in the image. Tess glanced at it for a moment, her eyes moving automatically to the shards of glass now sticking at odd angles through the three faces – a bored image of herself, a scowling Kyle, and an exasperated yet somewhat hopeful Jim.

"No," Liz said, "I don't. Tess, the _last_ thing I want is to let Courtney get away with what she did."

But Tess shook her head. "No," she said, refuting the statement. "The last thing you want is to let Alex die."

Liz chewed her bottom lip hesitantly, then said, "And is that _wrong_?"

And that was the problem. It wasn't wrong. In fact, what Liz was saying, what she was requesting, was probably the _only_ right thing that had happened since the night Jim had died. They had a chance to save Alex, and there was nothing anyone could do to help Jim. So it really was an easy decision, the right choice was quite obvious.

So why couldn't Tess bring herself to care?

"He didn't even have time to draw his gun," she whispered, words sticking in her throat. "He reached for it, more of an instinct than anything else, but… but he hadn't even drawn it, and Courtney… she just killed him. Like it didn't even matter. Like he didn't matter."

"I'm sorry," Liz murmured, her voice barely audible.

"Sorry?" Tess repeated, her tone almost mocking. Then her expression fell, the fury and rage draining away until all that was left was grief, "Yeah… me, too."

"She says she knows how to save Alex," Liz pressed, refusing to give up on that point, on the only thing that really mattered to her. This was the crux of the entire conversation, the reason she had come even when Tess had made it abundantly clear that she wanted nothing to do with Liz.

"So what? You trust her now?" Tess scoffed.

"No, far from it," Liz answered, her temper rising.

"Still, it's pretty convenient, isn't it?" Tess snapped, turning away from Liz and folding her arms over her chest. She should have killed Courtney when she had the chance, back at the school before Max interfered. She shouldn't have let the skin escape, shouldn't have let Jim's murderer go free.

"Tess, I have no other choice," Liz cried in exasperation. "I have to believe her."

Whirling to face Liz again, Tess said fiercely, "She _killed_ my father! She betrayed all of us, and she needs to pay for it."

Liz didn't say anything. For once, it seemed as though the brunette knew when to keep her mouth shut.

"Did you tell Max and Isabel? Michael?" Tess asked finally.

Liz shook her head wordlessly. Tess' eyebrows raised, a pointed question, and Liz forced herself to say, "I thought you should hear it first. Before I tell the three of them. And Maria." Tess felt faint surprise at that, at the fact that Liz had not even told Maria yet. It must have shown on her face, because Liz said, "Maria's been really busy, you know. Taking care of her mother…"

Tess licked her dry lips and nodded. She hadn't thought much about Amy DeLuca, but she supposed the other woman was having a hard time with this. Maybe, Tess thought idly, she should drop by and see her father's girlfriend, make sure she was okay…

Jim would have wanted that.

"Why would it matter if I hear it first?" Tess asked skeptically.

Liz shrugged. "It was your father she killed. I just thought… I plan on getting everyone together and telling them what Courtney proposed, and I didn't want you to be blindsided with all this. I guess I just thought you should have time to… prepare."

Tess snorted. "That was very… considerate," she said. Surprisingly considerate, actually, given how completely oblivious Liz had been to everyone else's feelings so soon after the accident. In fact, the human had been so wrapped up in her one goal that she had managed to push away all the people she actually did care about, and as far as Tess knew, hadn't really made any attempt to win them back.

So why was she trying to appease Tess? Why was she going out of her way to be considerate to the one person whose opinion probably mattered the least to her?

"Yeah, well… I am sorry if I ever implied that I thought you were responsible for Jim's death," Liz muttered. "When I came over that day, asking questions… they were really just questions. I didn't have a hidden agenda. I wasn't accusing you of anything."

Tess would have laughed, had she had the energy to do so. She'd known all along that Liz wasn't accusing her of that, and she'd known all along that she overreacted. The only thing Liz could be blamed for was being insensitive, and with Alex in the hospital… well, it wasn't really much of a surprise how she had behaved.

"But no one is doing anything to help Alex," Liz continued, her voice getting louder, more confident. "And sometimes, it seems like you've all forgotten about him."

Again, Tess could agree with that. She had forgotten about Alex. In the rush of rage and pain and confusion that had followed Jim's death, nothing else mattered. It might not be good and it might not be right, but he was her father, and the reality was that he mattered more to her than Alex.

She wasn't going to apologize for that.

But he was dead, and he couldn't be saved. And Alex…

Liz continued speaking, "I haven't forgotten. I won't forget. And I can't seem to get Max or Michael to listen to me, but Courtney offered a solution and I won't just… just do nothing. Not while there is still a chance that Alex can be saved."

"Well, blaming Max and Isabel for the accident and then nearly getting Maria killed on a crazy quest that could have resulted in the FBI coming back to Roswell… yeah, I'd say those a pretty good ways of getting people to stop listening to you," Tess sneered.

Liz didn't bother responding to the statement, a sign, Tess knew, that the brunette wasn't particularly sorry.

She sighed.

Liz said, "Look, I just wanted you to know ahead of time, alright? If you agree to do this, agree to let Courtney go, Max will follow. I know he will."

"And if I don't agree?" Tess challenged, one eyebrow raised.

Liz wrapped her arms around herself. "Then Alex will die," she said, her voice hard and flat and cold, "and I will never forgive you for that."

* * *

Liz's revelation brought about exactly the responses Michael had expected. Maria and Isabel eagerly jumped at the chance to save Alex, their desperation causing them to wave away any concerns about Courtney's trustworthiness. Max was slightly more hesitant, a wariness in his eyes that, combined with his silence, indicating exactly where he stood on the issue.

Tess hadn't shown up. That hadn't really surprised Michael, particularly given Liz's explanation that Tess already knew about Courtney's offer and had not yet made up her mind.

The taciturn hybrid also picked up on the bitterness in Liz's voice, the acid dripping from her tone. It was clear the brunette could not understand why anyone – even Tess – would not want to take this deal.

The meeting had left without anything being resolved. Max refused to make up his mind one way or another, and Michael hadn't bothered to point out the obvious, that without Tess' approval of the plan, it wouldn't matter anyway. Liz had stormed out, angry, almost seething, and Isabel had followed, her eyes swimming with tears.

And Maria…

Maria had asked him to speak to Tess.

Michael sighed heavily and scanned the horizon. Anyone else, and he would have refused. The last thing he wanted right now was to have this particular conversation with the grieving petite blonde, and no doubt she didn't want to speak to him, either. But Maria – the same girl who had insisted that they couldn't be together because it was going to end up hurting her too much – looked up at him with a pleading expression and asked him to talk to Tess and now…

Now he was making his way through the desert towards the pod chamber, his eyes constantly searching for any sign of the other alien. Kyle had said Tess was out here, and he trusted Kyle was right on that. Had she already entered the pod chamber? What was she looking for there? Did she really think she'd find any answers?

He stepped over the hot ground, feet slipping on loose rocks, and wiped a few beads of sweat out of his eyes. A movement to his left caught his eye, and he turned, gaze landing on a small, slight figure, sitting on the edge of a rocky outcropping, swinging her feet and gazing towards the pod chamber with an unreadable expression.

He walked towards her.

"Liz send you?" Tess asked.

Michael laughed coolly. "You really think I'd do anything she asked right now?" he pointed out, trying to forget the way his heart had momentarily stopped beating at the news of what had happened in Las Cruces, of how close Maria had come to being seriously injured.

"Maria, then?" Tess murmured.

He nodded, then followed her gaze towards the pod chamber. "You didn't go in?"

She shrugged. "No reason to, I guess." She looked down at her feet for a moment, swinging her legs back and forth. "I don't think the location of the Granolith was in the Destiny Book. Or if it was, the pod chamber can't be accessed by anyone besides the four of us. Otherwise, Courtney would have already taken the Granolith by now."

Michael nodded. It certainly made sense. If the Granolith was as powerful as everyone kept saying, if it really was enough energy to decide the fate of this war, then Courtney would not hesitate in claiming it for herself.

"I guess that's a good thing," he said.

"Yeah… I guess so." Tess pulled at a blonde curl, straightening it and then releasing so that the hair bounced back several times. "I want her dead."

Michael sighed. "Yeah. Me, too." He scratched his eyebrow and added, "But Maria thinks I can talk you into accepting Courtney's deal."

"And what do you think?" Tess asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I think if there is any chance at all that she can help us save Alex, we have to consider the possibility of working with her," Michael answered, hating the fact that he had to say those words. Something dark flickered in Tess' eyes, and he winced, worried.

"And if she betrays us?" Tess demanded. "She promised to leave, but you can't really believe that she'll keep that promise."

"If she comes back, we can kill her then," Michael answered reasonably.

Jared was dead, the mayor was dead, Nasedo could be working with Courtney, or possibly trying to kill her. Both of them were trying to use the Destiny Book as some kind of bargaining chip, although it was unclear what they wanted from it. And an entire army of Royalists were apparently on their way to Roswell.

Their lives were already screwed up enough that adding a deal with Courtney to the mix didn't really faze Michael. But Tess clearly had a different opinion.

"She _killed_ Jim."

"Yeah…" Michael agreed. "I just think…"

"What?" Tess snapped, eyes blazing as she glared at him. "What do you think, Michael? Tell me your reasoning for why I should let the person who murdered my father go free?"

"If she can save Alex… well, I just don't think Jim would want you to give up on that possibility. I don't think he'd want you to sacrifice Alex for him. I don't think… I don't think he'd wanted to be used as an excuse for killing someone, either. Not if you're the person doing the killing. He never would have wanted you to become a killer."

Tess didn't say anything, and a silence fell heavily over the two of them.

* * *

Next Chapter: Time After Time (parts one and two)

Author's note: Only two more chapters to go. I will definitely have them written by the end of the weekend, but I'm out of town until Tuesday and might not have Internet access. So I would say they will be posted (and the story will be finished) by Wednesday, 4/7.


	98. Time After Time part one

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note:Hm... okay, sorry for the delay. I honestly did not think these two chapters would be as challenging to write as they were. But I rewrote them about twenty times, and am now at least semi-happy with how they ended up... so I'm posting.

The lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from _Time After Time_ by Cyndi Lauper. Also, this chapter references Trevor's death in the chapter _Out of the Woods_, so if you don't remember what happened, it might be a good idea to review that…

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Time After Time (part one)

_After my picture fades and darkness has turned to gray,  
Watching through windows,  
You're wondering if I'm okay_

Max chewed his lip and stared at the white-washed hallway, eyes moving back and forth between the various nurses and doctors who hurried by. They paid little attention to him, and he did nothing to draw their notice, preferring instead to dwell in his own thoughts. His parents knew the truth and had not out-rightly rejected him and Isabel. They were apparently going to be able to save Alex. So shouldn't he be happier?

He had not thought it possible for his relationship with Liz to dissolve so completely. He loved her – truly, deeply – but they could barely stay in the same room without an argument arising. Only a couple weeks ago, they had been so perfect together. How had this happened?

And then there was his strained relationship with Isabel. She was angry at him, angry that he had hesitated to save Alex. Angry that when Liz had suggested the idea of Courtney's offer, he hadn't immediately jumped on it. She had gone to the hospital almost every day to visit Alex, to talk to him even if the doctors said he couldn't hear her. She had refused to give up on him, and she apparently thought that Max hadn't even bothered to think about Alex.

She agreed with Liz.

And he was angry at Isabel, angry that she had put Alex in danger in the first place. He knew she hadn't planned for this to happen, of course, and would never have risked his life for _anything_, but… But she had been thinking with her heart, not her head.

And then there was Tess. Their relationship with her ran hot and cold, and even on a good day, she was often livid with them. So it worried him that she _wasn't_ furious now. She wasn't really anything. She had completely dismissed him when he tried to speak to her at school, and there was none of the usual seething fury in her eyes. He had told her that Michael said she had finally agreed to Courtney's plan and she had simply nodded and confirmed it…

All the while staring through him, as though he wasn't even there.

He was interrupted by his thoughts as Isabel emerged from the hospital room opposite him. There were tears in her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly and gave him a defiant look.

"I told him everything is going to be okay," she said. "So when are we going to do this?"

"We'll talk to Courtney tonight," Max answered, running a hand through his hair and taking a shaky breath. "At Michael's apartment. Then… then we'll need to come up with a plan."

Lowering her voice, Isabel hissed, "How much of a plan do we need? We figure out how to save Alex, and then we do it. End of story."

Max rolled his eyes. "It's not that simple," he pointed out calmly. "We need to do it in such a way that we don't draw unwanted attention to ourselves. It won't do us any good to save Alex if it results in all of us ending up in the white room."

Isabel's lips flattened into a thin line. "Have you even bothered to visit Alex since Jim's death?" she asked coolly.

Max looked away and didn't answer. It wasn't that he didn't care about Alex, wasn't that he didn't want to save the human. But they had had so many other things to worry about, and at the time, they hadn't even known if Alex could be saved, let alone how to do it. He was supposed to be a leader, and he had been doing everything he could to keep the still-living members of his little group safe.

He wasn't sure that was something Isabel could understand. It certainly wasn't something she was going to forgive him for.

The statuesque blonde folded her arms over her chest. "Maybe you should talk to him now," she suggested in a deceptively mild tone, nodding her head towards the door. "That is why you came, isn't it?"

Max shrugged half-heartedly. He honestly didn't know why he had come. He didn't like hospitals, and he didn't believe in speaking to people who couldn't hear him. No matter what Isabel believed, the doctors had told them that Alex's brain damage was too severe, that there wasn't anything – anyone – left to talk to.

He still didn't know how they were going to pull this off. Wouldn't it be considered too much of a miracle if Alex miraculously woke up? Would it bring the media to Roswell? Would the FBI or some other government agency follow them?

His stomach knotted painfully. He wasn't ready for that, wasn't ready to deal with them again.

But Isabel was watching him, her eyes narrowed, and he knew that somehow she had gotten it into her mind that this was a bizarre test of how much he really cared about Alex. And he apparently hesitated a fraction of a second too long, because she spun on her heel and started stalking away from him.

But then she paused and looked back. "If it had been Liz in the coma, you wouldn't be so reluctant," she spat. And then she stormed away, and Max watched her go in dismal silence.

* * *

The ringing of the phone was incessantly loud, and as much as Tess wanted to ignore it, she found herself gravitating automatically in the direction of the noise. Kyle looked up from where he was sitting on the sofa, a frown marring his features. None of them were expecting a phone call.

She grabbed the phone and answered wearily, "Hello?"

"Tess Harding? It's Philip Evans."

Blue eyes widening in surprise, Tess felt a flicker of worry. Why would Mr. Evans be calling her? Had something happened to Max and Isabel? But no, if something had happened to them, Michael would have been the one calling. And wouldn't she know anyway, wouldn't she be able to feel it?

"Hi, Mr. Evans," she said, mouth dry.

Kyle's gaze snapped to hers, a questioning look. She shrugged in response, unsure how to answer his silent inquiry.

"Do you have a minute, Tess? I wanted to talk to you."

Tess walked over to the sofa and took a seat next to Kyle. "Sure," she agreed, trying to remember if Mr. Evans had ever initiated a conversation with her before. She couldn't recall a single time he had called specifically to speak to her. Even during the few times he had called to track down Isabel if she had broken curfew or skipped a family dinner, he had spoken to Jim and not…

Tess stopped, forcefully pushing away any thought of Jim.

"Is everything alright?" she pressed. After all, Max had informed her that his parents now knew the truth about all of them, and so maybe things had changed. Maybe now they would be speaking more often as they tried to wrap their heads around what they had learned.

"Yeah. Everything is… going as well as can be expected," Mr. Evans answered, a touch of bewilderment and concern in his voice. Obviously, he was still struggling to accept and process what he had been told.

"What can I do for you, then?" Tess asked. The fear she had initially felt upon hearing his voice was now gone, because if something had been wrong, Mr. Evans would have mentioned it right away. Instead of worry and apprehension, she now just felt confused.

Why was he calling her?

"Max and Isabel told me that Kyle is moving out, and I assumed you were going to sell the house but stay in Roswell."

Tess blinked, tears pooling in her eyes. It was such a simple, mundane sentence, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to think about all of that yet. It was certainly necessary – there was no way she could afford the mortgage on this house, even if she did want to stay here.

But she didn't. Too many memories. Unlike Kyle, she couldn't flee Roswell, though a part of her desperately wanted to. But she could flee the house.

"Yes," she agreed. "That's right."

"I was wondering if you would like some help. You'll need someone to handle the selling of the house and… well, there are a few other loose ends to… to tie up in regards to your father's assets… plus… you'll need a lawyer if you want to get emancipated."

Mr. Evans sounded hesitant, as though he wasn't quite sure what to say. He stumbled over his words a few times, searching for the right sentences. Tess choked back a laugh at that thought. Was there a right thing to say to an alien-human hybrid whose father had been murdered?

"I haven't really thought about it," Tess admitted slowly.

At her side, Kyle reaching out and caught her free hand, squeezing it gently. He could hear enough of the conversation to know the general topic, if not the specifics, and there was sympathy in his eyes.

"I'll stay through selling the house and anything else that needs to be done," he murmured. "I'll help with anything."

She smiled in gratitude, but made a mental note to herself to get Kyle out of Roswell as soon as possible. He would stay to help, she knew that, but she also knew that if an entire army of Royalists was going to show up sometime soon, she wanted him as far away from this place as possible.

Preferably before an all-out war broke out.

"I figured you hadn't thought about it," Mr. Evans agreed. "I know you've had other things on your mind. Why don't you let me figure out…"

"You really don't need to do this," Tess interrupted. "I can get someone from my Dad's work to help. They… they probably know how to deal with this sort of situation."

There was a pause from the other end of the line, then Mr. Evans said, "I'm trying to be okay with this, Tess. I really am, but… but I'm _not_ okay with it. I don't have a clue how to deal with anything that I've learned but… but the one thing I do know for certain is that Max and Isabel are _my_ children, and if you're related to them – whatever that relationship is – then you're wrong, Tess. I _do_ need to help you."

She closed her eyes. "I… thank you."

She really didn't have the heart to tell him that, at the moment, she didn't care about his children anywhere near as much as he did. She had accepted Courtney's offer – Michael had talked her into that – but the fact that the hybrid General was right about this being what Jim would have wanted didn't change the fact that it wasn't what _she_ wanted. Her hatred for Courtney was still as strong as ever, but all she felt for Max, Isabel, and Michael was complete disinterest.

"Look, this probably isn't the best time to talk about this, but you don't actually have a whole lot of time. CPS will want to send you into foster care if you don't get emancipation soon and… and I'm sure you don't want that. Especially since it might mean you would have to leave Roswell."

Tess licked her lips. She couldn't leave Roswell, no matter how much she might want to. She knew most of her friends were surprised that she was still here, given that Kyle had already announced his intention of leaving. Trudy hadn't taken it well, but had promised to support any decision he had to make, and his football friends had been happy for the new opportunities he'd have because of his training program.

And she was left behind.

"Yeah… I can't leave," she agreed slowly. "Look, um… Mr. Evans, I really appreciate the offer. I just… really can't think about this right now… I have something else I need to do tonight and tomorrow and…"

_And I'm going to be too busy dealing with the aftermath of letting Courtney go free to care about anything else._

"How about this? I'll figure out which judge you'll need to present your case to and talk to him," Mr. Evans offered. "Then we can talk later in the week about a plan."

"Yeah, okay. That sounds good. Thanks, Mr. Evans," Tess said, trying her best to sound grateful. She was, truly, but at the same time, it was just one more issue to worry about, one more problem to face.

"Any time, Tess."

* * *

The sudden rush of fear still coursed through Liz's veins as Courtney entered her room, even though this time she had expected the skin to show up again. She backed away from Courtney, holding her cell phone in one hand and eying the blonde critically.

"Well?" Courtney asked briskly.

"They agreed," Liz said quietly. "Max wants to meet at Michael's apartment tonight. You can tell us how to save Alex then." She hesitated, then added, "But if you go back on your deal, if you return to Roswell… they will kill you."

Courtney shrugged off the warning. "Don't worry, I won't," she answered easily enough. She came further into the room, gaze fixed on Liz, her tone becoming icy. "But do me a favor, and remind Max that if he goes back on his part of the bargain… the four of them might be able to kill me, but I will most certainly take at least one of you with me."

Liz swallowed uneasily and nodded. "Okay… I'll tell him," she murmured.

"What time tonight?" Courtney asked.

"Ten o'clock," Liz answered automatically. As Courtney came closer, she instinctively moved back until she was pressed up against her bed.

"Where's Max?" Courtney asked abruptly, scanning the room. "I expected him to jump out of the closet or wherever by now."

Liz's eyebrows rose. "I… what do you mean? He's not here."

Courtney pursed her lips and stared at Liz in unbridled disbelief. "You told him I was planning on coming back to hear his decision, didn't you?"

"I told him you would get in touch with me," Liz answered honestly. "And we agreed that I could tell you, he didn't need to be here. I thought you might call, though. I didn't realize you planned on coming back in person."

For a long moment, Courtney said nothing. Then she remarked casually, "Tell Max if he wants to live, he'd better get over whatever problem he's got. Khivar's a hell of a lot better at this then I am. And he's actually going to be _trying_ to kill you."

Confusion and fear warred within Liz's mind. She had no idea what Courtney was talking about, but some part of her thought actually admitting to that would be a bad idea. Still, the confusion and curiosity won out, and she asked tentatively, "What do you mean?"

With an impatient click of her tongue, Courtney said, "Don't you all believe me to be an enemy? A coldblooded killer who will happily murder all of you to obtain my ends?" She didn't wait for a confirmation or denial from Liz, however, and pushed forward, "So if Max knew that I was planning on getting in touch with you again, regardless of whether it was by phone or in person, why isn't he here to protect you? God knows you're no match for me."

Liz didn't answer, but the telltale flicker of resentment in her eyes was enough to give away her opinion on the subject. She hadn't thought of it until now, until Courtney actually brought it up, but why wasn't Max here? He was the one who said that Courtney couldn't be trusted, he was the one who had been reluctant to take the deal because he thought that this would be a trap or that Courtney would go back on her word and still try to kill them. So if he was so sure that Courtney was a threat, why did he agree for Liz to meet the rebel skin alone?

Did he really hate her that much now that her safety no longer mattered to him?

"I didn't _try_," Courtney said. "I never intended to tear apart your precious little group. That idea – quite a good one, now that I think about it – wasn't even on my radar. But Khivar… he _will_ try. And if you all break this easily when I'm the one interfering…" She sighed, shook her head in despair. "You guys don't stand a chance against him."

Liz leaned back on the bed, suddenly mentally exhausted. The bitter resentment she had felt for Max flared again, exacerbated by Courtney's words. How could he be a leader when he cared so little about his supposed followers? He'd almost completely forgotten about Alex, it seemed, and had refused to listen to anything she said solely because he didn't want to face the possibility of her being right. And now he was willing to risk her life…?

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Pathetic," she muttered under her breath.

She turned to go, but Liz reached out suddenly and grabbed her arm, a question forming on the tip of her tongue. It was gone almost as quickly, though, and she was thrown headlong into a flash, the kind of intense vision she had not experienced since her first few kisses with Max.

_The punch hit Nicolas squarely in the jaw, and everyone stared in stunned silence. Courtney gaped in disbelief as she slowly crawled to her feet and watched the scene unfold, Nicolas and Trevor squaring off over Michael. _

_Nicolas took a few steps backward._

"_I believe in Khivar," Trevor said, his words firm and hard and angry. "And I always will. But I won't watch you torture my brother."_

_Courtney looked at Michael, who was writhing in pain and agony, only barely aware of the argument that was going on over his head, an argument about loyalty and family and beliefs._

_She looked away from Michael then, towards the gates of the compound. The others had gotten out safely, taking the now-revived Isabel with them. It was just herself and Michael still left her, surrounded by skins._

"_Then you have chosen them," Nicolas snarled. An ultimatum. "You have chosen to be my enemy."_

_There was a complete silence, so tense, so full of unspoken dislike and disgust, and Courtney could only gape. The pain of the attack had slowly faded, but she was still breathing heavily, still aching in places. It all faded into the background, though, as she watched Trevor's alliances slowly shift._

"_Yes," he said, a low whisper. "I guess I have."_

_After all this time… he was leaving Khivar. She couldn't quite believe it._

_Then both Nicolas and Trevor attacked each other at exactly the same time, and a bright white light engulfed the entire courtyard. Courtney, prepared for it, threw herself to the ground, covering her eyes with one arm. All around her, the other skins cried out in surprise, temporarily blinded by the burst of light, but as it faded, she quickly opened her eyes and surveyed the scene._

_Nicolas was dead._

_He lay on the ground, eyes staring unseeingly up at the sky. His gaze was vacant, his face colorless. The air around him crackled with the remnants of energy, leftovers from the brutal attack._

_The other skins were slowly blinking, climbing back to their feet, hands held out before them as though blinding searching for their sight. If she was going to get Michael out of here, she had to do it now._

_She hurried to Michael's side, but was brought up short by the sight of Trevor._

_Alive._

_He lay on the ground, blood on the front of his shirt, eyes unfocused. But he was clearly alive, and she could see the furious determination in his expression. He was not going to die. He was going to get back up and continue the fight if he had to. He was going to protect Michael at all costs._

_And Trevor knew what she was planning. Trevor knew that she was after the Destiny Book, and that she would do anything at all to get her hands on that translation. Trevor _knew_._

"_You turned on Khivar," she said to him. "You killed Nicolas."_

_He looked up her and answered in a choked voice, "I won't let anyone hurt my brother. Not Nicolas, not Khivar… not even you, Courtney."_

_She nodded slowly, knowing what he said was true, and knowing that he was too weak to her fight her now. "I know. And that's the problem." And then she reached down and pressed her hand firmly against his chest, watching as the heat spread out from her fingers, watching as his eyes glazed over, watching as he took his last, labored breath, and then died._

_Michael started moving, rolling onto his side, and she hurried to him. He crawled to his feet, looking dazed and bewildered, and she reached out and grabbed him, steadying him before he could fall back down. He seemed almost completely out of it, but the skins would attack just as soon as they got over their surprise and confusion at Nicolas' death, and they were running out of time._

"_Come on!" she said urgently. "Let's go. Come on, Michael. Move!"_

_He nodded mutely and followed her, tripping over his own feet. She supported as much of his weight as she could, letting him lean against her. They moved towards the gates of the compound, each step far too sluggish for Courtney's liking, each shift of Michael's weight painstakingly slow._

_Then Michael stopped, his eyes falling on Nicolas' slowly disintegrating body. "Nicolas…?" he asked, his tone forced and scratchy, his throat dry._

"_Dead," Courtney confirmed, her tone flat. "Trevor killed him."_

_Fear passed momentarily through Michael's eyes. "Where's… Trevor…?" he asked._

_She looked at him, saw the pain in his eyes as he guessed that his brother was dead. Looking away quickly, she answered in a whisper, "I'm sorry."_

_And she was truly sorry. She didn't like killing, took no pleasure or glory in ending another life. It was necessary, sometimes, and they were at war. But she did not relish the job, did not find any joy in what she had done. And neither did she like causing Michael pain. _

_She _was_ sorry._

_But not sorry enough to change anything that she had done, anything that she still planned to do._

Liz stumbled backwards, staring at Courtney in horror. "Michael said Nicolas killed Trevor," she whispered.

Courtney's expression hardened. "Well, you can't have expected me to tell him the truth," she sneered. But her cold expression softened somewhat as she peered at Liz, and then she continued, "You received a flash?" Tilting her head to the side, she murmured, "I guess they were right. Max healing you did change you somehow."

"They? Who is they?"

"The scientists," Courtney said thoughtfully. "They said that if Max used his gift of healing on humans, it would change them somehow. He's the only one that happens with, though. Tess, Isabel, and Michael don't have to worry about that…" She trailed off for a moment, then added, "They were unclear what the change is, but obviously they were right that there would be one."

"I've received flashes before from Max," Liz protested.

"You're connected, because he healed you. It's… difficult to explain. But I don't think he can really hide things from you, not if you want answers. You can… well, you can see into his mind, sort-of…" Courtney sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Like I said, it's complicated."

"But Maria received flashes once from Michael," Liz pressed, shaking her head in denial. She didn't fully understand what Courtney was saying, but it didn't sound like something she could believe. It didn't make _sense_. "And Max has never healed Maria."

"Maria probably received it because Michael was willing to show her whatever she saw," Courtney answered. "Flashes come from a connection, but both parties usually have to be willing participants. If the need is great enough, sometimes we can send images without the consent of the other person… that's what Tess did to Isabel when she was kidnapped by Whitaker, and what Isabel did to Michael when she was kidnapped by Rath. And we can also pull memories out of people's mind, like what Tess did to me and what Nicolas used to do to pretty much anyone whenever he wanted. But that's only if you're an alien. Humans shouldn't have the ability to receive a flash if the alien doesn't want to send it… and trust me, I didn't mean to send you anything."

"What does that mean…?" Liz murmured.

"It means that you've changed," Courtney answered. "But don't worry, you're still fully human. You're just… different, I guess."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Liz asked suspiciously. It wasn't like Courtney to be so open with explanations, particularly as she was one of the people who believed that knowledge was power. Like Nasedo, she had never been particularly forthcoming in her answers.

Courtney shrugged and drew closer to Liz. "It doesn't matter," she said, reaching up and pressing her fingers against the side of Liz's head. "You're not going to remember it anyway."

* * *

The meeting was tense and short. By prior determination, only the four hybrids and Kristalia were at Michael's apartment when Courtney arrived. Liz hadn't liked the plan, but Maria had agreed it was for the best and had talked her best friend into accepting it as well. Kyle hadn't really cared one way or another, mostly because Tess had not filled him in on all the details. He'd be furious, once he learned that they had let Courtney escape, and she just couldn't deal with that right now.

Courtney entered, they spoke, exchanged promises and information.

And then Max had added a question of his own.

"Do you have the translation of the Destiny Book?" he asked, watching Courtney carefully.

She looked surprised for a moment, but the emotion was quickly concealed behind a blank mask. "Why do you care?"

"Jared said that Nasedo was looking for it," Max answered, eyes darkening. Behind him, Kristalia nodded in agreement. "But it was a little unclear," the hybrid king continued, "as to where exactly it was. In fact, we can't seem to know for sure whether or not the translation was completed, or if you only had a part of it. The computers that might have told us that were destroyed in an… explosion."

Courtney's lips quirked upward just slightly at Max's casual comment, but neither Michael nor Max seemed to find anything amusing about the remark. If anything, Max's expression grew angrier, and Michael folded his arms over his chest and glared at Courtney threateningly.

She did not so much as flinch.

As Tess continued to gaze blankly at nothing, only barely paying attention to the conversation that she did not want to be a part of, and Isabel paced anxiously, desperately waiting for the answers she needed, Max and Michael exchanged looks. It was clear that Courtney was not intimidated by them, because at that moment, she still had information they needed.

"Just answer the question," Michael said in a clipped tone. "And tell the truth, Courtney, or we'll have Tess pull the answers out of your mind."

Tess shifted her gaze to Courtney, having heard her name and knowing it was used as some sort of threat. Courtney sighed, running a hand through her straight blonde hair and nodding slowly. Max let out the breath he didn't realize he had been holding, and they all waited for the skin's reply.

"I don't have it," she said. "Alex was successful in that, at least."

"Don't say his name!" Isabel spat, tears swimming in her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Michael interrupted before Isabel could continue her rant.

Courtney gave Isabel a brief, disinterested look, and then said to Michael, "He cleaned up after himself. Before the coma, when he figured out what I had done…" She trailed off, a quick look at Tess, then said, "Before the coma, he erased it from the school computers and from his email. He sent a virus to my email completely destroying the thing, I can't retrieve it. And the computers at Las Cruces are beyond repair. Several thousand dollars down the drain, I fear, but oh well. A small price to pay to avoid exposure."

"So it's… gone?"

Courtney shrugged. "There are no electronic copies. If there is a hard copy, I don't know where it is."

"What about the actual Book?" Tess demanded. "I saw you steal it from Alex's room. I thought you took it to Las Cruces and translated it yourself. How come you don't have a copy of that translation? And where is the Book?"

"I replaced the Book in Alex's room after… after he went into a coma. As for the translation, it was stored electronically and destroyed when Jared erased the computers. I hadn't had a chance to print it out yet." She shrugged, apparently unconcerned. Her blasé dismissal worried Max, but he didn't have a chance to press her on it as she added breezily, "So are we done with the questioning now?"

"And what about Nasedo? Where is he?" Michael asked.

Courtney's eyes hardened suddenly, turning into thin slits of pure ice. "Nasedo isn't going to be a threat to anyone ever again," she said.

A silence met her words, then Max asked quietly, "Tess?"

The petite hybrid studied Courtney for a long moment, then nodded in confirmation. "She's telling the truth. About the translation and about Nasedo."

Max let out a slow breath. "Alright then. We have a deal. Tell us how to save Alex, and we'll let you go free."

* * *

Next Chapter: Time After Time (part two)

Due: Now


	99. Time After Time part two

Title: Time After Time

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Well, here we are, at the end of the story. As always, I hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.

The lyrics at the beginning and end of the chapter are from _Time After Time_ by Cyndi Lauper.

* * *

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Time After Time (part two)

_You said, "Go slow,"  
I fall behind.  
The drum beats out of time._

The three of them sat in a circle on the floor of Michael's apartment, staring at the photograph Isabel had brought. It showed her and Alex, smiling happily at each other, a candid moment caught on film by Maria.

"Ready?" Michael asked, looking between Tess and Isabel.

Isabel nodded quickly, anxiously, but Tess stared at the photograph for a while, the fear obvious in her gaze.

Isabel huffed impatiently. "Tess," she said sharply. "Come on. We have to do this."

"What if she's lying?" Tess countered, shaking her head worriedly. She lifted her gaze to Isabel, the distant, unemotional look that had filled her expression for the past several hours now gone. It was replaced by a truly honest concern, but it appeared to be more for herself than for Alex.

Isabel sighed, trying her best to push away her frustration at Tess and sound sympathetic. After all, they needed Tess' gifts for this to work, and insulting the petite hybrid was not going to help the situation in anyway. But every second that they wasted was another second that Alex was slowly deteriorating, and Courtney had said they only had a limited amount of time.

"If she's lying, then what we're about to do will kill Alex," Tess continued, folding her arms over her chest and shivering slightly. "We all know what happened to Kyle when I screwed up his brain, and he was healthy to start with. Alex…"

"Alex is going to die," Isabel said quietly.

Michael looked at her in surprise, and Tess raised an eyebrow questioningly but lowered her gaze towards the ground as she contemplated what Isabel had said.

The taller blonde hybrid elaborated, "The doctor told me that… that it doesn't look good for Alex. He's dying, Tess. If we don't do this, he _will_ die. So, really… what other choice do we have? I know Courtney could be lying, I know this runs the risk of killing him but…" She stopped, a sob momentarily choking the words in her throat, then forced herself to say, "I still don't see what other option we have."

Tess didn't answer. It wasn't about Jim, Isabel knew. They had already accepted the deal, and Tess, however unwillingly, had allowed Courtney to leave the apartment unharmed. That decision was already made, and it wasn't the desire for revenge that was causing Tess to hesitate now.

It was still the memory of Kyle dying, his mind dissolving before her very eyes, that caused Tess to second-guess herself now. The only person she had mind-warped since that horrible night was Courtney, and Tess hadn't particularly cared if it destroyed the rebel skin's mind.

But this was Alex. And Alex _wasn't_ Courtney. Alex was different.

"She's right," Michael agreed in a low tone, shooting Tess a pointed look. "We have no other choice."

His point seemed to resonate with Tess, because she gave a slow nod of agreement.

"Okay," Isabel said. "Max is at the hospital now, with Alex. So… so let's do this."

Three hands reached out and touched the photograph of Alex, and a ripple of energy ran over the picture, distorting Alex's face. Then Isabel felt the usual tug at the back of her mind as she entered the darkness that came right before dream-walking.

Usually, the all encompassing darkness gave way almost immediately to a dream, a scene conjured up by whoever's subconscious she was invading. This time, however the darkness did not leave, and instead they were surrounded on all sides by a crushing, suffocating, claustrophobic feeling. Alex's mind wasn't open to dream-walking the way it should have been, as Isabel had discovered shortly after the car crash.

Isabel felt, rather than saw, the other hybrids by her side.

_Hold on_, she thought. _I'll get us through. Just hold on_. Then, on a whim, she directed her thoughts – or prayers, rather – towards Alex. _You hold on, too, Alex. We're going to fix this. I promise._

There was no answer from anyone, no sound at all in this place. It was a struggle to maintain the connection, and Isabel wanted desperately to break off the thin, wavering thread of mental effort that was holding them all here. Alex's mind was foreign, a muddled mess of darkness that wouldn't allow her to enter, and the sheer force of will needed was starting to hurt.

Isabel closed her eyes and focused, concentrating all of her strength on the memory of the photograph of Alex underneath her fingers, on his mind, his dreams. His mind was too jumbled, to broken, to allow them any entrance, and the darkness, the barriers that circled them, seemed determined to keep out any invasions. Alex's mind was attempting to protect itself even as it died, and whatever Courtney had done had caused enough damage for everything to be a chaotic mess.

There was a brush of something against her, feather light and tentative, then growing stronger, as Tess brutally forced the barriers around them to crumble.

Isabel knew that Max was sitting next to Alex's bedside, using his gifts to keep Alex's heart beating. This was the dangerous part, the part that could kill Alex if Max didn't somehow manage to counterbalance Tess' actions.

There was a light, and then a deafening sound like an explosion…

_The four of you together can do this. Isabel can get you into Alex's mind, and Tess can break down any barriers necessary. Max can keep Alex alive while this is happening, and then if the three of you combine your abilities, you can heal his mind._

_And what will Michael be doing, Courtney?_

_What you're doing is difficult and dangerous. You'll need his strength._

Isabel pushed aside the memory of Courtney's words as the bright light faded and she blinked, finding herself inside Alex's destroyed mind.

* * *

Even with Maria standing guard near the door and Liz pacing in the hallway in case any doctors attempted to enter the room, Max couldn't help but be worried. There were no video cameras in the room, nothing to record his actions, but all it would take was one ill-timed check by a nurse and they would be exposed.

He placed his hand on Alex's chest. The steady beeping of the heart monitor indicated the vital organ was still working, and Max knew it was his job to make sure it continued working while Isabel and Tess attempted to sort through the damage Courtney had done.

He drew a shaky breath, and at that moment, Alex started to shake. It was the first time Max had actually seen him move since the earlier attempt to heal him right after the crash, and for a long second, all he could do was stare. But the heart monitoring suddenly started screeching, and that jarred Max into action. Before the noise could summon a concerned doctor or nurse, he quickly waved his hand at the screen, putting the machine on mute.

Then he turned his attention back to Alex.

"You're going to be okay," he said, his voice a low whisper. Alex's eyelids fluttered several times, as though he was dreaming, perhaps caught in some nightmare. "You're going to be okay," Max repeated, and Maria shifted a few steps away from the door and watched her friend with an intense gaze.

"Max?"

"He's going to be fine," Max said to Maria, still not tearing his gaze away from Alex.

The teenage human's face was lined with sweat and his breath became uneven and labored. The respirator in his mouth was supposed to be controlling his breathing, but something had changed, and his body was rebelling against the tube.

Courtney had said that this would require all four of them working together. But they hadn't felt like a team in a while. Not since before Jim's death…

He felt a warmth underneath his palm and concentrated and forming a connection with Alex. His eyes were glued to the pale, glistening face, and he could only imagine what was happening in Alex's mind, what the other three hybrids were finding as they sorted through the mess.

He felt a rush of rage, of pure fury and hatred, at Courtney.

Alex began to groan. Maria was at his side in a heartbeat, grabbing his fingers and whispering something reassuring in his ear, but Max reached over with his free hand and caught her arm. "Watch the door."

"But…"

"Maria! Watch the door," he ordered, looking at her for a fleeting moment before turning back to Alex. "You need to watch the door. You and Liz… that's your job."

Maria glared at him, but he barely noticing. As she stalked away from him, muttering something under her breath and scowling, he held his breath and continued to watch Alex.

Alex was still struggling, making odd, rasping noises around the side of the tube in his throat. A few tears slipped out from beneath his closed eyelids, and Max had the sudden suspicion that he would be crying out n pain if he could speak.

Then Alex's eyes flickered open once, blue orbs catching Max fully, and the hybrid King was thrown headlong into a series of flashes as the connection formed between them and his healing powers flowed from his palm into the other teenager's body.

_Darkness everywhere, and then a glimpse of Courtney, cold eyes and blonde hair and something that felt like fear…_

…_Isabel was sobbing as Alex tried to hug her, saying over and over again that she couldn't be trusted as long as Vilandra was inside her…_

…_a computer screen flickered, strange symbols and shapes scrolling across the screen, and then he was somewhere else…_

…_outside the school, and Jim was falling, collapsing to the ground, and Alex was sorry, so sorry, that he couldn't do anything…_

Through the flash of memories, the confusion of images and feelings, Max caught a glimpse of Isabel, Tess, and Michael. It felt as though they were there, standing right next to him, even though he knew they couldn't be. Logically, he knew that they were on the other side of town at Michael's apartment, but Alex's mind was linking them and…

And then Alex's heartbeat seemed to calm, and everything got just a little bit clearer.

The darkness of the images faded almost as abruptly as it had come, and he was back in the sterile hospital room. His face was pressed against something soft and fuzzy, his mouth muffled by cotton. It took a moment for him to regain his bearings, and then he realized he had collapsed forward and was lying partially on Alex's bed, sprawled on top of his unconscious friend.

"Max? Max, are you okay? You started seizing and I thought something had gone wrong… Did something go wrong? What happened, did it work? Did you heal Alex? Max! What happened? Is Michael okay? Can you tell, did something…?"

Maria's voice only barely penetrated the fog around his mind, and then Liz was at his side, her expression concerned and upset, but none of it mattered.

Because Alex's eyes were wide open, and he was trying to speak.

* * *

She had been pacing since the moment they arrived.

The phone call from Max was only partially a relief, and she knew she would not believe a single thing he said until she saw it with her own eyes. Until Alex was actually looking at her, conscious and aware of his surroundings. It didn't matter that Max had said it had worked, didn't matter that he assured her that Alex was out of his coma…

She had to see it. Too much had gone wrong in the past several weeks – or months, really – for her to believe anything could start going right now.

"Isabel. Come sit down," Max suggested.

She looked at him, blinked once, shook her head. "I'm good," she murmured, resuming her pacing. They doctors wouldn't let them in the room yet, not until they had done all the tests and determined that Alex really was okay and…

And she hated doctors. All doctors. She just wanted to see Alex.

She sighed heavily as her eyes flicked towards the door, and tried not to think about the jumbled mess she had seen in Alex's mind. Fragmented memories and fear and hopelessness…

Tess had always told her that the mind was far more complicated than even human scientists understood. It was impossible to read a mind, like so many people could do in fantasy books. It was about searching through the various memories and emotions that flickered by and trying to form a pattern. The brain was so strong, so miraculous, so complex. It was capable of almost anything – mind over matter – if the person just believed hard enough…

And it was so incredibly fragile as well.

Alex's mind had been proof of that.

And she had done this to him. Not deliberately, of course. Alex was _Alex_, and she would never hurt him intentionally. Never risk his life like this. She hadn't known at the time what would happen, and she had so desperately needed those answers because without them, how could she be trusted? How could she trust herself when Vilandra was still there, within her, waiting for a chance to emerge?

She hadn't known what would happen when she asked Alex to translate the Destiny Book, but maybe she should have. Maybe she should have known, all along, that anything related to Vilandra only brought pain to the people she loved.

_I'm sorry, Alex. This is all my fault._

Courtney had told them they needed to work together. Courtney had told them that, as a team, they could succeed at this, at saving someone who everyone else thought was entirely beyond repair.

Then the question remained, were they still a team?

Tess wasn't here. She'd left Michael's apartment as soon as it was over, stumbling slightly as she hurried out of the door. The healing of Alex's mind had cost her, sapped her strength and drained her energy. But more than that, it was clear that she simply had no desire to stay around any of them.

She looked quickly at Max, and then to Michael. They both seemed distant, as though they weren't quite sure how to act around her now. She wanted to tell them that nothing had changed, that she was still their sister, but it wasn't the truth. Everything _had_ changed. She had started the ball rolling, and the one simple action of requesting Alex's help with a translation had set off a chain reaction that couldn't be undone.

Walking through Alex's mind had been like moving through a minefield. One step in the wrong direction, and everything could have fallen apart.

But it didn't fall apart. Isabel forcefully reminded herself of that, but somehow, it still offered little comfort.

The door opened. Maria and Liz were both on their feet in a heartbeat, with Michael and Max close behind. But Isabel, already standing, was the first one to the door, and before the doctors could stop her, she had pushed her way into the room.

Alex was sitting on the bed, looking weary and worn, but undoubtedly alive. His eyes were dull and pained, confusion etched into every line of his face. But he smiled when he saw her, his expression lighting up with so much happiness that Isabel almost burst into tears.

Would he still be happy to see her when he remembered exactly why he had been here in the first place?

Now that she was in the room, after so long of desperately wanting to see him, she found she had little to say. She was frozen, unable to take any more steps forward, and Maria and Liz moved around her and came to Alex's side.

"You're okay," Maria said, sounding as though she didn't quite believe it.

Liz started crying suddenly, her entire body shaking, and Alex turned towards his two best friends. "Doctor says I need some time to heal fully," he said, forcing out the words. His throat was dry, and his comment sounded choked as a result. He hadn't spoken in days, and apparently it was a challenge to regain use of his voice.

"But you're awake," Liz said softly, shaking her head. "Oh, God… you're awake." She leaned forward, about to hug him, but then paused, unsure. "Can I… I mean, I won't hurt you, will I?"

Alex laughed, a strained, garbled sound. But there was real amusement in his eyes, and he reached over and wrapped his arms around Liz. She gingerly hugged him back, the tears of relief still streaming down her face.

But then Alex pulled back and his expression grew serious. "The doctor told me I was in a car accident," he said. "I don't remember… what happened?" He looked at Isabel when he asked the question, but she could tell by the seriousness of his gaze that he wasn't accusing her. He was looking at her because, out of everyone in the room, she was the one he most trusted to give her the full answer.

This time, she really did burst into tears.

"Uh… Alex," Max started, taking pity on his sister, "it's complicated. Maybe you don't want to tax yourself with the whole story right now?"

Alex nodded, then winced at the movement, but didn't take his eyes off of Isabel. He looked bewildered, as though he couldn't quite understand why she was still on the other side of the room, instead of next to his bed like Liz and Maria.

But then the confusion turned into fear, and he asked tentatively, "Did someone else get hurt in the accident?" His eye roamed the room, and he noticed the one member of the group who was absent. "Tess? Is she okay? I mean, I don't expect her to be here," he hurried on quickly as Max and Michael both gave him apprehensive looks, "because we're not really friends and all. But we sort of were, I guess, since she's friends with Isabel and… and you're all acting like someone's… died or… or…" He trailed off, his voice fading as his eyes scrunched tightly, recognition and realization flickering through his expression as he lowered his gaze.

"Alex…" Maria started, and then stopped and looked at Liz.

Liz shrugged.

Alex breathed out slowly. "Courtney," he said, his voice low. "I remember… something happened with Courtney and…" He looked up at Isabel. "Jim."

"Yeah," Max said quietly. "It did."

"What happened?" Alex pressed hoarsely.

Max opened his mouth to answer, but Isabel said sharply, "No. No, don't…" She slanted a quick look at Max, then walked closer to Alex. "It's my fault, I should… be the one to… tell him…"

Alex reached out and caught her hand, panic reflected in his eyes. "Tell me what?" he demanded. "Isabel, what's wrong?"

She let out a slow breath and glanced around, making sure the doctors and nurses were gone, and the conversation would not be overheard by any one who didn't already know the truth. Then she looked back at Alex, squeezing his hand tightly and blinking away her own tears.

"We need to talk."

* * *

As she left Roswell, Courtney thought she should feel more regret. After all, she had come so close to succeeding, and yet, in the end, had still failed. So close to having all the answers…

But Alex had thwarted that plan, destroying her email before she had a chance to print the translation. Everything had happened so quickly, he'd broken out of her mind control just as she was finishing up the translation, and she hadn't had time to make a backup copy before he'd managed to irrevocably corrupt her email.

She had been so close…

But it didn't really matter. She had promised never to return to Roswell, never to bother them again. And she wouldn't return to Roswell, not willingly. But she also wasn't going to pretend to be some pathetic human for the rest of her life. She was still a spy, and a good one at that. She had invaluable skills… and information.

She hadn't been lying when she said all the copies of the Destiny Book were destroyed. But that didn't mean she hadn't read a few pages of it as it was being translated. That didn't mean she didn't remember some of what was there, on the screen. It wasn't as much as she wanted, but it was enough to buy her access into Khivar's ranks. And she knew, better than most, how easy it was to cause damage from within.

The landscape whipped past her car, rolling hills of red and yellow rock blurring and blending together. She stared moodily at the distant horizon, barely noticing the scenery around her and the boiling temperature of the sun that caused everything to shimmer with heat waves.

She wasn't going back to Roswell. She'd lost Michael, lost the trust of the Royal Four. But she'd only lost a battle, and the war was still raging, still waiting to be won.

She smiled to herself, confident in her abilities. She _was_ good at what she did, even if she had screwed up this time.

Then her mind wandered lazily to Nasedo, and her smile grew. She hadn't been lying when she told Michael that Nasedo wouldn't be a threat to any of them. But she also hadn't said he was dead.

* * *

"Are you going back to the hospital to visit Alex?" Michael asked as he settled himself into the chair across from Maria. Once again, he found himself in the DeLuca kitchen, talking to Maria as Amy sat on the sofa in the living room and stared blankly at the window opposite her.

"Yeah, soon…" Maria glanced at the clock on the wall and sighed impatiently. "Still have another forty-five minutes until visiting hours. I hate this… this _waiting_. We waited so long for him to wake up, and now we can't even see him because…"

"Because he needs time to rest and recuperate," Michael interjected.

Maria huffed, but nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. I know. Doesn't mean I have to like it." She started tracing designs on the wood, yawning as she did so. Michael studied her for a long moment, noticing the tension and stress in the lines of her face.

They hadn't spoken about it since her initial outburst, but Michael knew he wasn't the only one who couldn't forget what she had said, the way she had told him that she couldn't be with him because she couldn't handle inevitably losing him, too.

They were still together, but Michael had no idea where they stood. And he wanted to tell her that he would always choose her, no matter what, but that wasn't a promise he could make. Not when he didn't know what the future held.

"Max and Liz still haven't really spoken since… since I don't know when," Maria murmured. She lifted her gaze slowly to Michael's face, and he looked back at her, not sure what to say. She was obviously waiting for some kind of answer, some kind of sympathy, but he had nothing to give her. He honestly didn't care.

He didn't dislike Liz. He often grew impatient with her, and occasionally completely annoyed, but he didn't dislike her. He just didn't see a reason to waste time and energy helping to rebuild her relationship with Max. Particularly since Max had yet to give any indication that he still wanted to be with Liz.

"It's just so wrong," Maria continued. "I mean, they're perfect for each other."

"Let them work it out," Michael advised warily. The wounds of Liz's angry words were still too fresh and too raw, and only disaster could come from trying to push Max too hard, too soon.

"But they're not working it out!" Maria protested. "_That's_ the problem."

"Still," Michael said, refusing to be swayed by her argument, "it's _their_ problem to work out. Not ours. Let them deal with it. Or not deal with it. Either way, it's their choice."

For a moment, Maria just stared at him, her expression torn between disbelief and irritation. "So you'd just give up on them?" she asked finally, pushing her chair backwards, away from him.

Michael scratched his eyebrow absently. He wasn't sure what to say, but doubt had never kept him from speaking, and it wasn't long before he answered, "If it's worth keeping, they'll figure out a way to keep it. If it's not, there is no reason for us to get stuck in the middle of it."

"Liz is my best friend and Max is your best friend," Maria snapped. "We're already in the middle of it."

"But we don't _have_ to be," Michael argued.

Maria got up, leaning forward and resting her hands on the table. "So that's it? You'd just figure it isn't worth it anymore? Walk away and let everything go to waste? Like the past two years never even happened? So that… _Liz_… can lose another person she loves?"

Michael frowned. "Max can't make any promises about the future," he said. "He doesn't know what's going to happen. He doesn't _want_ to leave Liz, he just… he might not be able to help it."

Maria expelled a short breath. "So don't you see why Liz is so upset? She loves him, and it's just not… it's just not fair that they can't be together. That one day he has to go off and lead an army and… and fight a war."

"Life isn't fair," Michael retorted, rolling his eyes. Maria looked to be on the verge of tears, and so he found himself continuing, "But even if he can't make any promises about the future… you know… if he's loves Parker, then maybe that's enough for right now."

Maria turned away from him and walked over to the counter. He stared at her back, wishing he could see her expression, somehow read her emotions. She was obviously distraught, but he just didn't know the right words to offer, the sentiment that would make this all okay.

"Does he?" Maria asked after a long silence.

"Does he what?" Michael replied blankly.

She turned to face him, blinking away tears. "Does he really love her as much as she loves him?"

Michael nodded, knowing that they'd stopped talking about Max and Liz a while ago. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, he does. And he's just as scared of losing her as she is of losing him."

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Amy DeLuca. "Liz is on the phone, sweetie," she said, holding out the phone to Maria. "She's heading over to the hospital soon."

Maria nodded and gave Michael one last look, a tentative smile pulling at the corners of her lips. As she brushed past him, he caught her arm and returned the smile.

"Do you want me to come to the hospital? I'll even play nice with Parker for you."

Maria shot him an annoyed glare, but it quickly melted into a grateful nod. "Yeah… that would be nice." Then she took the phone from her mother and stepped out of the kitchen, "Hi, chica…"

For a moment, Amy and Michael were completely silent, both staring at Maria's retreating figure. Michael had no idea what Amy was thinking, but it didn't really matter to him. All he could think of was Maria, and the possibility that one day in the very near future, he would walk out of her life for good.

How could she not have known that that thought terrified him as much as it terrified her?

"I didn't like you in the beginning."

Michael glanced at Amy, eyebrows raised. It wasn't like she'd said anything he didn't already know – she'd made her feelings pretty clear when she forbid Maria from seeing him. But he didn't know why she'd be bringing this up now, unless to reiterate her position.

He wasn't going to listen to her. He wasn't going to leave Maria.

At least not yet.

"Look, Ms. DeLuca," he started, but she cut him off.

"I mean, the two of you were always disappearing off on some adventure, lying to me about it, breaking curfew, breaking rules… and Maria's my daughter. But… but J-Jim…" She stumbled over her boyfriend's name and dabbed at her eyes, brushing away the tears. "Jim said you were a good kid. I guess… I guess I'm glad I listened to him. Turns out he was a much better judge of character than I gave him credit for."

Michael wasn't sure what to say, so he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

"I see the way Maria looks at you and the way you look at her. And I… I like seeing my daughter so well taken care of. And so loved. I didn't have the best track record with guys and I just… I'm happy to see her with someone that I know will love her as much as I do."

"I do," Michael said firmly, staring directly into Amy's eyes, hoping he could convey his sincerity. "I do really love her."

"I know," Amy agreed. "And… well, I just wanted to say that you're always welcome here." She turned away from him, walking towards the kitchen door, then paused and looked back, her gaze pointed. "You're always welcome here… on the couch."

Michael couldn't help but grin.

* * *

He was sitting by himself on the stone bench at the park, his eyes downcast, his body curled in on itself. He looked so incredibly young in that moment, and she hesitated, unable to go through with her intention of simply walking by and leaving him there.

"Max?"

He looked up, red-rimmed eyes landing on her. At first, he simply stared, eyes wide and disbelieving, as though he couldn't quite imagine that she stood before him. Then he ran a hand through his hair and averted his gaze.

"Hi, Liz."

"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively, crossing the sidewalk that separated them. The moment she asked the question, however, she knew it was particularly stupid. Of course he wasn't okay. None of them were okay, but at least now Alex was awake and that should have made things better.

He licked his lips. "Yeah," he answered in a barely audible voice. "I'm fine."

She glanced up at the night sky. "It's ten-thirty and night, and you sitting by yourself at the park," she countered.

"I can't go home. It's too awkward. My parents…" He stopped abruptly and didn't finish the thought.

She missed it, Liz realized sadly. She missed the way he used to be able to tell her everything, or more than that, the way he never needed to tell her anything because she so often knew what he was thinking. She didn't know what he was thinking now, couldn't see anything recognizable in his shadowed eyes.

"Max, I…" She stopped, too. There wasn't really anything to say. The distance between them was too great, and mere words would not be enough to bridge the gap. Once upon a time, she had actually believed that the fact that they were different _species_ and that he had an entirely different destiny still could not keep them apart.

She knew better now.

She twirled one strand of hair around her fingers. Max looked at her again, and said, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep," she admitted reluctantly. Every time she closed her eyes, some disturbing thought would enter her mind. She had seen Alex wide awake and laughing, smiling, talking… and some part of her kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Would she wake up tomorrow and find out it was all a dream and Alex was still in his coma?

"He'll be fine, you know," Max offered, apparently knowing exactly why she couldn't sleep. Maybe he, too, had those fears. Maybe she wasn't the only one who kept waiting for the next disaster to strike.

"I know," she answered numbly, flatly, her words a lie.

Max didn't call her on it. Maybe he, too, needed to believe that everything would work out alright.

"Jared summoned an entire army here," Max said at last. "An entire army of aliens willing to fight a war, to die, for me. For the four of us." He laughed softly, a dark, twisted sound. "They think we're these great heroes. We're legends. They don't know that Tess is barley speaking to any of us, that Isabel constantly worries about her past, that I'm _not_ Zan and never will be."

Liz frowned. What was she supposed to say to that? How could she tell him that everything would be alright when they both knew it was a lie?

"We'll figure it out," she said with a shrug.

He gave her a sharp look and replied, "We? I don't think that's quite true, Liz."

She flinched, the guilt and anger returning in full force. Guilt at how harsh her words had been, anger at how easily Alex's plight had been ignored. The emotions warred in her eyes, in her expression, but she said calmly, "We're still in this together, Max. That hasn't changed."

"Hasn't it?"

"You tried to walk away from me last year," Liz murmured, "after Pierce's… death. That didn't work. But then you turned into Zan and you walked away and I… I let you. Until Michael came back from the future and…" She stopped, shook her head, lapsed into an uneasy silence. She wasn't sure why she was saying this, had no idea what she hoped to convey.

Max apparently didn't understand either.

"Does any of that matter now?" he questioned.

She let out a slow breath. "I love you."

Max didn't answer. Maybe it didn't matter to him anymore. Maybe he didn't love her. But some part of her just couldn't believe that. After everything they had been through, was he really ready to just give up?

"We'll figure it out," she said again. "Whatever is going to happen… it will happen. And we'll deal with it when it does. Together. As a group."

"A group?" he echoed dismally. "We haven't been a group in a while, Liz."

She couldn't really argue with the truth in his words, so she said nothing.

"I love you, too. But things change. I don't know, Liz. I just… I don't think we can go back this time," Max continued. "I'm not sure any of us can. Isabel, Tess… Michael… we're all stuck in this… this mess. We can't undo what's happened and that… that terrifies me."

Liz considered this carefully. She knew he was probably right, that too much had irrevocably changed for them to go back to how everything was before. And she didn't like that, didn't like the fact that they were falling apart, and nothing could be done to stop it.

But even if he was right, he was still missing part of the scenario, still unable to see that, in the end, it didn't really matter.

"Maybe we can't go back," she agreed. "But you're wrong when you say we haven't been a group in a while. We've always been a group."

"Where have you been the last several days?" he asked pointedly.

"Where have you?" she retorted.

Max rubbed the back of his head absently and looked away from Liz, tilting his chin up to stare at the sky. Last year, he had broken up with Liz because he believed he was too dangerous to be around. He believed he was a killer. And he'd sat on this same bench and stared up at those same stars…

The only difference was that _that_ time, it had been Tess sitting next to him instead of Liz standing before him. That time, Tess had still been speaking to him and Isabel and Michael had still been by his side and even though Tess had been tortured in the white room, even though he'd killed Pierce and lost Liz, even though he'd been completely unable to understand how he was supposed to shoulder this responsibility, he had still thought that maybe,_ just maybe_, he could do this.

This time, he didn't even have that bit of optimism.

That time, Tess had told him he was an idiot for breaking up with Liz. This time, she'd probably tell him it was the smartest thing he'd ever done.

Liz was wrong. They weren't a group. Not anymore.

"I should go," he said, and rose to his feet. As he stepped around Liz, however, she caught his arm, forcing him to come to a halt and look at her. "What?" he snapped.

"If Khivar showed up and threatened to hurt me, what would you do?" she asked.

The words were out of his mouth before he could even really think about the question. "I'd _kill_ him."

She dropped his arm. "Tess hates me now. And she isn't speaking to you, Michael, or Isabel. Michael is barely speaking to me, and I think he's pretty upset with Isabel, too. Isabel is ignoring everyone except Alex, and Alex doesn't have a clue what's going on, but I have no idea how he'll react when he learns the truth. And Maria… between caring for her mother, worrying about Michael going off to war, and hovering around Alex, Maria's pretty much falling apart."

"I know all this," Max said angrily, stepping away from her. Was she trying to make it worse?

"But you're missing the point," Liz argued. "Max, can you honestly tell me that if Khivar showed up right now and threatened to kill us, and if you called Tess for help… can you tell me that she _wouldn't_ come? That Michael and Isabel wouldn't? That when it really comes down to it, when you really need them, they _won't_ be there?"

Max didn't answer.

"We're still a group," she pressed, "and we're still in this together. Whether you admit to it or not."

She moved away from him, folding her arms over her chest. He watched her, his heart beating rapidly. He wanted to say something, wanted to tell her that he loved her and wanted to be with her and that he forgave her for all her harsh words and that he was sorry he hadn't spent as much time thinking about Alex as he should have…

But he couldn't. The words caught in his throat, refusing to come out.

"Goodnight, Max," she said, and stepped around him, walking away.

For a moment, their arms brushed, a spark of electricity ran up his skin, heat and chemistry crackling between them. Liz started and looked at him, her face suddenly flushed. He held her gaze for a beat, and then they both turned away, walking in opposite directions.

* * *

The man glanced about with detached curiosity, taking in the heat and the dust and the wind. The atmosphere felt different, dirtier somehow. The sun was too bright and the air too heavy and everything just seemed _wrong_. Or perhaps it was his own imagination subconsciously projecting his distaste for these barbaric creatures onto the world they inhabited.

Either way, he didn't like it. Just as he didn't like the pathetic, inefficient natives of this place.

_Of all the places to send the Royal Four_, he thought scornfully, _this is the last place I would have chosen._

"Your Majesty?" a voice asked, and he turned to eye the man approaching. "What are you orders, my Lord?"

He considered this for a moment, then said, "Tell you men to stay at their positions, Admiral. We won't do anything quite yet. I want to get a feel for this planet, first."

"As you wish, Lord Khivar," the Admiral replied, bowing his head and withdrawing.

The other man turned his attention back to the landscape. "So this is Earth," Khivar mused. "What a peculiar place."

_If you're lost, you can look  
And you will find me,  
Time after time.  
If you fall, I will catch you,  
I'll be waiting,  
Time after time._

The End

* * *

Author's note: Okay, folks, we've reached the end of Season Two. There is one more story after this (a rewrite of Season Three), entitled _Details In the Fabric_. Obviously, it won't be much like the show's Season Three since Alex is still alive, Jim is dead, Kyle is mostly out of the picture, Diane and Philip Evans know the truth about their children, Tess isn't evil, and Max isn't looking for his son. But it should hopefully tie up the loose ends of the first two stories and wrap up the entire series.

The first chapter probably won't be up for a couple months (my ETA for posting in the beginning of June). It will be a lot shorter than the first two stories, somewhere between 30 and 50 chapters, as I only have a few specific topics I want to address. But it will provide some answers for the following questions;

How will Liz and Max cope with the fallout from this year?

What will happen with Alex and Isabel now that Alex knows why he was in a coma?

Can Michael really stay in Roswell (or on Earth) for Maria?

How will Diane and Philip Evans deal with their children's secret lives?

What will happen when the Royalist army arrives in Roswell?

How will Tess handle Jim's death and Kyle's departure?

Where is Nasedo?

And, of course, the most important question – who will win, Khivar or Max?


End file.
